5 Iowa college football storylines: Coe closes regular season, awaits fate with new playoff format

The fall season is winding down. Here are five storylines in Iowa small college football for the upcoming weekend.

Coe closes regular season against Simpson

Coe caps its regular season against Simpson (4-4, 3-3) Saturday at Clark Field, beginning at 1 p.m. The Kohawks are 8-1 overall and 6-1 in the American Rivers Conference. They trail Wartburg by a half-game in the standings with the Knights playing Dubuque and Loras. Wartburg can clinch a share of the A-R-C title with a win. Coe has second place secured. A win will mark the first back-to-back nine-win seasons under Coach Tyler Staker. It will be the first time the program has hit the nine-win plateau in 14 years. The Kohawks were 10-2 in 2009 and 9-2 in 2010 for late coach Steve Staker. Coe was 9-2 last season.

Defense and rushing the ball have been staples of the season. The Kohawks lead the A-R-C with 226.7 rushing yards per game and 26 touchdowns. They rank second, allowing just 53.9 yards per contest and just two TDs total on the ground. Their 12.3 points allowed per game is good for second. Running back Trenton Barnes continues to lead the league with 1,111 yards and is tied for first with 12 TDs. Barnes has carried the load, toting the ball 225 times, which is 80 more than any other A-R-C back. Simpson leads the A-R-C with 13 interceptions, so expect a healthy diet of running plays from the Kohawks.

NCAA Division III playoffs will become clearer

This season ushers in a new playoff format for NCAA Division III football programs. The postseason field will increase from 32 to 40 teams. The top 24 teams will earn a bye with 16 teams playing in the first round. The winners of those games will play the top-two seeds in four eight-team regions. Automatic bids will be allotted. The winner of the American Rivers Conference will grab one of those and that will go to Wartburg with a win in one of its final two games.

At-large bids grow to 12 from four in previous seasons. Coe earned an at-large bid last season and is in a position to receive another, especially with a win over the Storm. Coe is No. 28 with a 65.06 score in the new NCAA Power Index. The new computer-generated formula includes win percentage, strength of schedule, whether losses were home or away (Coe’s lone loss was at home to Wartburg, which is No. 14 in the NPI), quality wins and a minimum threshold at five wins. Coe has a bye next week while others close the regular season. The Kohawks need to win Saturday and can sit back to see how everything transpires.

Drake rises to the top of the Pioneer League

Don’t look now but Drake is atop the Pioneer League standings. The Bulldogs (6-1, 5-0) will face St. Thomas (Minn.) and Morehead State the next two weeks. Those teams are tied for second with a 4-1 conference mark. Drake heads to St. Paul Saturday to take on the Tommies, who are 5-4 overall. The Bulldogs are coming off a 19-0 win over Marist, posting their first shutout since 2021 and extending their win streak against Pioneer League foes to 16 games. According to Drake sports information, it is the longest current conference win streak among Football Championship Series programs and the second-longest in league history. Drake’s stretch began with a 24-17 win at Stetson on Oct. 29, 2022, and followed a 10-game conference losing streak. The Bulldogs are 1-2 against the Tommies but won last year’s meeting 52-21 in Des Moines.

Cornell’s final road trip

Cornell hits the road for the final time this season, playing at Illinois College (6-2, 5-2) Saturday in Jacksonville, Ill. The Rams (4-4, 4-3) are coming off a 44-14 win over Knox last week at home. A victory would assure Cornell a winning conference record and a .500 overall season. It will also improve the Rams’ chances to match last year’s conference finish when they tied for third behind Illinois College and Monmouth. The Blueboys have won seven straight in the series. The Rams’ last victory was in 2015.

Northwestern College tries to extend Dordt dominance

Northwestern (Iowa) owns a 17-0 mark in the all-time series against Dordt. This time might be a bit different. Dordt (7-1, 7-1 Great Plains Athletic Conference) is ranked No. 7 in the NAIA national poll, while Northwestern (6-2, 6-2) is No. 13 before their meeting Saturday in Sioux Center. Both have lost to league leader and sixth-ranked Morningside. Northwestern fell to the Mustangs, 13-7, last week. Dordt suffered a 31-21 setback to Morningside on Oct. 26. Also, Northwestern has been in the NAIA rankings for 95 consecutive weeks, starting Aug. 7, 2017. It is the fourth-longest streak in the NAIA.

Comments: kj.pilcher@thegazette.com