Who: Samford at Chattanooga (UTC)
When: Saturday, 12:30 p.m.
Where: Finley Stadium, Chattanooga, Tennessee
What to look for: Both quarterbacks – Samford’s Michael Hiers and UTC’s Preston Hutchison – have thrown for more than 2,000 yards. Hiers has been more efficient, with 27 touchdowns and three interceptions. Hutchison, a transfer from Eastern Michigan, has 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
Why to watch: Samford has not beaten UTC since the 2013 season. Will the streak finally end?
Who: Tuskegee at Benedict College
When: Saturday, 1 p.m.
Where: Charlie W. Johnson Stadium, Columbia, South Carolina
What to look for: Pick your poison with the Benedict College offense. They rush for 214 yards a game and pass for 214.5 yards. And the defense allows just 11 points a game.
Why to watch: Tuskegee is currently ranked No. 9 in the NCAA Super Region 2 rankings. The top seven teams from each region advance to play in the Division II playoffs. Benedict is the top-ranked team in the region. A Tuskegee win could move them up considerably.
Who: LaGrange at Huntingdon
When: Saturday, 1 p.m.
Where: Samford Stadium, Montgomery, Alabama
What to look for: Need a big play? Throw it to Huntingdon’s Conner Bradford. The 5-foot-11, 175-pound junior from Stanhope Elmore High has 18 catches and eight touchdowns. That’s an impressive catch-to-touchdown ratio. He averages 35.3 yards per catch.
Why to watch: Huntingdon looks to conclude the regular season with a nine-game winning streak after dropping the season opener.
Who: Birmingham Southern at Rhodes College
When: Saturday, 1 p.m.
Where: Crain Field, Memphis, Tennessee
What to look for: What does running back Jon Lewis and the guys blocking for him do for an encore? Last week, Lewis had a school-record 341 rushing yards on 13 carries.
Why to watch: A win on Saturday will put Birmingham Southern in position as a prime candidate to get one of the five at-large berths into the NCAA Division III playoffs.
Who: Eastern Kentucky at Jacksonville State
When: Saturday, 1 p.m.
Where: Snow-Burgess Field at JSU Stadium, Jacksonville
What to look for: A win in Jacksonville State’s final FCS game at home would keep the Gamecocks on top of the ASun standings.
Why to watch: Eastern Kentucky is on a roll, winning three ASun games in a row. Can the Colonels spoil the final home game for a special group of Jacksonville State seniors?
Who: Pikeville at Faulkner
When: Saturday, 1:30 p.m.
Where: Billy D. Hilyer Stadium, Montgomery
What to look for: Pikeville averages 32 points per game and allows 36 points per game. The scoreboard could get a workout on Saturday.
Why to watch: Faulkner would love to put a positive ending to a difficult season.
Who: Florida A&M at Alabama State
When: Saturday, 2 p.m.
Where: ASU Stadium, Montgomery
What to look for: The Hornets are winning games because they are winning the second half.
Why to watch: Both teams are finding ways to win. Alabama State has won three straight, including the Magic City Classic, since a loss to Jackson State. Florida A&M has won five straight since a loss to Jackson State.
Who: West Alabama at Delta State
When: Saturday, 2 p.m.
Where: McCool Stadium, Cleveland, Mississippi
What to look for: Delta State is unbeaten, ranked No. 2 in the regional rankings and certainly headed to the NCAA Division II playoffs.
Why to watch: West Alabama commits to running the football and the Tigers do it well.
Who: Army at Troy
When: Saturday, 2:30 p.m.
Where: Veterans Memorial Stadium, Troy
What to look for: Army will run the football. Troy has been good at stopping the run. Can they stop the option attack?
Why to watch: Troy is putting together a nice season in Jon Sumrall’s first season as the program’s head coach.
Who: North Texas at UAB
When: Saturday, 2:30 p.m.
Where: Protective Stadium, Birmingham
What to look for: North Texas is banged up at the running back position, which means more emphasis could be put on an effective passing game. Running back DeWayne McBride powers the UAB offense.
Why to watch: The final home game for a successful group of seniors comes during a season that hasn’t gone as planned. The Blazers can still reach bowl eligibility with wins in two of the next three games.
Who: Alabama at Ole Miss
When: Saturday, 2:30 p.m.
Where: Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, Oxford, Mississippi
What to look for: Will Alabama be motivated by the chatter outside the program that the Crimson Tide dynasty is over?
Why to watch: Road games have been a problem for Alabama the past two seasons. This is a tough road game.
Who: Alabama A&M at Jackson State
When: Saturday, 4 p.m.
Where: Ladd-Peebles Stadium, Mobile
What to look for: Deion is in town. He will make sure everyone knows he’s there.
Why to watch: Alabama A&M beat Jackson State during the spring season in 2021. Jackson State came back in the fall to beat the Bulldogs, 61-15.
Who: Texas State at South Alabama
When: Saturday, 4 p.m.
Where: Hancock-Whitney Stadium, Mobile
What to look for: South Alabama quarterback Carter Bradley hasn’t been as effective the past three games as he was earlier in the season. It’s a matter of time before he returns to form.
Why to watch: South Alabama running back La’Damian Webb can carry an offense.
Who: Tennessee Tech at UNA
When: Saturday, 4 p.m.
Where: Braly Stadium, Florence
What to look for: UNA running back ShunDerrick Powell is either first or second in seven rushing categories in the national stats.
Why to watch: Can the Lions give interim head coach Ryan Held his first victory? It probably won’t come next week in the season-ending trip to play Memphis at the Liberty Bowl.
Who: Texas A&M at Auburn
When: Saturday, 6:30 p.m.
Where: Jordan Hare Stadium, Auburn
What to look for: It’s easy to root for Auburn interim head coach Cadillac Williams. If national sentiment is an indication, it seems easy to root against Texas A&M’s Jimbo Fisher.
Why to watch: Can Auburn carry the momentum of last week’s second-half performance at Mississippi into this week’s game?
To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email steve.irvine@1819news.com.
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