Mercer will be the most complete team that ETSU has faced all year. They have been consistently overlooked and undervalued. I'm very glad this game is being played in Johnson City.

Last spring, the Bears defeated the Bucs, 21-13, in Macon. Since then, neither team had any notable personnel losses. However, Mercer made some important additions, including transfer Fred Payton at quarterback. Payton, played in 26 games for Coastal Carolina, including 11 starts.

The Bears defense has been solid all season. Throw out the 48-14 loss to Alabama, and Mercer would be on par with league leading Chattanooga in scoring defense. Paramount to their victory last week versus the Mocs, the Bears forced 3 fumbles (all of which they recovered), and snagged 2 interceptions.

This week, expect the Mercer defense to go all out to stop the Bucs rushing game. To counter that strategy, Tyler Ridell must be accurate with his throws, and above all, he has to take care of the football.

Speculation about seeding and byes is properly the realm of sportswriters and ardent fans on message boards like this. I'm sure Coach Sanders is keeping the teams' focus solely on the game at hand. I expect both teams will play from start to finish with energy and passion, and at the end, whoever wins will be a proper and deserving SoCon Champion.

This is a matchup for all fans to savor. Let's enjoy!