It's a big day for Will Bellamy and many other players in the Liberty League. Union athletics photo by Stephen Nadler

It's time to dig out that big orange pumpkin bucket and fill it to the right to the top with Week 9 treats. Critical contests in the Liberty League, Centennial Conference, and Midwest Conference highlight a week full of critical games on the eve of 2021's first set of regional rankings. Our Quick Hits crew has assembled once again to spotlight the top games throughout the nation tomorrow. 

Our regular crew is Greg Thomas, Pat Coleman, Ryan Tipps, Adam Turer, Frank Rossi.

— Greg Thomas

Which game is the Game of the Week?

	Greg's take: Hobart at No. 12 Union. It's go time in the Liberty League and we'll finally get to see if Union has been a costumed contender this fall or if the Dutchmen are ready to carve up Hobart like a certain seasonal gourd.
	Pat's take: No. 8 Hardin-Simmons at Howard Payne. Even though this is no longer a preliminary to an unbeaten showdown in Week 10, it's still a chance to make a statement and also perhaps bring chaos to the ASC.
	Adam's take: No. 18 Susquehanna at No. 20 Johns Hopkins. I see six very solid candidates for this spot in what should be a great slate, including three that are essentially playoff elimination games. The River Hawks edged the Blue Jays, 28-27, in their last meeting in 2019. Revenge and playoff hopes are at stake in Baltimore on Saturday.
	Ryan's take: No. 18 Susquehanna at No. 20 Johns Hopkins. Probably a popular pick this week from the panel, I think there's a lot of interest on whether the (perhaps surprisingly) undefeated River Hawks can deliver again in a big game.
	Frank's take: I have to go with two games because of the Pool C implications they combine to create: Hobart at No. 12 Union & No. 15 Ithaca at RPI. We could end up with a 4-way, 1-loss tie, or a 2-way undefeated tie in the Liberty League — or something in between. But these games will greatly affect the Region 2 ranking order heading into Pool C considerations.

Which Top 25 team is most likely to be upset?

	Greg's take: No. 15 Ithaca. Staying in the Liberty League where ghosts of seasons past -- namely 2019 -- may come back to haunt the Bombers on their quest to return to the postseason. It's been an interesting (to say the least) fall in Troy and I expect emotions to be running particularly high on Senior Day for the Engineers.
	Pat's take: No. 22 UW-Oshkosh, at UW-Stout. This should be a really good game and an anything-can-happen type of day at Don and Nona Williams Stadium.
	Adam's take: No. 22 Birmingham-Southern faces a tough test on the road against Berry, a program with playoff experience hungry to keep its SAA title hopes alive.
	Ryan's take: No. 23 UW-Oshkosh. Despite last week's loss, I feel like UW-Stout has been trending better in recent weeks than Oshkosh has.
	Frank's take: The only technical “upset” I see as likely is No. 18 Susquehanna (vs. No. 20 Johns Hopkins). I think Hopkins at home with their backs against the wall will respond and create chaos in the Centennial Conference. I was tempted to say Howard Payne beating No. 8 Hardin-Simmons, but I think QB Kyle Jones will lead the Cowboys to a big win.

Which team will hurt its regional ranking just before rankings are released?

	Greg's take: It could be a nightmare near Elm Street when No. 24 Washington & Jefferson visits Grove City. The Presidents' Week 1 win against John Carroll feels like a long time ago and a second consecutive loss would render that result moot ahead of this week's rankings.
	Pat's take: DePauw, against Denison. This is a big game in the NCAC and since DePauw is unbeaten against D-III teams, they should be in consideration if they win.
	Adam's take: No. 12 Salisbury. Sounds like we get another crack at an upset pick, which is good because there are plenty available this week. Christopher Newport yields just 116.9 rush yards per game and upset run-heavy Washington and Lee in the season opener, holding the Generals to just 173 yards on the ground. Salisbury ranks fifth in the nation--one spot below W&L--in rushing yards per game. Can the Captains repeat their Week 1 defensive performance?
	Ryan's take: The loser of the Hardin-Simmons/Howard Payne game. This will likely be a nail in the playoff coffin for one of them.
	Frank's take: Merchant Marine (at Springfield). The undefeated ride has been great, but Springfield is the master of the triple-option offense. At home, the Pride knock the Mariners off and put the team in danger of missing the Playoffs entirely.

Which game are you following that no one else on the panel is following?

	Greg's take: Benedictine at Aurora. The Eagles have haunted Aurora's Gavin Zimbleman in their past two meetings, intercepting the Spartan star a total of five times. If the status quo in the NACC is going to be interrupted, it will most likely happen this weekend.
	Pat's take: Otterbein at Capital. This is a great rivalry of teams in the Columbus area and is often bitterly fought. Plus, Capital coach Brian Foos will be coaching against his alma mater for the first time.
	Adam's take: No. 24 Washington & Jefferson at Grove City. These teams have the same record sharing a single loss to the same opponent, Westminster (Pa.). The Wolverines blew a 20-point lead and lost by a single point on the road. The Presidents lost at home by five points. The Wolverines are unranked while the Presidents are just outside of the top ten, illustrating how many voters value W&J's victory over John Carroll in the season opener.
	Ryan's take: Brevard at Methodist. I had projected Brevard to win the USAC this year, but the loss to Huntington impacted that. However, with a win Saturday against Methodist, Brevard respectably nestles itself squarely into the No. 2 spot for the season.
	Frank's take: Brevard at Methodist. Last week, Brevard had nine sacks and 13 tackles for loss against Southern Virginia - outlandishly great defensive numbers. Yet, Methodist averages about 30 points per game. The Tornados may need this win for an ECAC Bowl berth if they declare themselves eligible for selection to such a game.

Which game will be the closest in the Liberty League?

	Greg's take: Like all good horror villains, you just can't get rid of the Liberty League this week and I'm going to back to No. 15 Ithaca at RPI for this hit. Four of RPI's games have been decided by one possession or less while just one has been decided by more than two possessions.  This one will go down to the final seconds.
	Pat's take: Rochester at St. Lawrence. Since I can't decide between the two big games, I'll go with that as a fallback.
	Adam's take: Rochester at St. Lawrence, and we won't even notice until late Saturday night or Sunday morning because of the consequences at stake in the other two LL matchups.
	Ryan's take: No. 15 Ithaca at RPI. And considering each team's record, it'll also be the most anticipated of the bunch.
	Frank's take: Rochester at St. Lawrence. Rochester is an improved team this season, and both have shown glimmers of promise. The score will be low and close throughout, I believe — even closer than the two marquee showdowns in Schenectady and Troy.

Which conference will be most clear after Saturday: SAA, MWC, or CC?

	Greg's take: There's a decent chance that the CC and MWC will get murky this week, but I do think Birmingham-Southern will knock off Berry this week to set up a winner take all scenario in the SAA in Week 10. How can you pick against a black cat this weekend?
	Pat's take: Not sure any of these will be more clear, if I'm being honest, so I'm going to go with the Centennial.
	Adam's take: MWC. That means a Monmouth victory over Lake Forest, giving sole possession of first place to the Scots. The SAA (Trinity (Texas) at Birmingham-Southern) and CC (Muhlenberg at Susquehanna) won't be decided until November 6 at earliest.
	Ryan's take: MWC. The other two conferences won't deliver a front-runner this Saturday that people will be confident to rally behind just yet.
	Frank's take: The SAA. I can’t see Berry beating Birmingham-Southern, setting us up for a de facto SAA Championship Game in Week 10 between the Panthers and the Trinity Tigers.

Got picks? Put them in the comments!