The Ohio Athletic Conference title likely won’t be on the line when Marietta travels to John Carroll on Nov. 16, but a big showdown is set regardless. That’s because an NCAA Division III playoff at-large — or Pool C, the official term — bid will likely be awarded to the winner when the teams face off. JCU did its part on this day with a dominant 56-0 win over visiting Otterbein and improved to 7-2 and 7-1 in the OAC. It was the first shutout by the Blue Streaks since 2022. About 70 miles south in Alliance, Mount Union rallied from a 21-14 fourth-quarter deficit and defeated visiting Marietta, 28-21, with a touchdown in the final seconds. The victory gave the Purple Raiders (9-0, 8-0 OAC) at least a share of the OAC title and the NCAA D-III automatic playoff bid. Mount plays at Muskingum on Nov. 16 and will be a huge favorite in that game.  Marietta (8-1, 7-1 OAC) and JCU (7-2, 7-1) will for all intent play for second place in the OAC and an at-large NCAA playoff spot. The loser will earn an invitation to the Division III Opendorse Bowl Series at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton. It’s been quite the turnaround for the Blue Streaks after an 0-2 start, which put a big smile on the face of Coach Jeff Behrman. “It’s a credit to our coaching staff and our players,” said Behrman. “We don’t talk about things not in our control and after we were 0-2, all we talked about winning the next game, then the next game and the next. Now the message is clear: “What we wanted at the beginning of the year is in front of us,” said Behrman of the possibility of the playoffs. JCU left no doubt against Otterbein (1-8, 1-7 OAC) with a 35-point first half, 433 total yards and defense that allowed just 107 points and just 2 of 15 third-down conversions. Evan McVay (170 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns) started the rout with a 20-yard TD run in the first quarter then added a 48-yard TD reception from quarterback Nick Semptimphelter, who had another huge game. Semptimphelter completed 16 of 19 passes for 260 yards and four touchdown. Two of the touchdowns went to Tyren Montgomery, who also had a huge game with six receptions for 113 yards. For the season, Semptimphelter is completing 75.2 percent of his passes (167 of 222) and has 2,334 passing yards and 26 TD passes against just two interceptions. Montgomery has 41 receptions for 843 yards and 13 TD catches, which is one off the JCU single-season record. “Right now, we’re pretty versatile,” said Semptimphelter. “Our offensive is playing great and our receivers, you saw today. We can strike in all kinds of ways.” Others scoring TDs for JCU include Nemo Jenkins (14 carries 47 yards) and Quincy Newsom (11 carries, 33 yards). Lineman Ben Day led the defense with five tackles. “Great to get the goose egg,” said Day about his unit’s shutout. “We showed we were the most dominant team today.” The score John Carroll 56, Otterbein 0