Week 9 of the sub-FBS season was one of chippiness. Whether the cause is the weather changing or the raised stakes of games late in the season, tempers were on edge throughout the college football landscape on Saturday.

There was plenty of craziness and impressive individual achievements this week as well, so let’s get to ten reflections from Week 9.

1. In a class of their own

Texas A&M-Commerce has been one of the hottest teams in the Southland, but UIW proved it's on another level Saturday with a 35-7 win over the Lions. The Cardinals bullied the A&M-Commerce defense with 300 yards rushing, while the UIW defense limited the Lions to 272 total yards. Marcus Cooper led the Cardinals rushing attack with 183 yards and three touchdowns on 22 attempts.

The Cardinals remain in control of their destiny. If UIW finishes the regular season with wins over Houston Christian and Northwestern State, the Cardinals will be poised for an at-large bid. The chance for the automatic bid is still available, but the Southland race is too scrambled to worry about tie-breaker scenarios yet.

2. Any more questions?

I have often asked questions about the Trinity Tigers on many occasions this season. Their fans let me know they see the questions. Saturday, the questions were answered. Trinity can secure the Southern Athletic Association title and an automatic berth in the NCAA Division III playoffs with one win in its final two games.

The latest question I asked was when we would see the Tigers offense put up points to match their offensive output. On Saturday, Trinity gained 450 total yards of offense and averaged 6.08 yards per play in a dominating 41-21 win over Centre. The next question is if Trinity can continue to put a complete game together as they prepare for the playoffs.

3. HSU keeps its playoff hopes alive

Hardin-Simmons played one of its best halves of the season, outscoring Howard Payne 21-0 in the second half en route to a critical 28-19 win. Big plays in the passing game and a stingy defense were the keys to the second half for the Cowboys.

With the win, the Cowboys keep their hopes alive for an at-large berth in the NCAA Division III playoffs. HSU’s decisive victory over Wisconsin-Platteville may be one of the main reasons the Cowboys make the playoffs with only nine games against DIII competition this season.

4. Are you paying attention?

Trinity Valley has slowly been moving up the national rankings after winning six consecutive games. The Cardinals will likely shoot toward the top of the rankings this week following a dominating 40-21 win over the reigning national champion, New Mexico Military Institute.

The victory places TVCC directly in the conversation for one of the four seeds in the NJCAA playoffs. However, Stumbling blocks remain in the Cardinals path. TVCC finishes the regular season on the road against Northeastern Oklahoma A&M before the SWJCFC playoffs begin. 

5. Keep the honors rolling

Stephen F. Austin honored wide receiver Xavier Gipson for being the Lumberjacks career leader in receiving yards and most receiving yards in a game. Former SFA great Kordell Roberson and coach Colby Carthel each presented Gipson with a gold football signifying his accomplishments.

The best receiver in the history of the program surpassed another career mark in the ‘Jacks shocking 47-44 loss to Utah Tech. Gipson surpassed 4,000 career receiving yards in the second quarter on his way to registering 151 yards on eight receptions while adding an 85-yard punt return for a touchdown.

6. Living up to the moniker 

The Western Athletic Conference is known for getting very WACky. The WACkiness continued on Saturday with Utah Tech’s stunning 47-44 win over SFA to break the Lumberjacks 13-game home winning streak. The ‘Jacks still have a chance to claim a share of the conference title by winning their remaining games but likely lost any chance at earning the ASUN-WAC automatic bid.

Abilene Christian becomes the next WAC team from Texas with a chance to earn the automatic bid to the playoffs. The Wildcats were second to SFA in the last power rankings and will host the ‘Jacks to end the regular season.

7. SWJCFC playoff update

It wouldn’t be a typical SWJCFC season without chaos and confusion heading into the final week of the regular season. Trinity Valley is locked into the top seed in the playoffs with a 6-0 conference record. New Mexico Military Institute is in the playoffs and will be the second seed if Tyler loses to Navarro next week.

Speaking of the Apaches and the Bulldogs, the winner of their game will be in the playoffs. If Navarro wins, the Bulldogs will be the third seed, and Kilgore will be the fourth seed with the head-to-head edge after defeating Tyler 31-14 Saturday. On the other hand, if Tyler wins, the Apaches will be the second seed, NMMI will be the third seed, and Navarro will be the fourth seed after defeating Kilgore in late September. 

8. Road woes for the Javelinas

Texas A&M-Kingsville was one of ten teams under consideration for a playoff bid from Super Region Four, whatever that means. The Javelinas will have a better idea of where it stands in the committee’s eyes when the teams are ranked in the coming week.

The Javelinas' playoff prospects have diminished with two consecutive road losses to Angelo State and Central Washington. Despite the recent results, A&M-Kingsville should remain in contention for a playoff berth. The Javelinas have two challenging opponents remaining in Midwestern State and Western Oregon, but they are in Kingsville. Both are must-win for the Javelinas.

9. Streak busters

One of the coolest trends to develop in the last three weeks has been teams breaking long losing streaks. Two weeks ago, Texas College ended a 19-game skid with a road win over Lyon. Last week, Austin College ended a 13-game losing streak against East Texas Baptist.

Saturday, it was Lamar’s turn. The Cardinals defeated Nicholls 24-17 to end a 15-game slide. Lamar’s young offensive line continues to improve and paved the way for 267 rushing yards, led by Khalan Griffin, who finished with 131 yards and two touchdowns on 17 attempts.

10. Baptism under fire

Tarleton fans are watching quarterback Beau Allen grow up in front of their eyes. Unfortunately for the Texans, that means there will be growing pains. Unfortunately, some of those pains came Saturday night against Sam Houston.

Allen was a four-star prospect out of Lexington Catholic High School in Kentucky for a reason. The man has all the talent needed to be a standout, and he has flashed his incredible arm strength and accuracy throughout the season. The Bearkats provided a valuable lesson to Allen with multiple coverages he’s possibly never seen before. Rest assured, Allen will learn from his three interceptions and will be better in the future.