5 Iowa college football storylines: Coe needs victory over Loras to remain in playoff hunt

Here are five non-FBS Iowa college football storylines to watch this week.

Coe tries to stay in postseason picture

Making the NCAA Division III football playoffs is challenging. The 32-team field consists of 28 automatic qualifiers — one more than last season — and four at-large bids. The Kohawks are in contention for one of those four remaining at-large selections with Wartburg in possession of the American Rivers Conference automatic berth.

Coe owns an 8-1 record and a 6-1 mark that has locked up second place in the conference before the regular-season finale Saturday at Clark Field against Loras. The job is simple for the Kohawks: Win and wait for Sunday’s selection show, announcing the postseason qualifiers. Lose and it is probably the end of the season.

Coe is ranked fifth in its region. Wartburg is No. 1 and has clinched a playoff spot. North Central (Ill.) College is second and should wrap up its automatic spot as the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin champion. Aurora is third in the region and will have the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference bid.

Wheaton (Ill.) College is fourth and is in the same conference as North Central. Depending on this week’s action, Coe and Wheaton will be vying for one of those at-large bids.

Wisconsin-Whitewater will likely be the first team to get an at-large, finishing behind automatic qualifier Wisconsin-La Crosse.

Coe Coach Tyler Staker said a Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) win over Region 2 No. 6 Union (8-1) would help the Kohawks’ chances. The Kohawks need to beat Loras first.

“We’re going out to play good football,” Staker said. “Just focus on the task at hand.”

Cornell climbing under Dan Pifer

Cornell College can post its first winning season 2014 and the most wins in a season since 2013. The Rams are 5-4 before the season finale at Grinnell (2-7).

Dan Pifer is in his fourth year and third season as Cornell’s head coach, taking over during the 2020 season canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The Rams were 4-6 in 2021 but dropped to 3-7 last year.

Cornell is tied for fourth with a 5-3 Midwest Conference record. The Rams could notch their best conference finish since it went to one division after the 2019 season.

Trey Birdsong could score a touchdown in every game this season. He has at least one in all nine games and has scored in 10 straight, dating back to last year’s win over Grinnell.

Birdsong has 850 yards on 43 catches with 11 TD receptions. He has 13 total TDs, returning a punt and kickoff for a score.

Cam Miller approaches 7,000 yards

North Dakota State quarterback and former Solon prep Cam Miller could reach 7,000 career yards from scrimmage in Saturday’s game against FCS No. 11 Southern Illinois at the Fargo Dome.

Miller has passed for 1,578 yards and rushed for 481 more, giving him 6,858 career yards. He still has a chance to produce his best season with the Bison. His 2,058 yards through the first nine games are 477 yards shy of his 2022 total.

The 12th-ranked Bison (6-3, 3-3 MVFC) close the season against No. 15 Northern Iowa at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls next Saturday.

Grand View vies for 50 straight

Grand View defeated William Penn, 35-6, for its 49th straight win against Heart of America Athletic Conference foes. The Vikings, ranked No. 2 in the NAIA, will attempt to win their 50th straight conference game, playing Clarke Saturday in Dubuque.

Grand View is 9-0 overall with a 4-0 mark in the HAAC.

Upper Iowa closes against Quincy

Upper Iowa will conclude its season against Quincy (Ill.) University at Harms-Eischeid Stadium in Fayette. The Peacocks are 3-7 overall and 1-5 in their first season as a member of the Great Lakes Valley Conference.

If Upper Iowa can close with a victory, it would be the most conference wins since going 2-9 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference in 2019. A fourth win would be the most in a season since the Peacocks went 6-5 in 2017.

Comments: kj.pilcher@thegazette.com