By Chuck Burton, The CSN Way Columnist

Some years, it seems like you could write the story of the season before the season even begins. How much skill did it take to pick Appalachian State to win the SoCon title, for example, after they had won it twice in a row? Just follow the Mountaineers closely - and add a CAA team to give Appalachian State a worthy rival to beat in the final game - and voila. Call Hollywood.

The Mountaineers - and Richmond, who has been the No. 1 team almost the entire way so far this year - are conforming to the script so far. Montana’s also playing their part of the big bad Grizzlies out West, too, and South Carolina State has justified that they’re no fluke, with a place in the Top Ten after powering through their MEAC schedule. But there are other conferences where the script for the season is getting rewritten. Teams that were once penciled into the playoffs are now in the fight for their playoff lives.

Whose season scripts needed the biggest rewrites? We’ll look at three situations which would have been bold predictions in August.

1. The OVC: Fearing the Peay
Nationally-ranked Eastern Kentucky couldn’t have been riding any higher after beating Eastern Illinois 36-31 on the road October 3rd. At 3-1, they had the toughest part of their schedule behind them, the toughest challenger to their throne atop the OVC vanquished, and their only loss coming to FBS Indiana where the Hoosiers benefited from some questionable calls to come away with the “W". Back then, the script read “The Colonels already won the OVC championship game, time to think about where they’ll be playing after Thanksgiving".

Even after a 20-17 loss to Tennessee State the Governors had to like their odds, even though Dean Hood’s team had shown some signs that they would have a tougher go of it than originally thought. The Tigers keyed on the Colonel’s running game, only allowing them to get 3.5 yards per carry, and - uncharacteristically for an EKU squad - they lost the turnover battle, giving up two interceptions and forcing no takeaways.

Yet few would have given Austin Peay much of a chance last Saturday, a team that hadn’t beaten the Colonels on the field since 1977, and a team not too far removed from a move away from the non-scholarship Pioneer Football League. If Tennessee State’s win was a surprise, the Governors’ 24-20 win last weekend was the shock to end all shocks.

The Governors won the game by running the football - running backs Terrance Holt and Ryan White combined for 275 yards rushing - and forcing turnovers, benefiting from four EKU fumbles. “Our offense played great in the first half and bad in the second half,” Hood said after the game. “On defense, we were there. We just couldn’t get (Holt and White) down.”

The Colonels’ loss means - all of a sudden - the team that was left for dead October 3rd, Bob Spoo’s Eastern Illinois Panthers, are now in the drivers’ seat for the OVC title. Since losing to EKU, the Panthers (as expected) lost to FBS Penn State - but quietly knocked off Tennessee Tech to set up a showdown against the other big dog in the OVC, Jacksonville State, who looked to be shoo-ins for the OVC title if the Colonels faltered.

Instead, the Panther’s 28-20 victory over the Gamecocks put them back in the catbird’s seat in the OVC, in a game where coach Spoo pulled everything out of his bag of tricks to beat the nationally-ranked Gamecocks, led by former LSU quarterback Ryan Perriloux. Special teams played a huge part - onside kicks, an 87 yard kickoff return for a touchdown by wideout Lorence Ricks, and a forced fumble on a punt return that gave the Panthers a four yard drive for another touchdown. “Coach Spoo said ‘let’s make sure we leave no stone unturned.’", EIU special teams Michael Smiley told the Charleston Times-Courier. “We’ve been pretty consistent with what our returns were and our schemes. We just changed things to give them a different look. The blocked punt, I learned that lesson the hard way. We got that punt blocked by Eastern Kentucky. We stole one out of their book.”

Have we seen the end of the thrills and chills of the OVC? While all eyes are on the Panthers, the scriptwriters are looking at a Thursday game, Tennessee State at Eastern Illinois broadcast nationally on ESPNU, as the game that determines the OVC champion and their autobid to the playoffs. But if this season has shown anything, it’s that anything can happen in the OVC this year.

2. Rise of the Jackrabbit
Just a few years ago, South Dakota State was in transition to Division I, and facing an uncertain future as they were headed to the powerful Gateway Football Conference. Unlike their brothers to the North - North Dakota State, whom they play every year for the “Dakota Marker” - the Jackrabbits hadn’t upset FBS teams and looked like the odds-on favorites to dominate the newly-renamed Missouri Valley Football Conference in a few years. After all, two huge impediments stood in their way: Northern Iowa and Southern Illinois, the perennial power teams in the MVFC.

Yet the Jackrabbits, led by the running of Kyle Minett, removed one of those huge impediments this year on Hobo day in Coughlin Stadium. After their impressive 24-14 victory over UNI - their first win over the Panthers since both were Division II teams in 1979 - the 6-1 Jackrabbits have surged to their best start in thirty years and have their eye on their first-ever playoff bid at worst, at best an outright MVFC conference title.

Many didn’t pick the Jackrabbits to beat UNI this weekend, considering that redshirt freshman quarterback Thomas O’Brien had to get the start for injured starter Ryan Crawford. All O’Brien did was go 26 for 37 and pass for two touchdowns against one of the toughest defenses in the MVFC.

“The program’s been built by young men that believed in the transition and stuck to it, and we’re reaping the benefits from hard work and belief,” said SDSU head coach John Stiegelmeier to the Sioux Falls Argus Leader. “Are we where we want to be? No, we’re not.”

The Jacks have the look of a team that could make a deep run in the playoffs. Depth at quarterback is crucial, of course, but they also have a lockdown defense with defensive lineman Danny Batten and a team with precious few weaknesses. With the story of the Missouri Valley Football Conference rewritten, a showdown against Southern Illinois in two weeks looms as another huge test for South Dakota State - perhaps even for the title.

As for the 5-3 Panthers, while their title hopes appear dashed their playoff hopes are not. At 8-3 an a history of playoff football, if they win out you have to like their chances to procure an at-large bid. While their story has been rewritten to not include league titles, their chance at the postseason lives on.

3. The Butler Did It
When folks think of Butler, they generally don’t think of the gridiron - they think of mid-major basketball, with a team with gritty defense and never out of a game until the final buzzer. But Jeff Voris’ team has the Bulldogs dreaming of something else this year too: a Pioneer League football title, and, with some luck, perhaps even a spot in the postseason.

Since joining Division I in football in 1992, the Bulldogs have won the Pioneer League exactly once with a 7-3 record in 1994. This year Butler has eclipsed the seven win mark in seven tries - and quarterback Andrew Huck and the rest of the team is hungry for more. A lot more.

Coach Voris’ squad has benefited from a cupcake early schedule - against sub-D-I opponents Albion, Franklin, and Hanover - but they’ve taken care of business against San Diego, too, the team that was picked to win the PFL earlier in the year. In that game, kicker David Lang booted a 37 yard field goal in the closing seconds to give the Bulldogs a walk-off 25-24 victory over the PFL powerhouses.

It wasn’t easy, either. Even with the best offense in the Pioneer League, when the Toreros pinned the Bulldogs at their 4 yard line with forty-two seconds to play. But Huck engineered a drive that could have come right out of Hollywood, going 5-for-6 and setting up a manageable field goal try.

“I wasn’t really thinking about anything except keeping my head down and making good contact,” said Lanf. “The snap by Taylor (Clarkson, the long snapper) was really good and Logan (Sullivan, the holder) got the ball down in a great position.”

While the Bulldogs have their three toughest games in front of them - including Davidson this weekend, whom they’ve never beaten, Dayton, the perennial PFL title contender, Drake, in the think of the title race, and Jacksonville, last year’s PFL champs - their dream of a perfect regular season is intact. If they go undefeated, they’ll be guaranteed the postseason in the form of the “Gridiron Classic” against the NEC champion at the very least, and - at best - a shot at the FCS playoffs.

Do they have a chance to make the playoffs if they go undefeated? Their three wins against sub-D-I competition will hurt them, but if they get eight Division I wins they could be very hard to keep on the sidelines come playoff time. For a team that never wrote themselves any more than seven victories a season since joining Division I football, the dream script of the undefeated season - which would be their first since 1961 - can still be written.

CHUCKLES FOR WEEK EIGHT ENDING 11/1/2009
My solid year continues with a 23-6 record this week, putting my totals for the year at 176-53 on the year, creeping my winning percentage up to 76.9% on the year. The big wins included picking Holy Cross to upend Colgate in a battle of ranked teams, correctly picking Richmond to hold serve at home versus UMass, and picking Penn to beat Yale in a defensive slopfest. I’ll take it!

Regret of the week
It’s not really one game that was the regret this week, it was more that I missed the big upsets. I wasn’t exactly courageous with my picks - picking Holy Cross, Richmond and UNI to win were awfully safe, which meant I missed out on the joys of South Dakota State’s upset and Austin Peay’s incredible upset of Eastern Kentucky. Had I some more courage, a good week could have been a great week. Ugh!

Five Outside the Sports Network Top 25
Portland State vs. Eastern Washington (Showdown on the Sound). Eastern Washington got some wonderful news this week - the postseason ban that was issued to the Eagles by the NCAA was lifted, meaning quarterback Matt Nichols will have a chance - if Eastern Washington wins out - to have a shot at the playoffs. It should cap a fantastic week for Eastern Washington - with a different type of Eagles and Vikings invading Qwest Field, home of the NFL’s Seahawks this weekend. Impossible not to take the Eagles in a romp as the emotion of playing for the playoffs surges through the team.

“That Eagle Is Wearing Red!” 54, “Glanville’s Coaching Brett Favre?” 14

Florida A&M at Morgan State. Morgan State looked like a dark horse for the MEAC title - until they were upended at Delaware State, 35-22, last weekend. They’ll play better against quarterback Curtis Pulley and the Rattlers - and while they’ll make it close, it won’t be close enough for the win.

Kurtis “Don’t Call Me Blow” Pulleys 21, Freaky Bears 17

Bucknell at Lafayette. Linebacker Michael Schmidlein and the Leopards won’t have any problem with the Bison this weekend - but it might be the margin of victory that propels them back into the Top 25 against this overmatched opponent.

Laughing Leopards 41, Bummed Bison 3

Southeast Missouri State at Eastern Kentucky. The Redhawks may think they have a chance to take on the wounded Colonels this weekend. They’d be wrong.

Deep Fried Colonels 37, Deep Fried Redhawks 6

UC Davis at Southern Utah. Can Davis keep alive long enough to challenge Cal Poly for the Great West title? Linebacker Mike Morales will hope to slow down Thunderbird quarterback Cade Cooper long enough to get the victory they need to stay alive for the title (and any playoff bid), but I think the boys from Utah will prove too much for the Aggies.

Thunderbirds And Cooper 36, Aggies and Agony 24

Four More Games I’m Watching
Albany at Central Connecticut State. If anybody can keep Albany from cruising to their umpteenth NEC title, it’s the Blue Devils. With CCSU running back James Mallory
versus Albany running back David McCarty, it should be a great game. It should come down to special teams - and that’s where the Danes will win this game.

Cherry Danishes 21, Blue Berried Devils 20

Penn at Brown. The Penn defense, led by linebacker Joe Goniprow, has been the immovable object this year, while Brown, led by quarterback Kyle Newhall-Caballero, has an offense with speed and points to burn. Something’s going to give - and it will have to be the Quakers, whose lack of a working offense will finally doom them here.

“I am Kyle Newhall-Caballero. Prepare to Die.” 20, Dead Quakers 0

Jacksonville at Drake. With both eyes on the scoreboard for the Butler/Davidson score, Jacksonville running back Rudell Small will hope to keep the Dolphin engine going against the Bulldogs in what will likely be an elimination game in the Pioneer Football League title race. Small will run into Bulldog defensive lineman Dain Taylor - a lot - as Drake tames the Dolphins and survives.

Feel the Dain Of Everyone 24, Rudell Small Feels… A Loss 6

Alabama A&M vs. Alabama State (Magic City Classic, Birmingham, AL). You have to respect any game where the folks show up to tailgate on a Tuesday before a Saturday kickoff. Birmingham has already been shut down for this morning’s parade - especially considering that last year’s “Magic City Classic” boasted nearly 70,000 fans - and with a concert tonight featuring SWV and the O’Jays, it’s a big-time football (five-day) weekend in Alabama. That still won’t be enough to get Alabama State the win, though - Bulldog running back Ulysses Banks and Alabama A&M are too strong.

The New 2009 Ulysses Convertible 37, No Magic for the Hornets 6

Picking the Sports Network Top 25
No. 1 Richmond at Towson. Could Towson shock the world, and beat Spider quarterback Eric Ward on an off-day? Don’t count on it.

Spider Men 34, Tormented Tigers 3

No. 3 Southern Illinois at Indiana State. Congratulations, Sycamores, for ending your 22 game losing streak against Western Illinois? Your reward? Hosting the No. 3 team in the country and running back Deji Karim. Thanks for playing.

Deji… Or No Deji… This Is A Win 55, Sycamore Win Streak In Jeopardy! 0

No. 5 William & Mary at Rhode Island. Could one of these sub-.500 teams pull off the upset against a Top 5 team? It’s just difficult to see, especially when one of those teams has defensive lineman Adrian Tracy on their team.

Torrid Tribe 27, Rammed Rams 3

No. 6 Elon at Wofford. What’s standing in the way of a SoCon championship showdown against wideout Terrell Hidgins and Appalachian State in two weeks? Certainly not the Terriers, even though they looked better in a 35-26 win over Western Carolina last weekend. The Catamounts are one thing - the Phoenix are quite another.

Terrell “Don’t Call Me Owens” Hudgins 27, Wofford “Don’t Call Us Terrible” Terriers 14

No. 7 Appalachian State at Furman. Throw the records out in this one: even though the Paladins were practically eliminated from any postseason with their 38-28 loss to the Citadel last weekend, you have to believe that this is quarterback Jordan Sorrells’ Super Bowl this weekend at home against the hated Mountaineers. The last four in Greeneville were settled by a touchdown or less, and this pattern will hold here. Look for a crazy touchdown by Mountaineer quarterback Armanti Edwards - and the oh-so-close victory.

Rocks Rule 34, Purple Drools 28

Northeastern at No. 8 New Hampshire. No, really, what is it with these bad CAA matchups this week? The Huskies - despite their 27-7 win over Towson last weekend - have no shot against defensive back Hugo Souza and the Wildcats.

Hurricane Hugo 41, Harried Huskies 7

No. 9 South Dakota State at Youngstown State. Could it be a trap game? While 4-3 Youngstown State has been inconsistent, should they do the unthinkable and run the table against Northern Iowa, South Dakota State and the others, they’d be 8-3 with an unquestioned at-large playoff spot. Can defensive tackle Mychal Savage and the Penguin defense do it? I’m not going against running back Kyle Minett and company after last week’s romp. The Jacks may let down, but they won’t lose to the Penguins.

Minett is Jacked Up 28, Iced Iced Penguins 18

Delaware State at No. 10 South Carolina State. The Hornets had enough to capitalize on Bear turnovers to upset Morgan State 35-22 last weekend, but facing off against quarterback Malcolm Long and the Bulldogs in Orangeburg is quite another matter. Buddy Pough’s troops continue their march to the title.

Long Bombs Hornets 27, Hemmed Hornets 10

No. 11 Stephen F. Austin at Texas State. It’s awfully dangerous to pick against the home team in Southland games, no matter what the record. Still, “America’s Team” - Stephen F. Austin, led by all-American candidate for quarterback Jeremy Moses - will beat the Bobcats, even if it’s a bit closer than many folks will bargain for.

“Stephen F. Austin - America’s Team” 34, “Texas State - The Evil Empire” 28

No. 13 McNeese State at Nicholls State. It’s awfully dangerous to pick against the home team in Southland games, no matter what the record. Did I just say that? Ignore that here: you can’t beat running back Todrick Pendland and the Cowboys if you don’t have an offense. No, seriously. Ignore what I just said.

Todrick’s Cowpokes 44, Nicholls’ Nightmare 10

No. 15 Central Arkansas at Southeast Louisiana. It’s awfully dangerous to pick against the home team in Southland games, no matter what the record. Did I just say that? Well, that’s real good advice in this one. The Lions, led by quarterback Brian Babin, has tormented teams with SeLa’s offense this year, and the Bears look like they could be victims of another shootout.

Green Babins 40, Purple Bears 37

James Madison at No. 16 Delaware. Are the Dukes, at 2-5, a dangerous team that will play hard the rest of the year for pride? Or are they a team that can’t figure out how to score and have gone touchdownless in two straight games? They’ll score one on the Hen defense, led by defensive lineman Brandon Gilbeaux, but they won’t break Delaware fans’ hearts this weekend.

Take The Hens And the Points.. But Not in Delaware 21, Down And Out Dukes 10

No. 17 Holy Cross at Fordham. With not one, but two, potential NFL-caliber quarterbacks playing in the Bronx in the form of Holy Cross quarterback Dominic Randolph and Fordham quarterback John Skelton, expect plenty of NFL scouts in the stands at Coffey field this weekend, not to mention scoreboard operators in case the scoreboard gets worn out. While the Rams are out of the playoff race, Fordham is exactly the type of quick-strike offense that can give Holy Cross problems - and they will.

Skeltons Win On Halloween 41, Crusaders Crushed On Halloween 38

No. 18 Cal Poly at North Dakota. Hard to see the linebacker Marty Mohamed and the Mustangs lose this one on the road, especially since they need to win out to have a chance at the playoffs. The Fighin’ Sioux are representing themselves well in their transition to Division I, but give me the Mustangs.

Surging ‘Stangs 28, Stampeded Sioux 13

No. 19 UMass at Maine. Look for the Minutemen to rebound against the Black Bears, especially with running backs Tony Nelson and Jonathan Hernandez no longer being able to suffer a loss and qualify for the playoffs.

Nelson, Hernandez and a Cloud of Dust 35, Blackened Bears 21

No. 20 Eastern Illinois at Murray State. While I’d like nothing better than to say this could be an upset candidate, how in the OVC this year, anything can happen, and all that, fact is now that running back Mon Williams and the Panthers have gotten back in the drivers’ seat, it’s unlikely that the Racers will knock them right out of it again. Even on the road, give me Bob Spoo’s team.

Spoo’s Men 31, Wacky Racers 10

No. 21 Northern Arizona at Sacramento State. Quietly, the go-go Lumberjack offense is getting in gear which quarterback Michael Herrick getting back-to-back 40 point games for Northern Arizona’s offense. Make it a third, and see if the Lumberjacks can make a run at the Big Sky title or a playoff spot.

Canyon Bombers 47, Girly Men 22

No. 22 Jacksonville State at Austin Peay. What’s the odds of the Peay men pulling off two straight upsets at home against nationally-ranked OVC opponents? Right, probably close to zero. Perriloux gets back on track, and the Gamecocks bowl over a spent Governor team.

Perriloux’s Powerhouses 41, Peeved Peay’s 24

Presbyterian at No. 23 Liberty. I don’t know who can stop Liberty’s charge to the Bog South title, but it certainly won’t be the Blue Hose that stop quarterback Tommy Beecher and the Flames.

Red Beecher 41, Blue Flameouts 14

Lehigh at No. 24 Colgate. Logic dictates that the Raiders, after a tough 42-28 loss to Holy Cross last weekend, would make mincemeat of the 2-5 Mountain Hawks last weekend. But Lehigh, at 2-0 in the Patriot League, showed some signs of life on offense as quarterback J.B. Clark led the Hawks to a 35-16 win over Bucknell. Playing a hunch - and an emotional one at that - I think Lehigh will pull off an emotional upset at Andy Kerr stadium this weekend against Colgate quarterback Greg Sullivan and the Raiders and keep their title hopes alive.

Clark Bars Win? 22, Sullytown Loses? 13

Game of the Week
No. 14 Weber State at No. 2 Montana
For the 5-3 Wildcats, it’s do-or-die. For the 7-0 Grizzlies, it’s revenge, sort-of.

Certainly Weber State, after winning a co-Big Sky championship with Montana last year, didn’t make it easy on themselves this year with two money games against FBS opponents and an out-of-conference schedule that features perennial playoff participant Cal Poly. But after a three game winning streak, the Wildcats are hoping to use that momentum to do something the Wildcats haven’t done since 1987: win a game at Montana’s Washington-Grizzly stadium.

Wildcat quarterback Cameron Higgins has still been a solid quarterback, but he’s shown a scary tendency to throw interceptions - with eleven this year. Wideout Tim Toone is still as good as advertised, however (718 yards, 7 touchdowns), and running back Trevyn Smith also has been heating up just in time to help Weber State make their run.

At 4-3, though, the Wildcats have no room for error. One slip-up, and they’re out of the hunt. That suits Bobby Hauck and the Grizzlies just fine, too.

Behind the emergence of quarterback Andrew Selle (12 touchdowns, 1 interception), the Grizzlies’ offense has been a well-oiled machine too. With running back Chase Reynolds (11 touchdowns) and wideout Marc Mariani (594 yards, 6 touchdowns), they may not have the same gaudy stats as the Wildcats, but these Grizzlies sure can play, too.

The question is: can the Wildcats get their offense rolling in Missoula this weekend? With snow showers in the forecast - and Montana’s top-ranked defense, led by defensive lineman Tyler Hobbs - look for the Grizzlies to knock out the Wildcats this weekend, and maintain their lead in the Big Sky race.

Montana 27, Weber State 17