Great American Conference Week 11 Rankings and Selections
GAC WEEK 11 RANKINGS AND SELECTIONS
RK.-PV. TEAM (RECORD; WEEK 10 RESULTS)
- ↔ 1. HARDING (10-0; beat Southern Nazarene 76-0)
- ↔ 2. OUACHITA BAPTIST (8-2; beat Southwestern Oklahoma State 31-14)
- ↔ 3. HENDERSON STATE (8-2; beat East Central 34-27)
- ↔ 4. ARKANSAS TECH (4-6; lost to Oklahoma Baptist 34-31)
- ↔ 5. SOUTHERN ARKANSAS (3-7; lost to Southeastern Oklahoma State 30-27)
- ↔ 6. ARKANSAS-MONTICELLO (2-8; beat Northwestern Oklahoma State 51-26)
GAME OF THE WEEK: THE BATTLE OF THE RAVINE
1 P.M. SATURDAY: OUACHITA BAPTIST (8-2) at Henderson State (8-2): The 99th edition of the Battle of the Ravine will be at Carpenter-Haygood Stadium in Arkadelphia. OBU’s Tigers will walk across the street to play the host Reddies in college football’s shortest road trip. Ouachita enters the contest ranked, finding its way back in the D2 polls at No. 25. Last week, Ouachita led by 1 score at halftime over Southeastern Oklahoma State before cruising to a 31-14 win. Henderson State counters with a balanced offensive attack. Senior Austin Ledbetter has the offense firing on all cylinders. A week ago, the defense forced a couple of turnovers and helped the Reddies defeat East Central 34-27 in Ada, Okla. Jackson Byerley had 7 tackles and a 42-yard pick-6 and earned Great American Conference Defensive Player of the Week honors in the road win. Henderson State has home-field advantage, but Ouachita wins and holds out hope for a playoff berth. OBU beat Southeast Oklahoma State, the conference’s other 2-loss team.
OTHER GAMES:
THE MURPHY USA CLASSIC IN EL DORADO
2 P.M. SATURDAY: Southern Arkansas (3-7) at ARKANSAS-MONTICELLO (2-8): SAU returns to El Dorado, this time as the visiting team against UAM in the Murphy USA Classic. The matchup, which became known as “The Battle for the Timberlands” in 2012, has been a staple in South Arkansas for more than 100 years. The first contest took place in 1913, with the Boll Weevils shutting out the Muleriders 26-0. The Muleriders are playing their best ball late in the season, defeating East Central 45-17 on Halloween. Last week, they lost by 3 in Durant, Okla., to Southeastern Oklahoma State, one of the more consistent teams on the Oklahoma side of the conference. UAM is 2-8, but it has been in most contests for all 4 quarters and is averaging 22.8 points per game. The Boll Weevils pull off the upset and win at historic Memorial Stadium (in its 80th year of football) in a track meet.
2 P.M. SATURDAY: Arkansas Tech (4-6) at HARDING (10-0): Arkansas Tech dropped a heartbreaker at home a week ago when Oklahoma Baptist kicker Carter Lowry drilled a 35-yard field goal as time expired to win 34-31. The Wonder Boys are 4-6 and have lost 2 of their last 3. Harding enters Saturday’s game as the outright GAC champion. The Bisons rushed for an eye-popping 684 yards and 10 touchdowns, shutting out Southern Nazarene 76-0 and matching the score of their 76-0 season-opening win over Northwestern Oklahoma State. The Bisons have won the conference crown every season except 2022 dating back to 2021. Freshman Jeff Regan (Rogers) continues to impress, scoring 3 touchdowns in the first half a week ago to bring his total to 13 for the season: 11 rushing and 2 on returns. Regan is averaging 15.5 yards per carry. Harding rolls and prepares for postseason play.
OKLAHOMA GAMES:
Southern Nazarene (2-7) at OKLAHOMA BAPTIST (4-6)
Southeast Oklahoma State (8-2) at EAST CENTRAL (6-4)
Northwestern Oklahoma State (0-9) at SOUTHWESTERN OKLAHOMA STATE (6-4)