Big week for NSIC title race and four other things to know about Minnesota college football

The top two teams in the NSIC each face a tough test on the road in the final week of the regular season.

NSIC leader Augustana (8-2, 8-1) plays at Bemidji State (7-3, 6-3), while second-place Minnesota State Mankato (8-2, 7-2) plays at Minnesota Duluth (6-4, 5-4).

Augustana, MSU Mankato and Bemidji State — along with Sioux Falls, which plays host to Southwest Minnesota State on Saturday — were ranked in the top eight in the final Division II Super Region Four rankings. Augustana was No. 2 (behind Colorado State Pueblo), Mankato was No. 3, Bemidji State No. 7 and Sioux Falls No. 8.

Seven teams from each of four regions make the 28-team D-II playoff field. The D-II (and D-III) playoff fields will be announced on Sunday.

Here are four other Minnesota college football storylines this week:

On Saturday in Collegeville, for the third time in the four seasons of divisions in MIAC football, Bethel and St. John’s will meet in the MIAC championship game with the league’s automatic berth in the D-III playoffs on the line.

It is the second meeting of the season for the two teams. The Johnnies defeated Bethel 45-20 on Sept. 28 in Arden Hills.

St. John’s (9-0, 4-0 Northwoods Division), ranked No. 3 in the D3football.com Top 25, is coming off a 55-6 victory over St. Olaf.

Bethel (8-1, 4-0 Skyline Division), ranked No. 24, won at Concordia (Moorhead) 49-16 last Saturday.

Johnnies quarterback Aaron Syverson passed for 438 yards last week to become the MIAC’s leader in career passing yards. Syverson leads D-III in passing yards with 3,140 this season. He has completed 77% of his passes while throwing 38 TD passes with just four interceptions.

Cooper Drews has completed 76% of his passes while throwing for 2,541 yards and 33 TDs for Bethel.

St. Thomas and Butler, two of four teams tied for second place in the Pioneer League, will play on Saturday in Indianapolis.

The Tommies (5-5, 4-2 Pioneer) are coming off a 22-19 loss to Drake last Saturday in St. Paul. Drake clinched at least a share of the Pioneer League title with the victory.

Butler (8-2, 4-2) won 24-17 at Valparaiso last Saturday.

Hope Adebayo of the Tommies leads the Pioneer League with 817 rushing yards in six conference games.

The Tommies close out the regular season on Nov. 23 in St. Paul against Dayton.

Northwestern (St. Paul), which has clinched the UMAC title and a berth in the D-III playoffs, closes out the regular season on Saturday against Westminster in Fulton, Mo.

The Eagles (6-3, 6-0 UMAC) have been led by running back Sivert Klefsaas, who is fifth in D-III with 1,203 rushing yards. Klefsaas is averaging 7.1 yards per carry and has rushed for 12 TDs.

Klefsaas, a junior from Staples-Motley, has rushed for at least 128 yards in six consecutive games. Last week, he rushed for 245 yards and three TDs in the Eagles’ 42-34 victory over Greenville.

Minnesota North College-Mesabi Range quarterback Johnathan Mosley was named the NJCAA Region 13 offensive player of the year for the second consecutive season.

Mosley, a sophomore from Stuart, Fla., passed for 1,367 yards and 11 TDs and ran for 266 yards and seven TDs in eight games.

Mesabi Range lost to North Dakota State College of Science 30-29 in the MCAC championship game on Nov. 3 in St. Cloud.