MidAmerica Nazarene favored again after last year's 35-26 win over William Woods

A year ago MidAmerica Nazarene beat William Woods 35-26, and Versus projects a similar result this time, with the Pioneers favored by 11 points and given a 75 percent chance to win. The two sides also share a result against Graceland this season, where MidAmerica Nazarene lost by 26 and William Woods won by 7, a data point that cuts against the size of this week's projected margin.

MidAmerica Nazarene carries the better profile on paper, ranked 52nd in NAIA to William Woods' 69th, with a C grade on power and a C in offense against the Owls' D grades across power, offense and defense. But the Pioneers have fallen 32 spots in the Versus NAIA rankings this season after opening at No. 20, and their scoring has dropped off since the season's midpoint, a slide that makes the double-digit spread feel less certain than the rankings alone suggest.

William Woods enters with some momentum of its own, having climbed as high as No. 67 this season, the highest Versus has ever placed the program, and sitting 3-1 in one-score games. The result counts in the Heart of America standings for both clubs as they close out their conference schedules.