All roads lead back to Chase Mason.

If No. 22 South Dakota State's first-string quarterback plays for the first time in five games on Saturday, the Jackrabbits far more likely to beat No. 16 North Dakota in a regular season finale that might decide if the Jacks reach the playoffs or not.

It should be difficult for SDSU fans to muster any confidence the Jackrabbits could beat the Fighting Sioux — with the No. 2 defense in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, giving up 18.8 points per game — without Mason when SDSU averaged 40 points per game and went 7-0 with him, then stumbled to their first four-game losing streak in 14 years and averaged 14 points without him.

Why is SDSU so helpless without Mason even though he doesn't block, tackle, play running back, play defense, or field snaps and return kicks — the kinds of things the Jacks have botched in this dismal month?

Will he be able to put on the cape and save the season in Grand Forks? Head coach Dan Jackson gave the latest status on Mason's month-long foot injury on Monday's "Happy Hour with John Gaskins" show, and John plays the answer in this Monday "John-o-logue."

Meanwhile, how did USD turn the corner to win three straight Top 25 games to finish the regular season? What do we make of the latest losses for former Jackrabbit Mark Gronowski at Iowa and (former?) NFL cult figure J.J. McCarthy?