September 21st, 2010 12:00am
Eight ranked teams went down to defeat in what was an exciting weekend of D2 football. There were other ranked teams-- such as Tusculum and Grand Valley State-- that struggled much more than expected in escaping with victories.
GVSU's early season struggles (the Lakers' three wins are by a combined 13 points) have caused them to lose their top ranking this week to Minnesota-Duluth. It's hard to argue against the two teams flip-flopping in the poll when the Bulldogs have hammered a pair of ranked opponents already this year.
The media polls are fun to watch and they give fans something to discuss as we go through the season, but they are completely irrelevant when it comes to selecting teams for the playoffs. What does matter are factors like strength of schedule, which is largely based on how a team's conference performs in non-conference play.
I know we go through this drill every year, but with non-conference play winding down, now would be a good time to look at each league's overall record against D2 opponents. The leagues with the best non-conference records are likely to see the most representation come playoff time:
Super Region One
PSAC: 8-5
WVIAC: 9-7
NE-10: 3-7
CIAA: 3-11
Super Region Two
GSC 5-1
SAC 14-6
SIAC 0-0 (Four non-conference games to be played)
Super Region Three
NSIC 4-3
GLIAC 3-4
RMAC 4-7
Super Region Four
MIAA 14-4
LSC 4-5
GNAC 0-2
News and Notes from Week Four
-Texas A&M-Kingsville has dismissed running back Fred Winborn from the team due to academic issues. This is a huge blow to the Javelina offense as Winborn led the LSC in rushing last year and had been the workhorse (80 carries for 394 yards) for an otherwise struggling offense so far this season. The Javelinas have a great defense, but can they score enough points without Winborn on the field? Stay tuned.
-Urbana senior linebacker Travis Brisco is off to an incredible start so far this season, with nine sacks and five forced fumbles in just three games played. Brisco had five sacks against Tusculum last week.
-Bloomsburg always seems to have a great running back and the Huskies appear to have discovered another one in freshman Franklyn Quiteh. Quiteh has rushed for 449 yards and five touchdowns already this year.
-Minnesota-Duluth running back Isaac Odim has scored nine touchdowns and averaged over 10 yards per carry over the last two weeks. After a rough season opener, Odim is on pace to have another great season.
Nebraska-Omaha's Struggles
It's hard enough to believe that a program as traditionally strong as UNO's is 0-3, but it's especially hard to fathom how bad the Mavericks are defensively. UNO is 150th out of 151 D2 teams in total defense, allowing an eye-popping 535 yards per game.
The Mavericks haven't had much playoff success under Pat Behrns, but they've been remarkably consistent during his tenure, with 14 straight winning seasons entering 2010. With several tough games remaining on the schedule, it seems hard to imagine that UNO will pick up the six wins necessary to continue that streak.
UNO has never been known as a great defensive team under Behrns, but they've always been a fundamentally sound and physical team on both sides of the ball. I did not personally get to see the Mavs' 58-23 loss to Northwest Missouri State last week, but those that did that UNO's have told me that the lack of physicality on defense was shocking.
What I'm trying to figure out is why this is all happening. I think the Mavericks have placed more of an emphasis on recruiting speed since joining the MIAA, but certainly that doesn't mean they totally neglected to recruit size? Does it have something to do with all of the former NCC (now D-I FCS) teams invading UNO recruiting territory and making it hard on Behrns and his staff? Is it simply an off year and Mavericks will have the horses again next season to be a league contender?
What is apparent is that hard-charging Athletic Director Trev Alberts wants to make UNO football a big deal, and it's doubtful that he will be willing to put up with losing for long. This season may be lost, but hopefully Berhns and his staff can get things back on track for the 2011 season.
St. Cloud State Update
The NSIC board of directors voted on Monday to form a task force to assess its sports sponsorship requirements, which includes football. A decision on whether or not the league will allow members without football is expected to be made in November.
The reason the conference was looking at the requirements was per the request of St. Cloud State. The school is looking at dropping football in an effort to solve the $500,000 athletic budget deficit and wanted to know if it would be required to leave the NSIC if it dropped the sport.
SCSU President Earl H Potter III told the St. Cloud Times on Tuesday that the administrative cuts totaling $200,000 will be made and that the options for cutting sports will be re-worked. In addition to the administrative cuts, the options include cutting just football (which ran a deficit of just over $300,000 last year), saving all sports but increasing fundraising and student fees or eliminating four minor sports.
SCSU football is certainly is not out of the woods, but I'm much more optimistic today that the sport will be saved than I was when I wrote about this subject during the preseason. Instead of cutting football being a possibility in two of three scenarios, it is now included in just one. Plus, with the hurdle of the conference requirement still in place, it gives supporters more time to fundraise and possibly get a student fee referendum put to a vote. I think the chances are better than 50-50 that the Huskies will be playing again in 2011.
Games to Watch this Week
West Virginia Wesleyan (3-0) at West Liberty (1-1)
Denny Creehan appears to have a good thing going at Wesleyan, as the Bobcats are the 3-0 for the first time in 21 years after knocking off a solid Concord team last week. But the Bobcats will be going on the road for the first time all season and will have to deal with Zach Amedro and the powerful Hilltopper offense. West Liberty 38 West Virginia Wesleyan 21.
Carson-Newman (2-1) at UNC-Pembroke (2-1)
This is a huge game for Super Region Two playoff purposes, and even bigger with both teams coming in with a loss. C-N dealt the Braves their only regular season loss last season, but I think UNCP has a slight advantage with the game being at home. UNC-Pembroke 24 Carson-Newman 22.
Washburn (1-2) at Central Missouri (3-1)
UCM has a powerful passing attack, led by quarterback Eric Czerniewski and a talented group of receivers. They will be facing a Washburn defense that has been dreadful against the pass so far this year (11 touchdown passes given up and no interceptions). The Ichabods are capable of scoring enough points to stay in the game, so this should be entertaining. Central Missouri 34 Washburn 28.
Bemidji State (2-1) at Minnesota-Duluth (3-0)
BSU allows just 28 yards per game on the ground so far this year, while the Bulldogs feature Isaac Odim and their powerful running game. Something is going to have to give. The Beavers have been surprisingly inept offensively this year, however, so UMD should win this game. Minnesota-Duluth 28 Bemidji State 13.
West Texas A&M (2-1) at Angelo State (2-0)
ASU has a decent all-around team, but WTAMU is not your normal opponent with its arcade-like offense. The Buffs average nearly 600 yards per game of total offense, and unless the Rams can force a bunch of turnovers, WTAMU should win this game. West Texas A&M 40 Angelo State 28.
Henderson State (2-1) at Delta State (2-1)
The Reddies were manhandled by North Alabama, but have played some very good football in the other two games. DSU is primed for a letdown after a big win over Valdosta State last week. This should be a very good game. Delta State 24 Henderson State 23.
Mailbag
[Q] How can a team like Winston-Salem State University (CIAA) return to DII competition, and subsequently beat two FCS schools, on the road no less, in consecutive weeks and "NOT" get any National recognition?
Brian
[A] WSSU is getting some national recognition, as I mentioned the Rams success in my column last week. If you mean recognition in the sense of the polls, there are probably two reasons as to why WSSU is not yet in our top 25.
First of all, the nature of polls is that respect is slow to arrive and slow to disappear. If a team is a traditional power it is likely to stay ranked longer than it should be, while for an up-and-comer (like WSSU), it will take longer to get ranked. That's just human nature at work there.
The other reason poll voters are probably hesitant is the fact that the CIAA is a weak league in football. If WSSU was in the MIAA or GSC and had the two FCS wins, the Rams would probably be ranked by now. That's probably not what you want to hear, but it is the truth.
Contact
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