Big games remain on Gulf South football schedule
Nov. 2—VALDOSTA — Two weeks to go in the Gulf South Conference and some of the biggest games of the year are crammed into that short time.
Valdosta State (8-1) plays at West Alabama (4-4) Saturday at 2 p.m. Four hours after that kickoff, West Georgia hosts Delta State in Carrollton. VSU gets 6-2 West Georgia at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium a week later, Nov. 11, for Senior Day and a massive matchup between the longtime rivals.
West Georgia is likely playing for its postseason livelihood in these last two regular season games. The Wolves are No. 8 in the most recent NCAA Super Region 2 rankings. Seven teams are selected from each of the four regions. Fayetteville State and Mars Hill rank immediately ahead of UWG, both with more wins.
Though West Georgia has lost in-conference to West Florida (No. 4 after last week's loss to VSU), winning over the the No. 2 and No. 3 teams, Delta State and Valdosta State, respectively, would almost assuredly punch the Wolves' ticket.
Barring disaster in its last two weeks, VSU feels a firm lock for the postseason. and barring unbelievable calamity, Benedict seems a lock for the top spot. The Tigers are 9-0 and have only been tested once this season.
West Georgia's Wolves are in their final season in Division II. They'll move up to Division I and the Sun Belt Conference in July 2024. VSU holds a 9-6 lead in the series, but West Georgia won in Carrollton in 2022, 54-17. Up 27-17 at halftime, the Wolves ran off 21 points in the third quarter to turn a potential VSU comeback into a blowout.
Though arguably the lesser of the achievements with the playoff field being selected, the Gulf South title is still in play. Currently, there is a three-way tie atop the standings, three teams sitting at 5-1: Valdosta State, Delta State and West Georgia.
VSU's conference loss was to Delta State. West Florida handed the lone GSC loss to both West Georgia and Delta State. (The Argos have two conference losses, to VSU and West Alabama.)
The easiest path to the championship would be for West Georgia to top Delta State. The two play Saturday in Carrollton at 6 p.m. Should the Blazers top West Alabama that would set VSU up as a one-loss team to play a one-loss Wolves on Nov. 11 in Valdosta.
Before VSU can think about West Georgia and a potential conference title, first things first is taking care of West Alabama.
The Tigers are 4-4, with that upset over ranked West Florida. That came by a 10-6 score on UWA's homecoming Oct. 14. West Florida hit field goals in the first and fourth quarters, but were otherwise held silent. In between Bry Webb scored on a seven-yard run at the start of the second quarter and Elijah Guyton added a 30-yard field goal minutes after halftime.
West Florida's last field goal came with 5:57 remaining. The Argos had two drives in the final minutes, but went backwards on one and were intercepted at the buzzer on the other. Though the Tigers held West Florida to 214 yards, they were outgained for the contest (210).
