We’re less than a month away from the end of the Lone Star Conference football season, which means it’s crunch time for those in the league who still have something to play for.

Whether it be a conference championship, playoff berth, rivalry win or some mixture of the three, a lot is still left to be decided in the regular season’s final few weeks, and a lot will be decided one way or another.

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Just two teams remain perfect in LSC play, and before those two squads face off in a couple of weeks in what could be a de-facto conference championship game, some scores are left to settle. Still, Week 8 told us a lot about the potential trajectory of the rest of the LSC season and where the league could be headed before 2024 is all said and done.

Get your popcorn (and streaming device tuned in to FloFootball) ready.

Here’s a look back at some of the top takeaways following Week 8 in Lone Star Conference football:

Wolves Get Their Best Win Yet

Will we look back on this being the week that Western Oregon’s surprise 5-0 start to LSC play really got real?

Of course, the Wolves would probably tell you they’ve been for real all along. They just might have finally proved it to the rest of the conference this past weekend. 

Tyler Copeland had a crucial interception in the first period of overtime, then Keaton Emmett kicked through the game-winning field goal on WOU’s ensuing possession for it to defeat defending LSC champion Texas Permian Basin in a 30-27 barnburner down in Odessa, which saw the Wolves come back from 14 points down and survive a late rally by the Falcons.

Keep in mind, this came a week after UTPB upset a ranked Central Washington squad in Ellensburg, too, making it extra impressive for Western Oregon to pull off the W and keep pace with Angelo State as one of just two 5-0 teams in conference play remaining.

Down 14-0 after the first quarter, the Wolves were undeterred by the deficit and responded with a 20-point second quarter in which quarterbacks Jordan McCarty and Kainoa Jones — who both saw action against the Falcons — each threw a touchdown pass while Emmett booted through a pair of field goals in the final two minutes.

UTPB then responded with 13 unanswered points of its own with a long Camden Tyler touchdown run and a go-ahead pass play from Issac Mooring to Gunnar Abseck, but McCarty had a 3-yard keeper to tie it with 2:48 left still in his bag as the game shifted to the extra period.

Jordan McCarty waltzes into the endzone! @WOU_FB | @LoneStarConf | #LSCfb pic.twitter.com/SvISjrIe7L

— FloFootball (@FloFootball) October 20, 2024

Copeland then got the turnover on a UTPB third down, and with all the momentum, WOU’s effective run game — which helped the Wolves have 40:59 of possession compared to 19:01 for the Falcons — got it to the 11-yard-line, where Emmett then did the rest.

If you haven’t yet believed in WOU, picked to finish eighth in the league in the preseason, it may be time to start.

CWU Recovers From Upset Loss

A lot of eyes kept a close watch on how Central Washington would answer to a defeat to UTPB on Oct. 12.

The Wildcats put on a show for those who tuned in.

No. 20-ranked (in the AFCA Coaches Poll) CWU emphatically got back on the winning track with a statement 31-0 shutout on the road at Texas A&M-Kingsville, dismantling the Javelinas and holding them to just 129 yards of offense on their own field and during their homecoming game.

It was the Wildcats’ second time holding an LSC opponent scoreless this season (they also did it to Western New Mexico in a 36-0 win on Sept. 28) and their most impressive one, with a secondary led by reigning Cliff Harris Award winner Tanner Volk holding the combined TAMUK passing attack of Teague Sedtal and Kannon Williams to just 64 yards passing with an interception and four sack. Three of those were courtesy of Daniel Matagi and his monster day on the D-line, with the sophomore picking up four tackles for loss with a forced fumble to go with his proficiency in taking the quarterback down.

CWU strikes first in the second quarter⚔️@CWUFB | @LoneStarConf | #LSCfb pic.twitter.com/ODVN0N2W70

— FloFootball (@FloFootball) October 20, 2024

Meanwhile, quarterback Kennedy McGill had arguably his most efficient game in a CWU jersey, going 10-for-12 passing for 193 yards and four touchdowns plus 81 yards rushing as he did it all for the Wildcats, throwing two of his touchdowns to wideout Darrien Gaines (four catches, 98 yards) in the California native’s best-receiving game of the season.

It was exactly the type of performance that CWU needed to get back into high gear and ensure that its playoff hopes wouldn’t be in any further danger, and a homecoming clash against Midwestern State this weekend is all that remains before a titanic showdown with Angelo State on the road on Nov. 2.

Welcome To The Club, Sul Ross State

For the first time in its short history as a D-II program, Sul Ross State has a conference victory.

Once a member of the Lone Star Conference from 1950-76, the Lobos rejoined the league for the 2024 season as a member reclassifying up from D-III to D-II. They won’t be eligible for the playoffs for both this year and the next as they must abide by the NCAA’s transition rules, but as the team is projected to finish last in the conference in the preseason poll, Sul Ross State isn’t really expected to be competitive in that timeframe, anyway.

That being said, that’s not stopping the Lobos from making some history.

With the brand-new Golden Tumbleweed trophy on the line — introduced this year as the rivalry trophy of Sul Ross State-Western New Mexico — the Lobos not only took down the Mustangs 34-20 to be the first holders of the trophy and winners as a D-II program in the LSC for the first time, but they also picked up their first-ever win over a D-II opponent in the process as it all made for a special night in Alpine, Texas.

Lobos quarterback Andrew Martinez finished with three total touchdowns (two passing, one rushing) and a combined 240 yards of offense in the win, with SRSU’s surge of 28 unanswered points after going down 10-0 to start the game proving decisive as Martinez showed off the wheels on a 27-yard touchdown run to give the Lobos an 18-point lead with just under 12 minutes left in the fourth quarter.

The Mustangs kicked a field goal and got the ball back after a stop, but Quincy Blair’s 70-yard pick-six with 3:50 to play iced it to give Sul Ross State a feel-good moment and its second win of the season, following an overtime victory on Sept. 14 against NAIA Wayland Baptist. 

Highlights: Western New Mexico vs Sul Ross State

Top Ranked Matchups Heading Into Week 9

• Upcoming ranked games between top teams - Now that there are teams in new spots with the new rankings, it leaves for some great games outside of just the Anchor Bone Classic. Those games would include No. 6 Pittsburg State at No. 9 Central Oklahoma, No. 7 Harding vs. No. 22 Southern Arkansas, No. 8 Western Colorado at No. 10 Colorado School of Mines, and No. 13 Minnesota State vs. No. 25 Augustana (S.D.).

AFCA NCAA Division II Football Rankings In Week 9

1. Grand Valley St. (Mich.) (27) - Prev. 2
2. Valdosta St. (Ga.) (3) - Prev. 3
3. Ferris St. (Mich.) - Prev. 4
4. Kutztown (Pa.) - Prev. 5
5. Ouachita Baptist (Ark.) - Prev. 9
6. Pittsburg St. (Kan.) - Prev. 7
7. Harding (Ark.) - Prev. 1
8. Western Colorado - Prev. 8
9. Central Oklahoma - Prev. 11
10. Colorado School of Mines - Prev. 12
11. Charleston (W.Va.) - Prev. 13
12. Colorado St.-Pueblo - Prev. 14
13. Minnesota St. - Prev. 15
14. Emporia St. (Kan.) - Prev. 16
15. Slippery Rock (Pa.) - Prev. 6
16. Lenoir-Rhyne (N.C.) - Prev. 17
17. Carson-Newman (Tenn.) - Prev. 18
18. West Alabama - Prev. 10
19. Johnson C. Smith (N.C.) - Prev. 20
20. Central Washington - Prev. 21
21. Indianapolis (Ind.) - Prev. 19
22. Southern Arkansas - Prev. 24
23. West Florida - Prev. 23
24. Delta St. (Miss.) - Prev. NR
25. Augustana (S.D.) - Prev. NR

Dropped Out: Frostburg St. (Md.) (22), Henderson St. (Ark.) (25)

Others Receiving Votes: Angelo St. (Tex.), 22; Findlay (Ohio), 22; California (Pa.), 21; Virginia Union, 20; Wayne St. (Neb.), 16; Wingate (N.C.), 10; Sioux Falls (S.D.), 8; Colorado Mesa, 7; Indiana (Pa.), 7; New Haven (Conn.), 7; Davenport (Mich.), 6; Frostburg St. (Md.), 6; Saginaw Valley St. (Mich.), 4; Fort Hays St. (Kan.), 3; Ashland (Ohio), 2; Emory & Henry (Va.), 1; Western Oregon, 1.

When Is The Anchor Bone Classic

Division II football fans are now less than a month away from one of the biggest rivalry games in the sport. The Lakers will host Ferris State at 3 p.m. ETS on Oct. 26. The game is streaming on FloFootball and the FloSports app.