Wayne State NE eyes first big home win in series slump vs Sioux Falls

Sioux Falls has owned this series, winning 10 of 13 meetings since 2012 and taking 7 of the last 10, and the Cougars haven't let Wayne State NE score more than 24 points in any of those games since November 2021. That history sets up this week's Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference matchup, which counts toward the standings for both sides.

Versus sees the trend finally breaking. Wayne State NE, 7-2 and graded A- overall with an A defense, is favored at home, projected to win 30-22 with a 67 percent win probability. The Wildcats carry a defensive rank of 23rd in D2 and an offensive rank of 28th, and they've gone 3-1 in one-score games this season while riding a sixth straight winning campaign.

Sioux Falls, 6-3 and also graded A- overall, hasn't been blown out by anyone this year, with no loss worse than 17 points, and the Cougars are 3-1 in one-score games themselves. But their offensive and defensive ranks both sit at 37th in D2, with a strength of schedule rank of 43rd, while Wayne State NE's overall power rank of 24th outpaces Sioux Falls' 39th. That gap, not the series history, is what Versus expects to decide this one.