CSN So South: Teams Looking to Make a Move in Conference Standings

This weekend, some teams could begin creating separation at the top of the Southern Conference. In the Big South, three teams have the opportunity to put themselves in a good spot in the early stages of the league race.

By Myron Hosea
CSN So South Columnist
College Sporting News

The current top four teams in the SoCon square off in week seven. Wofford (5-0, 3-0), the lone unbeaten team in the SoCon travels to Statesboro for a huge game against Georgia Southern (4-1, 3-1). Samford (5-1, 3-1) will host Appalachian State (4-2, 2-1).

Meanwhile, the three teams that won on the first weekend of Big South play all take to the road with an opportunity to pull away at least a little bit from the rest of the conference. Stony Brook (5-1, 1-0) goes to Coastal Carolina (2-3, 0-0), Liberty (1-4, 1-0) travels to Presbyterian (2-4, 0-1), and VMI (2-3, 1-0) visits Charleston Southern (1-4, 0-1).

Wofford can establish itself fully as the frontrunner for the SoCon crown if it can knock off the Eagles on their home turf. Georgia Southern leads this series 11-7, but in an interesting twist, the road team has won the last seven games in this series. The Terriers hope to keep that trend alive.

The upstart Samford Bulldogs chilled the SoCon’s early Cinderella team – The Citadel – with a 38-7 thumping last week. Can they establish themselves as a legitimate contender by taking down Appalachian State? The Bulldogs have beaten the Mountaineers just once in six previous meetings. The loser of this game will drop off the pace a little with a second conference loss.

Chattanooga (2-3, 1-1) and Furman (2-4, 1-2) square off in Greenville, aiming to stay within striking distance. The Paladins are coming off another disappointing loss after seeing Wofford rally twice in the second half in a 20-17 loss. The Mocs are rested after a week off. It will be interesting to see if Furman can continue to bring the effort week-to-week in the face of these close losses.

The Citadel’s (3-3, 2-2) hot start is a memory now, and the Bulldogs will try to get back on track at home against Western Carolina (1-5, 0-4). The Catamounts, of course, are just trying to find a track. They have not done well handling the triple option in games against Wofford and Georgia Southern, and they will have to find a way to stymie The Citadel’s ground game.

Stony Brook is considered the Big South’s best, and it can strengthen its hold on the crown with a win at Coastal Carolina. The Chanticleers are playing their first league game and are looking for their first win over the Seawolves, who have won the first four games in the series.

Presbyterian returns home with a focus on not slipping to 0-2 when Liberty comes to Clinton. The Flames rallied late to defeat Gardner-Webb and notch their first win of the season. They will try to build on that momentum and stay in the race. Liberty holds a 5-4 edge in the series.

VMI can find itself in the unusual spot of being 2-0 in the Big South if it can produce a win at Charleston Southern. While the Bucs have stopped their overall losing streak, it’s still been a while since they won a Big South game. This home game could be one of their better opportunities. The Keydets lead the series 6-5.

Gardner-Webb (0-5, 0-1) goes out of conference in search of its first win of 2012 when it hosts MidAmerica Nazarene. It’s the first meeting between these schools.