Games to circle this week in Men's D2 College:

Rio Grande at IUP. The IUP Hawks have been #1 in GRR's rankings until very recently, and are still #2. Now they face a school-supported team and perhaps their toughest test so far.

Marquette at Wisconsin-Whitewater. So we did a little piece on how Whitewater has rebuilt their numbers and are back thinking conference title.

Is UW-Whitewater Back? Could Be

However, it's not all set in stone. Marquette and Whitewater are both 3-0. Marquette has enjoyed a bigger winning margin in each game against common opponents. They are playing really nicely as a unit.

Coast Guard at Providence. The winner here likely will be 2nd in the NEWCRC Pool A. Both are coming off losses.

UNC Charlotte vs UNC Wilmington and NC State at Furman. NC State and Charlotte are both 2-0 and the other two are 1-1. If Furman and UNCW are going to make a move, it's right now.

Middle Tennessee State at Miami. Finally a good game for MTSU. OK, they had one last week but they have struggled to find non-forfeits. MTSU is 3-1, Miami 3-0. MTSU has lost to Xavier (the top small-college from the Mid-East), and Miami beat them. 

Playoff scenarios:

Auburn's rather astonishing 55-7 defeat of Memphis put the Tigers right there in the middle of the playoff conversation. They are 4-0 and have outscored their opponents 163-29. Their defense is really, really good. So, yes, we will see Auburn in the national playoffs and we will likely see them go fairly deep. Marist seems to be in control in the Tri-State, and we're not really talking about the Great Lakes because GVSU is in good shape there. Montana State has a non-conference game, but the Bobcats should be the team from the Rocky Mountain.