Coe football coach Steve Staker believes his team has a good shot at landing an at-large spot in the division three national playoffs if they can close the regular season with a victory against arch-rival Cornell. Iowa Conference champ Central has already locked up the automatic berth but at 8-1 the Kohawks could get in as well.
Staker says they have to win out and then he likes their chances if they finish 9-1. He says it doesn’t look like anyone with two losses will get in. Staker says if they can continue to play well, their chances look better and better.
Coe’s only loss was back in late September at Central and he says every game since then has been a playoff game for them as they seek to make the post season. The Coe-Cornell rivalry is the oldest one west of the Mississippi and Staker says its long history has been filled with upsets. Staker says the Iowa game this past weekend shows that anything can happen.
Cornell is 2-7 and is coming off a victory over Loras.