Very rarely does a Southern Conference team view Western Carolina as the game of the year.

When No. 16 Appalachian State lost Saturday to Wofford, 38-28, the Mountaineers found themselves behind the eight ball, facing a three-game stretch of must-win games to remain in the mix for a SoCon championship.

In fact, after the loss to No. 7 Wofford, ASU head coach Jerry Moore told his team there would likely be no league title this season.

"I told them, ‘In all probability, the conference championship is out,’" said Moore, whose Mountaineers fell to 5-3, 3-2 in conference play. "The reason I told them that is I don’t want to go into these next three games thinking, ‘Somebody’s got to beat somebody.’ I want to go into these games thinking, ‘We’ve got to beat Western, and that’s all that’s important.’ Then next week, ‘We’ve got to beat Georgia Southern, and that’s all that’s important.’ Next week, ‘We’ve got to beat Furman.’ It’s a three-game season – one game at a time."

Though the game against Western Carolina (1-7, 0-6) is an in-state rivalry, ASU has won 57 of 76 meetings, ASU will eliminate itself from title contention with a loss, and that’s more important to Moore than waiting for outside help.

"I want their whole concentration to be on Western Carolina," Moore said, "not who might be playing someone else. They’re disappointed, they’re hurt, and there’s a lot of things running through their mind."

The game against WCU takes place Saturday at 3:30 p.m., in Cullowhee, N.C.

The sneaky Citadel

Wofford (6-1, 4-1) needed to win over ASU in Boone, N.C. to remain one of three one-loss teams in the SoCon, but it won’t get a whole lot easier Saturday at 1:30 p.m. when the Terriers host The Citadel (4-3, 3-2) at 1:30 p.m.

Despite losing three of their last four, the Bulldogs have knocked off some heavy hitters this season.

"They’ve beat App and they’ve beat Georgia Southern," said Wofford coach Mike Ayers. "They’re a football team that has it going."

Like Moore at ASU, Ayers knows there’s little room for error with The Citadel, Samford, and Chattanooga still left on the schedule.

"The loss against Georgia Southern put us on the slippery slope," Ayers said about the Terriers 17-9 loss to GSU on Oct. 13. "Our emphasis to our guys last week was, ‘It’s a championship game.’ Our emphasis this week is, ‘It’s a championship game.’ There’s no room for error. We’ve got to be a great football team. We’ve got to be a football team that comes out ready to play and we’ve got to execute at a high level. If we don’t do that, The Citadel will hit us in the head, knock us down, and the next thing we know, The Citadel will be the one going home with a win."

Forget the option

Russ Huesman knows a thing or two about defending the option.

His Chattanooga Mocs (4-3, 3-1) beat The Citadel, 28-10, earlier this season, and Huesman won a national title as the defensive coordinator at Richmond in 2008.

When the Mocs face No. 2 Georgia Southern (6-1, 5-1) Saturday in Chattanooga, Tenn., at 6 p.m., he’ll be much more concerned with the Eagles’ defense — most notably, defensive tackle Brent Russell.

"Where do you start? He is a phenomenal player," Huesman said. "Sometimes you can have a pass-rushing end that makes a big difference in the game, but when you have a defensive tackle that can disrupt offenses the way he does, it’s amazing to me. I’ve never seen a defensive tackle control a ballgame, a line of scrimmage like he does. He’s the most relentless player I think I’ve ever seen in all my years of coaching."

The Mocs need a win to remain in control of a SoCon title.

"We’re getting ready to play probably the best team in the league, one of the two best teams in the league, but it’ll be an unbelievable test for us this week," Huesman said.

Out of the race

Furman (2-6, 1-4) and Elon (3-4, 1-3) face off Saturday at 3 p.m. in Elon, N.C.

Both are out of contention for the SoCon title. Elon, which still has four SoCon games remaining on its schedule, must win out to remain eligible for the Football Championship Subdivision playoff guideline of seven Division I wins.

Samford (5-3, 3-3), which is still playoff eligible but out of the SoCon race, is idle Saturday. The Bulldogs, due to a Sept. 8 win over Division II West Alabama, must win out over Wofford, Elon and Kentucky to remain in the playoff picture.