INDIANAPOLIS – The Slippery Rock University football team is listed among the 10 Super Region One teams currently in consideration for NCAA postseason play according to the first set of regional rankings unveiled Monday by the NCAA Division II Football Committee.
The Super Region One rankings will ultimately determine which seven teams from the region will qualify for the NCAA Division II Playoffs. The Rock's region includes all teams from the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC), the Mountain East Conference (MEC), the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (GMAC) and the Northeast 10 Conference (NE10).
For the second year in a row, the first set regional rankings are listed in alphabetical order with no numerical ranking. The committee will rank the teams in numerical order for the first time with the second set of regional rankings, which will be announced Monday, Oct. 30.
Slippery Rock is one of just two teams in the region to be undefeated entering the ninth week of the season and carries the highest "performance indicator" score in the region. If the rankings were in numerical order this week, it is highly likely SRU would sit atop the rankings.
The PSAC leads all Super Region One conferences with five teams listed this week to occupy half of the rankings. Slippery Rock is joined by fellow Western Division team California (Pa.) along with Eastern Division squads East Stroudsburg, Kutztown and Shepherd.
Tiffin from the GMAC is the only other undefeated team in the region and is the lone representative from the GMAC in the first set of rankings. Entering this week, SRU owns a higher strength of schedule number and a higher performance indicator rating than the Dragons.
The MEC has three teams listed in the first set of rankings with Charleston, Fairmont State and Frostburg State all included, while the Northeast 10 has one team listed with Assumption.
Slippery Rock and Tiffin are both 8-0 to stand atop the region in terms of best record. Shepherd and East Stroudsburg are both 7-1 and will meet each other Nov. 4. Charleston and Frostburg State are both 6-1, while Kutztown and Fairmont State are 6-2 and Assumption and California (Pa.) are 5-2.
There are multiple factors taken into consideration to determine the playoff fields, including in-region winning percentage, winning percentage against Division II opponents, weighted strength of schedule, head-to-head competition, results against common opponents, results against teams above .500, results against ranked teams and the NCAA performance indicator. More information on the process is available HERE.
Entering week nine, Slippery Rock owns the highest performance indicator in the region at 28.375 and owns a weighted strength of schedule of .529, which ranks 15th in the region out of 46 teams.
Slippery Rock will look to continue its push for a fifth straight NCAA Playoff appearance when it hosts Clarion Saturday with a 1 p.m. kickoff.
SUPER REGION 1 TEAMS IN PLAYOFF CONSIDERATION
(Listed Alphabetically – Ranked Order Announced Oct. 30)
| School | Conference | DII W-L | SOS* |
| Assumption | NE10 | 5-2 | .513 |
| California (Pa.) | PSAC | 5-2 | .582 |
| Charleston | MEC | 6-1 | .505 |
| East Stroudsburg | PSAC | 7-1 | .490 |
| Fairmont State | MEC | 6-1 | .463 |
| Frostburg State | MEC | 6-1 | .542 |
| Kutztown | PSAC | 6-2 | .551 |
| Shepherd | PSAC | 7-1 | .512 |
| SLIPPERY ROCK | PSAC | 8-0 | .529 |
| Tiffin | GMAC | 8-0 | .483 |
* Weighted strength of schedule combines opponents' winning percentage and the winning percentage of each school's opponents' opponents.