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 CONWAY, Ark. _ One team will leave the field at Bowers Stadium on Saturday with a Southland Conference trophy in tow.

    The No. 11/12 University of Central Arkansas Bears (9-1, 8-0) and the No. 1 Sam Houston State Bearkats (10-0, 8-0) will battle for the SLC championship at 2:30 p.m. on ESPN3. It was 28 years ago the last time two undefeated SLC teams played for the title in the final week of the regular season.

    The Bears are riding an eight-game winning streak after their lone loss of the season to No. 18 Samford back on Sept. 10. The Bearkats have not lost since last December when they fell to No. 1 Jacksonville State in the semifinals of the FCS Playoffs.

    The Bears and Bearkats sit atop the league standings, two games ahead of second-place Southeastern Louisiana (6-2). Both teams are assured of a berth in the FCS playoffs, with the winner receiving a first-round bye next weekend. UCA sits seventh in the playoff committee rankings, while SHSU is fifth. The top eight seeds receive a bye and are guaranteed a second-round home game. 

    UCA, which last made the playoffs in 2012, has a 5-0 record in road games this season, including a 28-23 victory over FBS Arkansas State in Jonesboro, a 45-10 win over Southeastern Louisiana in Hammond, La., and a 35-0 shutout of McNeese State in Lake Charles, La.

    The Bears have the top-rated overall defense in the Southland (allowing 300.7 yards per game), while the Bearkats feature the top-rated overall offense (592.4). UCA is No. 1 against the run (67.8), while SHSU is the No. 1 passing team in the league (382.6). UCA's rushing offense is No. 1 (213.8) and SHSU's is No. 2 (209.8), while the Bears are first in scoring defense (16.8) and the Bearkats are second (26.2).  

    All that makes for what could be a memorable championship battle between teams that have split their 10 meetings since UCA joined the SLC in 2006.

    "You need to be able to score points to beat these guys,' said UCA head coach Steve Campbell. "They are very explosive offensively. They're averaging over 50 points a game. You have to make sure you end each series with a kick offensively. Preferably that would be an extra point or a field goal or a punt. Where people get in trouble is when they turn the football over and they give these guys short fields.

    "What we have to do is capitalize on each possession and make each possession count and put points on the board.'

    The Bears' last SLC championship was the 2012 season when they tied for first with the Bearkats but won the head-to-head meeting 24-20 in Conway durig the regular season. UCA also won an unofficial title in 2008 when it finished 6-1, ahead of Texas State (5-2), but was still in the transition period from NCAA Division II and not allowed to claim the title due to the league's automatic qualifier status.

    Sam Houston, which trailed in a game for the first time all season last week against Northwestern State, is one of only two undefeated FCS teams remaining, along with The Citadel (10-0). The Bearkats have played in the playoffs the past five years, and are 13-5 in playoff games since 2011.

    The game will be an ESPN3 production, with Randy McIlvoy handling the play-by-play, Shea Walker the color commentary and Tatum Everett as sideline reporter.