MIAC Power Rankings For Sunday 1-14-18

Here's how things stand in my latest rollout of my MIAC Power Rankings on this Divisional Playoff Sunday with many Minnesota Vikings fans biting their nails in anticipation of today's battle at home against New Orleans.  A few changes in the top half and some re-shuffling in the middle:


1.  CSB
2.  UST
3.  Bethel
4.  GAC
5.  Augsburg
6.  Carleton
7.  SMU
8.  (tie) Concordia and Macalester
9.  St. Kate's
10.  Hamline
11.  St. Olaf


Both the Blazers and Tommies retain the top two spots as both teams were able to take care of business with seemingly routine wins this last week but this coming week appears to be crucial in terms of things going forward.  While CSB - on paper anyway - should be able to handle a tough road contest at Macalester this coming Wednesday night, UST has a much, much tougher row to hoe enroute to the big showdown between the two this next Saturday at Claire Lynch as the Tommies must first travel to Bethel on Wednesday night and although UST may be favored in that one, it is by no means a given that they will come away with the "W" considering the fact that Bethel finally found a way yesterday to take down another MIAC powerhouse - GAC - when they needed to do it.  While I don't think the loss hurts the Gusties that much in the short-term, it does narrow their margin for error down the stretch.  And this will likely be a taxing week for the Royals as they must make the trip up U.S. Highway 10 and the BNSF's Staples Sub mainline on Monday to Moorhead to face Concordia and then come back home to face said UST team two nights later.  On Saturday, the Royals head down to Northfield to take on a tough Carleton team that seems to be improving every week.  GAC meanwhile has a somewhat easier go of it as they come back to the Cities on Wednesday night to face unpredictable Augsburg and then host a slumping St. Kate's team on Saturday.  I still view this as a four horse race.  I haven't seen CSB play yet this year and I hope that changes soon so I can't really offer up an opinion on them one way or another but I'm not completely sold on the notion that UST is totally infallible this time around and I think both Bethel and GAC are too good and too talented to be counted out just yet.  In the final analysis, all four of these teams have a lot of wood to chop before we can get a clearer picture of how things are going to turn out.

Augsburg had a rough go of it this last week with two losses but those losses came at the hands of Bethel and CSB.  In all likelihood, the Auggies will do well to come away with a split this coming week as GAC comes to Si Melby Hall on Wednesday night before making the hop over to always-dangerous Macalester on Saturday.  Meanwhile, a solid week for Carleton as they gutted out a tough win at home against Hamline on Wednesday night and then notched a big win up in Moorhead yesterday against Concordia.  A win at SMU this coming Wednesday night could be huge going into next Saturday's home game with Bethel.  The Cardinals did well to come away with a split this last week as they were predictably de-feathered at GAC but came away with a big home win against Macalester yesterday.  This next week could be crucial to SMU's fortunes as they host said Carleton team on Wednesday night before making the trip up U.S. Highway 61 and the CP Rail River Sub mainline on Saturday to face Hamline. 

Things have not been going well in Cobber-land as of late and this last week was tough in more ways than one as Cobber hearts were undoubtedly heavy with the loss of former Concordia player Jaynie (Herbranson) Halvorson ('11) who perished in an automobile accident this last Tuesday.  Concordia has a tough home game with Bethel on Monday night but they have an opportunity to right the ship a bit as road trips to both St. Kate's and St. Olaf await.  Macalester on the other hand may very well be down to its last lifeline and this week could be incredibly taxing for the Scots.  They have a somewhat unusually-scheduled non-conference home game with UMAC opponent Martin Luther on Monday night before host CSB on Wednesday night and then Augsburg next Saturday.  A rough week for St. Kate's as the 'Cats got declawed at CSB on Wednesday night and got knocked off by a surprising Hamline team yesterday.  The Wildcat fortunes do not look good this coming week as they host Concordia on Wednesday night and then make the trip down U.S. Highway 169 and the Union Pacific's "Omaha" Route mainline down to St. Peter to face GAC next Saturday.