Well, this is it. The biggest football game of the year – or at least the regular season. No. 13 ranked Tennessee State comes to town Saturday for Parents’ Weekend to play the No. 8 ranked Panthers.

Tennessee State enters the game undefeated with a 6-0 mark overall and a 2-0 record in the Ohio Valley Conference. Eastern also sits atop the OVC standings with a 3-0 mark in the league and a 5-1 record overall. Without a doubt, this game will likely decide the conference championship.

But there’s one major difference between these two teams entering Saturday’s game: Eastern has been tested this season and Tennessee State hasn’t.

Yes, the Tigers enter the game with great numbers, but there’s a reason for that – they haven’t played anyone.

TSU is No. 1 in the nation in scoring defense, allowing just 6.2 points per game. They rank seventh in the nation in total offense and 14th in scoring offense. And the Tigers quarterback, Shannon Harris, is No. 9 in the nation in total offense.

But behind these strong numbers have been weak opponents.

The Tigers rolled Alabama A&M 27-6, Florida A&M 27-7, Howard, 45-0, Mississippi Valley State 41-3 and Tennessee-Martin 55-7. The only game they had that was close was against Southeast Missouri, a weaker OVC opponent. TSU defeated them 20-14.

The Tigers have yet to play the other top three teams in the conference in Eastern Kentucky, Tennessee Tech and the Panthers. So, basically, Saturday will be the first time TSU, picked to finish fifth in the OVC preseason poll, will face off against a proven opponent. And that will show on the field.

The Tigers will come out fired up and talking trash like they always do. But once they realize what they’re up against, this young team will become flustered and start to make mistakes.

That’s where a seasoned, experienced Eastern team will take over. It may be close at first, but in the end the Panthers will win convincingly enough to propel themselves to a conference championship and an even higher national ranking.