CARBONDALE - Deji Karim had to stop himself momentarily after he was asked if Southern Illinois University's football team is treating Saturday's game with co-conference leader South Dakota State as a playoff game.

"Oh yeah," he said, before pausing. "We're treating it as another conference game, but you know what I'm saying? Every game for us has been a playoff game, basically a playoff atmosphere, because we don't want to lose and not have a chance to be conference champions. This has been what it comes down to all the way from the start of the season in conference play, so we've got to finish it."

Third-ranked SIU (7-1, 6-0 Missouri Valley Football Conference) is scheduled to leave from Marion on Friday morning for Sioux Falls, S.D., in preparation for Saturday's top-10 tilt with No. 9 South Dakota State (7-1, 6-0). The Salukis will then drive an hour to Brookings, S.D., where their hotel is, before squaring off with the Jackrabbits at 1 p.m. at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium.

The winner captures at least a tie for the league title, and with it, the MVFC's automatic bid to the Football Championship Subdi-vision playoffs. With a victory, SIU would also tie the league record for consecutive victories (13) and earn its seventh straight trip to the playoffs.

The Salukis finish the regular season at home against Missouri State (5-4, 3-3) on Nov. 14 and on the road against Southeast Missouri State (1-7, 0-6 Ohio Valley Conference). SIU has beaten the Bears six straight times, and will want to end McAndrew Stadium's 73rd and final homestand in style. The Salukis have beaten SEMO three straight times.

But like a lot of players, senior linebacker Brandin Jordan refused to look past Saturday's game.

"The thing of it is, it is Game No. 9," Jordan said. "Basically, we're taking it as we get toward the end of the season, every game is the biggest game of the season. In a way, it is a playoff game, because this is going to set us up. If we win this game and the next game, we could have a top playoff seed. But it's a little of both."

SDSU and the Salukis may have already qualified for the playoffs, win or lose Saturday. Only one other conference other than the MVFC, the 12-team Colonial Athletic Association, has earned at least two playoff teams in the field every year since 1995. Re-gardless what they do after Saturday, either the Jackrabbits or Salukis will finish second in the league via tiebreakers. Eleventh-ranked Northern Iowa (5-3, 3-2) or Illinois State (4-4, 3-2) could tie for second place, record-wise, if they win out and either SIU or SDSU lose their last conference game. SIU and/or SDSU would win the tiebreaker with both teams for second, as they've both beaten the Panthers and Redbirds this season.

UNI hosts Illinois State on the last day of the regular season, so only one could finish 6-2 in the league.

SIU coach Dale Lennon undoubtedly understands the significance of Saturday's road game, but is trying to take the long-term approach.

"In reality, every game you play is a playoff game. For us, it's just Week No. 9," he said. "We're going to go through the same routine that we did all the weeks leading up here. You just prepare the same way you've done week to week, and you know there's a little more significance just because you're getting towards the end of the schedule."

todd.hefferman@thesouthern.com / 618-351-5087