STORYLINES
Teams will look to bolster their resumes and chances to postseason bids as the first regional poll set to come out next week, while there is still plenty up for grabs in the conference standings.

• THURSDAY NIGHT TILT – Delta State is set to tussle with Shorter on Thursday in Northwest Georgia. The Statesmen look to stretch their win streak to eight games, while the Hawks will try to snap a five-game skid. This will be the ninth meeting all-time, with Delta State being 8-0, including a 14-13 victory last season in Cleveland, Miss.
• LIVE FROM LIVINGSTON – West Alabama entertains North Greenville on Saturday as both teams look to rebound from tough losses last weekend. The Tigers head into the matchup with the league’s best scoring defense, allowing just 21.8 points per game in conference play this season, while the Crusaders are fifth in the same category averaging 35.0 points per game. NGU leads the all-time series, 3-2, including a 29-28 win in Livingston in 2019.
• STREAKS ON THE LINE – West Florida and Mississippi College will put their respective three-game win streaks on the line as the Argonauts welcome the Choctaws to Pensacola on Saturday. MC has rushed for a combined 1,125 yards in its last two contests, including a 598-yard performance at  Valdosta State last week. UWF meanwhile looks to have found its stride as it has outscored its last two opponents by an average of 19 points per games. The Argos lead the all-time series, 5-0, which includes a 27-21 overtime decision in 2019, which was the last time the two met in Pensacola.
• PEACH BASKET GAME – Saturday’s contest between West Georgia and Valdosta State will be the 42nd meeting all-time as VSU hosts. The Blazers, who lead the series 28-13, will try to extend their series win streak to five games and putting an end to a three-game skid this season. The Wolves meanwhile aim for their first rivalry win since 2017. UWG entered the week with the second-best scoring defense (21.7 pts/game) among GSC teams, while VSU is third in the GSC  for scoring offense (38.4 pts/game).

DATE	MATCHUP	TIME	WATCH
Thurs., Oct. 20	Delta State at Shorter	7 pm ET	FloFootball
Sat., Oct. 22	North Greenville at West Alabama	4 pm CT	FloFootball
Sat., Oct. 22	Mississippi College at West Florida	4 pm CT	FloFootball
Sat., Oct. 22	Valdosta State at West Georgia	6 pm ET	FloFootball

WATCH ON FLOSPORTS
For the second-consecutive season, FloSports and FloFootball will be the exclusive home for all GSC home games during the 2022 season. Fans can subscribe to the streaming service at a special GSC discounted rate of $19.99/month or $150/year ($12.50/mo.), and subscriptions are able to be canceled at anytime. For more information or to sign-up visit flosports.tv/gulfsouth.

NATIONAL RANKINGS

• Delta State, (No. 8), West Florida (No. 9) and West Georgia (No. 25) were ranked in the seventh regular season poll of 2022 by the AFCA. As a result, the Gulf South extended its run to 46 consecutive polls, dating back to Dec.18, 2017, with at least one team ranked in the AFCA Division II Top 25. 
• A GSC team has been among the Top 10 in the last 40-straight polls, since to Week 5 (Oct. 1) release in 2018, and seven times in 2022. The league saw its run among the Top 5 come to end as it was part of the last 31-straight polls (Nov. 5, 2018-Sept.5, 2022). 
• Prior to the 2022 season, conference teams have been ranked in the AFCA Top 25 a combined 801 times since the start of the 2000 season, including 64 total mentions with a representative at No. 1. 

NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS
Gulf South teams are 15-7 in non-conference action through the first three weeks of the 2022 season, including a 1-1 record against Division I-FCS opposition. In the past five seasons, the GSC has posted a 73-44 record in regular season contests against non-GSC teams. The league was 19-4 last season, 12-7 in 2019, 15-10 in 2018, 12-11 in 2017 and 15-8 in 2016. 

NATIONAL AWARD WATCHLIST

• The GSC has four representatives on the Harlon Hill Watchlist, which is awarded annually to the top player in Division II. Among the list is Ivory Durham (Valdosta State), Harrison Frost (West Georgia), Kyle Morlock (Shorter) and David Durden (West Florida). 
• Following stellar back-to-back performance’s Delta State’s Patrick Shegog has been a mid-season addition to the Harlon Hill Watchlist.
• Durden was also a preseason candidate for the Reese’s Senior Bowl.

ODD & ENDS

• West Florida led the league with eight preseason All-GSC selections, including six offensive nods. Valdosta State followed with six picks and four on offense. North Greenville, West Alabama and UWF each had two defensive selections.
• Delta State’s 703 yards of the offense in Week 5 is tied for the fourth-best single-game performance this season in Division II. Valdosta State’s 700 total yards of offense in Week 3 is fifth-best in the D2 charts.
• Delta State’s seven-game win streak to begin the week has the Statesmen tied for the fourth-longest active streak in NCAA D2 this season. DSU are just one of three teams in Region 2 who are undefeated this season, as it is joined by Virginia Union (CIAA) and Benedict (SIAC).
• Mississippi College’s 598 rushing yards in Week 7, was a Division II single-game best this season, and was the second-best performance in GSC-history. 
• On Sept. 24, West Georgia head coach David Dean tallied his 37th win with the Wolves, becoming the winningest coach in program-history after a 22-7 victory over West Alabama. Dean, who previously coached Valdosta State from 2007-15, began the season ranked third all-time in GSC history with 113 career wins, trailing Bobby Wallace  (152) and John M. Williams (122).

GSC IN THE NFL
Prior to the start of the NFL preseason, the GSC had 12 former football student-athletes competing for spots on the 53-man roster. The number was trimmed down to five at the start of the NFL regular season – Christian Matthew (VSU), Arizona; D’Anthony Bell (UWF)    , Cleveland; Kenny Moore (VSU); Indianapolis, Jody Fortson (VSU), Kansas City; and Tyreek Hill (UWA), Miami.