Frontier Notebook: As the bye week arrives, parity reigns in the Frontier Conference

The Frontier Conference has reached the bye week. And it's unusual because every single team in the league has the week off.

So, with most teams having played four or even five games thus far, it's time to review where we're at. And here's the first thing that's becoming clear as we head into October - the Frontier is probably once again only going to get one team in the NAIA playoffs.

Is it a done deal? No. But, it looks like that's where the league is headed. Southern Oregon is once again the only team left with a chance to be undefeated. Meanwhile, UM-Western and Montana Tech each have one loss, but the Orediggers and Bulldogs haven't played each other yet, so one of them is going to have at least two losses on its resume after Oct. 6.

Then there's the curious cases of Rocky Mountain College and Carroll College. The two met in the season-opener, a game dominated by Rocky 19-0. However, the Bears used an ineligible player, and they later forfeited the victory. Now, Rocky is 2-2 in the Frontier and had to barely squeak by winless College of Idaho last week to get there. On the other hand, the forfeit could have given the Fighting Saints a big boost, and for a time, it did. But, last Saturday, Carroll was shut out at home by SOU. So, now Rocky and Carroll each have two losses in Frontier play, meaning, the only way either one has a chance at the playoffs at this point is to run the table, and since they, too, still have to play each other, there's only a chance for one of them to do that. Eastern Oregon has also climbed back to 2-2 this season, and running the table could get the Mounties in the playoffs, but they still have a road trip to SOU looming, so even that seems unlikely.

No, for yet another year, it just looks like there's too much parity in the Frontier. In a way, that's a great thing because the league is so highly respected. It's really hard to win in the Frontier, and it's really, really hard to win a Frontier championship. But as it relates to the playoffs, it's been a big negative for the league because by the time everybody's done beating the stuffing out of each other in November, no one is left with a strong enough resume to earn an at-large bid to the playoffs, and that's something the conference really needs to figure out how to fix at this point.

Every year, there's at least one, sometimes two teams in the Frontier that are undoubtedly one of the 16-best teams in the country, but they don't get in the playoffs. And while it's only the end of September, it looks like that's exactly what's going to happen to the Frontier in 2018.

Stars

So far, there's been a lot of exciting games and performances around the Frontier, and here's a few names that are really making some noise.

Montana Tech junior Jed Fike is ninth in the NAIA in rushing, averaging 125 yards per game. Fike had a breakout season a year ago, and he's at it again this fall. Teammate Dion Williams is also No. 11 in the country in receptions with 27.

Perhaps nobody is having a bigger breakout season than EOU's Kai Quinn. He's currently third in the NAIA in passing, at 330 yards per game, and he's third in total offense as well. SOU's Rey Vega, Carroll's Major Ali and MSU-N's Jett Robertson are also in the Top 20 in the NAIA in total rushing.

On the defensive side of the ball, the usual suspects are at it again, with Rocky's Ryder Rice tallying 6.5 sacks already, and Keenan Fagan grabbing three interceptions. UM-Western linebacker Jason Ferris already has 50 stops, and is ranked third in the NAIA in tackles per game, while Montana Tech's Connor Wines is once again wreaking havoc with four sacks as well.

Big Games

When Frontier play resumes Oct. 6, it will do so with a pair of season-defining games. Montana Tech visits Western that day, and it's essentially an elimination game. Also, Southern Oregon travels to Rocky, in what is a must-win for the Bears. That game looked like the biggest game in the NAIA a few weeks ago, but now, it's become a do-or-die contest for Rocky's playoff hopes, while for SOU it's a game the Raiders look to just their season rolling.

MSU-Northern also has a big game that night. The Lights will play under the lights of Blue Pony Stadium, when they host Eastern Oregon. The Mounties are heating up offensively, while the Lights have struggled on the defensive side of the ball. But Northern is hoping an electric atmosphere in Havre is just what it needs to get back on track.

Frontier Honors

College of Idaho's Darisu James-Peterson was named Frontier Offensive Player of the Week. Peterson is a 5-foot-11, 190-pound junior quarterback from Novato, California. In College of Idaho's 41-42 home conference loss to No. 23 Rocky Mountain College, Peterson was 15 of 26 passing for 233 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He rushed for 179 yards and four touchdowns on 20 carries. He set a school record with six touchdowns in a single game. Peterson is just the third C of I player to surpass the 2,000-yard rushing mark in his career.

SOU's Tyson Cooper was named Defensive Player of the Week. Cooper is 6-foot, 205-pound, senior linebacker from Gresham, Oregon. In No. 3 Southern's 27-0 road conference shutout over Carroll College, Cooper recorded five solo tackles, one tackle for loss (-0.5), four assisted tackles and an interception. Southern Oregon recorded their first shutout since 2003.

EOU's Nathan Harden is the Frontier Special Team Player of the Week. Harden is a 6-foot, 185-pound, senior kicker from Graham, Washington. In Eastern Oregon's triple overtime 54-51 home conference win over No. 22 Montana Western, he was 6 for 6 in PATs and 4 of 5 in field goals. Harden also punted seven times for 315 yards.