And just like that, we find ourselves closing out Week 10 of the college football season. This one has been the most interesting week yet for the Big South. A couple things to keep in mind as we go into Week 11:

  • There are now only three teams that can win the Big South.
  • It is possible the Big South Champion is crowned next Saturday.
  • The Big South now has two ranked teams now.

Here are the updated power rankings:
Note last week’s rankings in (parentheses)

  1. (2) Liberty 6-3, 4-0 *Nationally ranked #25
    This week: Liberty 16 Presbyterian 0

    It wasn’t pretty, but Liberty left South Carolina with a win. The Flames struggled passing the ball as QB Buckshot Calvert only completed 5 passes for 51 yards with an interception. It was the running game and turnovers that led to their victory. RB Carrington Mosley rushed for 137 yards while RB Todd Macon added on another 100 with a touchdown. The defense held the Blue Hose to 175 total yards and forced 4 turnovers. The Flames are currently riding a 5-game winstreak and have the opportunity to win the Big South conference outright next week.

    Next up: Saturday vs. Charleston Southern, 3:30pm

  2. (1) Charleston Southern 5-3, 2-1 *Nationally ranked #14
    This week: Gardner-Webb 17 Charleston Southern 10

    Well. This was surprising. The Bucs opened the game with success, driving 70 yards in just 2:34. Apart from that, CSU didn’t see the endzone for the rest of the day. RB Mike Holloway and QB Shane Bucenell accounted for the majority of their offense for the day. Holloway rushed for 70 yards while Bucenell threw for 89 yards and the lone Buccaneer touchdown of the day. Charleston Southern’s last conference loss was October 25th, 2014. While this loss didn’t take away their playoff hopes, it did make things a little more interesting.

    Next up: Saturday @ Liberty, 3:30pm

  3. (3) Kennesaw State 7-2, 2-1
    This week: Clark Atlantic 0 Kennesaw State 56

    Kennesaw State easily handled D2 opponent Clark Atlantic on Saturday. RB Chaston Bennett averaged over 25 yards a carry as he racked up 179 rushing yards with a touchdown. Bennett also led the team in receiving with 39 yards and another touchdown. This was Kennesaw’s first shutout in program history.

    Next up: Saturday vs. Presbyterian, 12:00pm

  4. (4) Gardner-Webb 4-6, 2-2
    This week:  Gardner-Webb 17 Charleston Southern 10

    Thanks to stellar play from QB Tyrell Maxwell, the Runnin’ Bulldogs pulled off the upset against ranked conference opponent Charleston Southern. Maxwell threw for 194 yards and accounted for 2 touchdowns, on top of the 165 rushing yards. The game was tied up 10-10 with less than 2 minutes on the clock. Maxwell would put together a beautiful game winning drive as he was 5/5 throwing for 38 yards, rushed for 47 yards, and threw a touchdown with 27 seconds ticks left in the game.

    Next up: BYE

  5. (5) Presbyterian 2-7, 1-3
    This week: Liberty 16 Presbyterian 0

    Presbyterian’s offensive woes continued against the Flames as they couldn’t get anything going on the ground. The Blue Hose averaged 1.8 yards per rush attempt and had 53 yards on the ground. QB Ben Cheek produced most of the offense for the day as he threw for 122 yards. 75 of those yards went to WR DaShawn Davis. For the most part, the game was a defensive battle. But Presbyterian’s 4 turnovers would be their demise.

    Next up: Saturday @ Kennesaw State, 12:00pm

  6. (6) Monmouth 4-6, 0-4
    This week: Monmouth 17 Coastal Carolina 38

    Lots of eyes fell on this game at halftime as the Hawks held a 17-10 lead over Coastal, but it was all CCU in the 2nd half as they scored 28 unanswered points. Monmouth’s QB, Kenji Bahar, was 23/43 for 200 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions. WR Reggie White Jr. had 146 yards and 1 touchdown. The Hawks run defense continued to struggled, giving up 2 100-yard rushers and 333 total yards on the ground. After a difficult season of spending ample time on the road, Monmouth will close out the year next week.

    Next up: BYE