What once was a heated local rivalry simply because Waynesburg and Washington & Jefferson are located about 20 miles apart down Route I-79 has moved into the national spotlight today for a game between two unbeaten and nationally ranked Division III teams.

As a sidebar, the top-rated passer in the country and the most prolific running back in the country will be on display when No. 7 W&J (7-0) plays at No. 21 Waynesburg (7-0) at 1:30 p.m. in a Presidents' Athletic Conference showdown.

The game has added importance this season because the PAC champion will receive an automatic bid to the playoffs for the first time. The only time the conference sent two teams to the playoffs was 2004, when Thiel and W&J each had one loss and received at-large bids.

Waynesburg is 7-0 for the first time since 1967 and the No. 21 ranking is its highest since the Yellow Jackets were No. 20 in the final 2003 American Football Coaches Association poll. Being unbeaten and ranked in the Top 10 is nothing new for W&J, the perennial power in the PAC.

Waynesburg's offense revolves around running back Robert Heller, a freshman from Ringgold High School, who leads the country with 1,305 yards rushing and 19 touchdowns.

The centerpiece of W&J's offense is quarterback Bobby Swallow, who leads the country in passing efficiency with a 218.9 passer rating. He has completed 70 percent of his passes for 2,139 yards and 33 touchdowns. He has thrown two interceptions. W&J averages 47.6 points per game, which ranks third nationally.

W&J leads the series, 31-3, with Waynesburg's most recent victory in 2003.

Other games

California (8-0, 4-0) at Slippery Rock (7-1, 2-1), 1 p.m. -- California needs a victory to clinch at least a share of its third consecutive Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference West Division title. The Vulcans, off to their best start since going 8-0 for the season in 1958, were 9-0 in 1946 for the most wins in a season in school history.

California leads Division II in scoring defense (6.5 points per game), rushing defense (33.0 yards per game) and total defense (165.9 yards per game). Linebacker Gary Butler, a senior from Langley High School, had six tackles and forced a fumble for a safety in a 26-8 win against Edinboro to be named PSAC West defensive player of the week.

California's defense will be challenged by a high-powered Slippery Rock offense that averages 36.6 points and tops the PSAC with 465.6 yards of offense per game. Corey Manfull is the second-leading rusher in the league with 133.8 yards per game and has 10 touchdowns. Slippery Rock receiver Paul Favers, a senior from Perry Traditional Academy, returned a kickoff 68 yards for a touchdown with 1:18 remaining and caught a 17-yard touchdown pass from Nate Crookshank with two seconds left to lift the Rock to a 38-34 victory against Shippensburg. He is PSAC West offensive player of the week.

California is ranked sixth nationally, but more importantly is No. 1 in the Northeast Region. The top six teams in the region receive bids to the national playoffs. Slippery Rock, winner of three in a row, is 24th nationally and No. 7 in the region

Duquesne (5-2) at Iona (5-2), 1 p.m. -- This is the league opener for Duquesne, which has won eight consecutive Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference championships and 40 of its past 42 games against MAAC teams. Both losses came against Iona. The Gaels defeated the Dukes, 60-52, in 1999 and ended Duquesne's 39-game league win streak last season, 17-13.

Duquesne defeated Robert Morris, 17-14, for its fifth consecutive win and linebacker Derron Thomas' 14 tackles earned him MAAC defensive player of the week. The Dukes are led offensively by Kevin Rombach (65.4 percent completion, 1,694 yards, 12 TDs), Bruce Hocker (39 catches, 527 yards, 7 TDs) and Greg Hough (658 yards rushing, 3 TDs).

Iona was idle this past week following a 49-21 loss against New Hampshire two weeks ago.

Washington, Mo. (6-1) at Carnegie Mellon (3-4), 1 p.m. -- Carnegie Mellon ended a four-game losing streak with a 21-0 victory against Chicago. The Tartans are averaging 279.0 yards rushing per game and are led by Robert Gimson (660 yards, 5.8 average, 3 TDs) and Travis Sivek (655 yards, 3.9 average, 11 TDs). Doug Facemyer has completed 19 of 48 passes for 265 yards and two touchdowns. Washington is off to its best start since 1995.