By Robbie Ross
SouthernPigskin.com

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Chattanooga and Furman match up in a huge conference clash.

nThree Storylines

n1. Battle at Bristol II.xc2xa0 East Tennessee State steps back into SoCo play this week on a two-game league winning streak dating back to 2003 when the Bucs won their last two SoCon games of the season, beating Chattanooga 68-7 and The Citadel 16-13.xc2xa0 Western Carolina holds a slim lead in the all-time series, 23-21-1, with the Catamounts winning three out of the last four meetings in 2000, 2001 and 2003.xc2xa0 Bristol Motor Speedway will be the site of this match-up, fresh off hosting Tennessee and Virginia Tech last week in front of an all-time record crowd of over 156,000.

n2. Chattanooga looks to continue its early season dominance this week as the Mocs enter SoCon play in hopes of winning a fourth conference title in a row.xc2xa0 The Mocs have blasted their first two opponents, Shorter and Presbyterian, by a combined score of 100-0. They will now travel to take on Furman, who played FBS-ranked Michigan State and FCS-ranked Citadel tough in the first two weeks.xc2xa0 The Paladins are in the midst of the toughest opening four games in all of FCS Football (at #17 Coastal Carolina next week).xc2xa0 Chattanooga has won the last four games in this series after the Paladins reeled off wins in 16 of 17 against the Mocs from 1995 to 2011.

n3. The Citadel looks to continue the SoConxe2x80x99s early season dominance of the Big South Conference in 2016 when the Bulldogs head to Boiling Springs, NC to take on the xe2x80x98Runninxe2x80x99 Bulldogs of Gardner-Webb.xc2xa0 ETSU, Chattanooga and Western Carolina have notched wins for the league against Big South teams so far this year, by an average of close to 23 points per game.xc2xa0 With a Citadel win this week and a Furman win against Kennesaw State on October 1st, the SoCon will finish 5-0 against the Big South Conference.xc2xa0 Thatxe2x80x99s quite the contrast to 2015, when the SoCon was 4-6 against teams from their neighboring conference.xc2xa0

nWeek 2 Schedule

nSaturday, September 17th Western Carolina vs East Tennessee State, Bristol, TN, 1:30, SOCON Network

nSaturday, September 17th Johnson C. Smith at Wofford, Spartanburg, SC, 3:00, ESPN3

nSaturday, September 17th Tennessee Tech at Mercer, Macon, GA, 4:00, ESPN3

nSaturday, September 17th The Citadel at Gardner-Webb, Boiling Springs, NC, 6:00

nSaturday, September 17th Chattanooga at Furman, Greenville, SC, 6:00, ESPN3