The race for the 2009 Southland Conference football championship instantly became more wide open after last Saturday.

With three weeks to play in the regular season, four teams are tied for first place and two others - the Sam Houston State Bearkats and Central Arkansas -- are lurking just one game back.

McNeese State, Stephen F. Austin, Southeastern Louisiana and Texas State are each 3-1.  Sam Houston and Central Arkansas stand 2-2.

The Southland Conference line-up for the coming weekend does not pit any of the four front-runners against one another but there are some exciting match-ups.

Sam Houston will travel to Lake Charles, LA, to take on the No. 11-ranked McNeese State Cowboys at 7 p.m.  The Cowboys lead the all-time series with Sam Houston State 22-7-1, including a record of 11-3 at home. McNeese State has won four in a row in the series, including a 28-17 win in Huntsville, Texas, last season. The Bearkats have a four-game losing streak in Lake Charles, La. with the last win coming in 1999.

Sam Houston State quarterback Blake Joseph produced 403 total yards in the victory over Northwestern State on Saturday. He had a 65-yard touchdown run in the second quarter and threw touchdown passes of 13 and 39 yards. His 39-yard connection with wide receiver Jason Madkins with 5:37 to play was the game winner.

Sam Houston State linebacker Will Henry led the Bearkats with 12 tackles and helped spark a defense that came up with two big fourth-quarter turnovers in the 34-30 victory over Northwestern State.

Texas State plays at No. 19 Central Arkansas game, which is the Toyota Game of the Week on the Southland Conference Television Network.

The Bobcats were the Southland Conference champion last season though it was the Bears who finished with the best overall and league records.

Central Arkansas was ineligble for the championship and cannot be the Southland's automatic qualifier into the NCAA playoffs during its transition from Division II.

That will change next year when Central Arkansas is expected to become a full Division I member. Last year, Central Arkansas finished 10-2 overall and 6-1 in conference play while Texas State was 8-5 overall and 5-2. This year, Texas State and Central Arkansas enter their meeting with identical 5-3 records though the Bobcats are 3-1 and tied for first in the standings. The Bears sits just one game back at 2-2 in league play.

When the last Saturday began, four teams were chasing Stephen F. Austin which was the last unbeaten in conference play. The Lumberjacks stumbled at Texas State, falling 28-7. McNeese State handled Nicholls 38-17, Southeastern Louisiana upended Central Arkansas, 26-21 and Sam Houston State beat Northwestern State, 34-30.

Despite losses by two Southland Conference teams in the top 25, the league still has three ranked teams. McNeese State is once again the conference top-ranked team in both polls. The Cowboys remained No. 11 in the coaches' poll and moved up one spot to 12th in the Sports Network poll after its 38-17 victory at Nicholls last Saturday. Stephen F. Austin, which lost its first conference game last Saturday at Texas State, dropped from 15th in the coaches' poll to 18th and from 11th in the Sports Network poll to 15th. Central Arkansas, which lost its second league game with a 25-21 setback at Southeastern Louisiana, fell from 12th in the coaches' poll to 19th and from 15th in the Sports Network poll to 20th.

Five Southland quarterbacks are among the national leaders in passing efficiency. McNeese State's Derrick Fourroux is the Southland leader. The senior has a rating of 153.20 to rank 12th in the nation. Stephen F. Austin junior Jeremy Moses is 15th with his 149.80 rating and Southeastern Louisiana's Brian Babin is 17th with a rating of 148.61. Two other Southland QBs are ranked among the top 35 in the FCS. Texas State's Bradley George is 30th with a rating of 140.43 while Blake Joseph is 34th with a 138.34 rating.

Sam Houston State wraps up its 2009 home schedule on Saturday Nov. 14 when the Bearkats play host to Central Arkansas. Kickoff at Bowers Stadium is at 2 p.m.

Tickets to Sam Houston State football at Bowers Stadium are $25 for reserved chairback seats and $15 for general admission. Order tickets now on-line at www.gobearkats.com.

For more information about all Bearkat sports events, contact the Sam Houston State Athletic Ticket Office located in the Ron Mafrige Field Events Center at Bowers Stadium. Ticket office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The ticket office telephone number is (936) 294-1729.