Football debuts at No. 9 in West Region
INDIANOLA, Iowa -- The Simpson football team is No. 9 in the first NCAA West Region Rankings of the 2018 season.
The Storm are 6-2 overall and 5-1 in the American Rivers Conference, part of a three-way tie for first place in the league standings. One of Simpson's losses is to Bethel, currently the No. 4 team in the West Region.
Simpson is the only team in the American Rivers in the initial ranking.
In the second-to-last game of the season, Simpson hosts Dubuque on Saturday, Nov. 3. One of the teams in the tie for first place in the conference, the Spartans bring an identical 6-2 record to Buxton Stadium. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
The Storm and third-year head coach Matt Jeter are looking for the program's first playoff appearance since 2003 and first conference championship since 1997.