PINEVILLE, La. – History might or might not be on the line this Saturday at 1 p.m. when the Louisiana College Wildcats (6-3, 6-1 American Southwest Conference) close their 2010 with a home game against Hardin-Simmons (8-1, 6-1 ASC).

Should the Wildcats win, they would take sole possession of second place in the ASC (undefeated Mary Hardin-Baylor has already secured the conference title) and place themselves in the discussion for an at-large bid for the NCAA Division III playoffs.

Of course, there are no guarantees and the Wildcats' prospectus remains murky.

“They only thing that I know for sure is that we need to beat Hardin-Simmons,” LC coach Dennis Dunn said. “After looking at the selection process last week, I'm more confused than ever. There are so many factors to that process, that I'm not sure what the exact criteria is. The one certainty is that if we lose to Hardin-Simmons, everything else becomes a moot point.”

Rather than worry about what might or might not happen, Dunn and his Wildcats are choosing to focus exclusively on their showdown with the Cowboys this Saturday.

“My message to the team this week is that we need to take care of our business and let the powers that be decide if we are in or not,” Dunn said. “I think it would bode well for us if we can get to 7-1 in the American Southwest Conference.”

The Wildcats, particularly the LC seniors, seem to be taking the message to heart.

“We're approaching this as the biggest game in the history of Louisiana College football, because it is,” senior receiver and return man Jordan Rideaux said. “This is our playoff game. It's win or go home.”

“It's all or nothing,” senior punter John Babineaux said. “Win or lose, this could be our last game as seniors. As much as we all want this to continue, we may be done after this weekend. I think we will inspire us to run faster, kick harder and throw the ball farther just knowing that this could be our last chance.”

No one in the Wildcat football family said he expected an easy road, though, especially with the Cowboys coming to town with revenge on the mind following LC's 28-7 win in Abilene, the first win in school history over Hardin-Simmons.

“I know they are coming for revenge,” Rideaux said. “We want to make the most of this chance, though. We're all willing to go all out and do anything to win.”

Rideaux, for that matter all of the Wildcats, will likely be asked to score … and score in abundance come Saturday.

Hardin-Simmons boasts the No. 4 offense in the nation. Great news, then, that LC's offense is ranked No. 2.

With neither team's defense ranked in the top 50 of the nation, most expect a shootout.

“It should be a crazy game,” Rideaux said. “I know that they are going to be coming for us, hard. We're going to have to match that.”

Pregame information
Hardin-Simmons at Louisiana College
Kickoff: 1 p.m., Saturday
Broadcast: Radio, 105.5 FM (Alexandria, La.); Online, 1055kbuck.com; Live video, CollegeTVTicket.com
Team Records: LC (6-3, 6-1 American Southwest Conference); Hardin-Simmons (8-1, 6-1 ASC)
Coaches: Louisiana College, Dennis Dunn (5th year, 29-19); Hardin-Simmons, Jimmie Keeling
Last week: LC defeated McMurry 35-32; Hardin-Simmons bye
Streaks: LC enters the game riding a five-game winning streak; Hardin-Simmons is riding a five-game winning streak.
Last Year: LC defeated Hardin-Simmons 28-7
All-time series: Hardin-Simmons leader 8-1