CONWAY, Ark. _ University of Central Arkansas head coach Clint Conque likes to talk about important, meaningful football games being played in the month of November.

    Saturday’s matchup with the Northwestern State Demons could not carry much more weight. It’s Homecoming on “the Stripes” at First Security Field at Estes Stadium, a field UCA has not lost a game on in two seasons (9-0). The game is also the second half of a Southland Conference Television doubleheader carried live on KARZ 42 in Little Rock, the Bears’ second appearance on the network this season.

    Still, neither of those are the most important elements of the game. Simply put, the 13th-ranked Bears (7-2, 5-1) are the 2012 Southland Conference champions with a victory over the Demons.

    “It doesn’t get any bigger than this game,’ said Conque, who led the Bears to a first-place SLC finish (6-1) in 2008 when they were ineligible for the official league crown. “There’s so much on line for this game. The trophy will be in the stadium. They’re hard to win. Rings are hard to get. I’ve coaches 30 years and got five at different schools.’

    The Bears, coming off a 34-14 victory over then-first place Southeastern Louisiana last week on the road in Hammond, La., have won four straight games, with their open date looming next Saturday. With the win, the worst UCA can do is tie for first place with either Southeastern or Sam Houston State, but the Bears own the tiebreaker over both by virtue of victories earlier this season. Therefore, UCA would be the league’s automatic qualifier for the NCAA Division I playoffs.

    UCA reached the second round of the playoffs last season as a at-large selection.

   “We can punch our ticket to consecutive championships,’ said Conque, the winningest coach in UCA history (96-53) in his 13th season. “That gets me excited. We just need to find about 12,000 other folks to be excited the same way. We need to fill this place to overflowing on Saturday night.

    “These players deserve that kind of support. They’ve worked hard and played well and represented this university in a very positive way this season. They are investing in our vision and our philosophy and are getting it done on the field.’

    The Bears lead the overall series with Northwestern State 3-2 after winning 45-20 a year ago in Natchitoches, La. But the last time the Demons came to Conway, they walked away with a 24-19 victory in 2010.

    Kickoff is 7 p.m., with the “Homecoming 2012” festivities set for halftime.