Any schedule in the Ohio Athletic Conference faces multiple challenges, and nine teams must take on Mount Union on an annual basis. And since the conference is rather large, someone must face the Purple Raiders right out of the gate.

This year, that's Ohio Northern. And the Polar Bears just had a bit of a challenge themselves in this past week's opener. But, far from it being the (bad) luck of the draw, it was all part of the design for Dean Paul's squad.

Ohio Northern is the last team to beat Mount Union in the regular season, and they did it under extreme circumstances. Keith McMillan digs in in this week's Around the Nation.

Who has a surprising start? Keith details a handful of those on the good and not-so-good side through two weeks. Plus, Keith's First and Ten notes for Week 2 and Week 3, as well as a look at the bottom of his Top 25 ballot.

That and more in this week's Around the Nation.