October 5th, 2010 12:00am
While doing an interview last Saturday on Grand Valley's pre-game radio show, the following question was asked of me: Are there any major surprises so far this season in D-II football?
Of course there isn't much time to mull over a question on live radio, so I went with my first reaction: I stated that no, everything has pretty much gone as expected so far this season.
When I got off the air I had a chance to think the question over a little more thoroughly; to figure out if my answer was correct, or if I was totally overlooking something. I came to the conclusion that it appears to be another year of status quo in D-II.
Now before someone sends me a nasty gram claiming that I'm overlooking their team, I want to make it clear that I do recognize the accomplishments so far of teams like West Virginia Wesleyan (5-0), Colorado State-Pueblo (5-0) and Winston-Salem State (6-0). Those teams are certainly nice stories and are on their way to having surprisingly good seasons.
But since this is a national column, it also has a national perspective. And when I think major surprise in D-II, I'm thinking in these terms: Are there legit national title contenders that have emerged out of nowhere? And have any of the teams that were pegged as national title contenders in the preseason fallen way off?
To answer those two questions, take a look at the top few teams in our poll: Minnesota-Duluth, Grand Valley, North Alabama, Abilene Christian, California, Northwest Missouri State, West Texas A&M, etc. I would say the answer to both questions is decidedly no.
Even if you go back a few years and look at the teams that have reached the national championship game, the only team that I would say was a complete surprise was 2008 champion Minnesota-Duluth. D-II football seems to have quite a tradition of being dominated by the same teams over and over again.
Personally, I don't feel that dominance by just a few schools is good for D-II as a whole, but I have come to accept it as part of life in this division. It is certainly easier for a school to continuously dominate at this level than it is in D-I, simply because there are fewer schools with the resources and the desire to compete at a championship level. It is easy to see why a school like Grand Valley State dominates virtually every team it plays.
On the other hand, there are a few schools that have built great programs without many of those built-in advantages. The best example is Northwest Missouri State. Northwest has two big things going for it when it comes to football: the school is situated in a fairly fertile (by D-II standards) recruiting "triangle" with Omaha to the northwest, Kansas City to the south, and very little D-II presence in Iowa to the northeast. Northwest also enjoys solid support from its state when it comes to dollars for athletics, which is something many other conferences-- the NSIC and PSAC being good examples-- struggle with.
But there are also several reasons why Northwest shouldn't be a powerhouse: The school is just average in size for Division II football and doesn't possess a huge alumni base. The city of Maryville is relatively small. Prior to Mel Tjeerdsma arriving 16 years ago, the school had virtually no football tradition. Northwest had to overcome another football powerhouse (Pittsburg State) just to reach the pinnacle of its own conference. Plus, most of the advantages (recruiting area, funding, etc) Northwest does have are shared by most of the rest of the schools in the MIAA.
I'm sure some will say that the reason Northwest is successful is that they caught lightening in a bottle with the "discovery" of Coach Tjeerdsma. To a certain extent that is true, but it doesn't tell the whole story. At most places, a coach like Tjeerdsma would have left after a championship or two. But Northwest took care of him and his staff financially and made sure it did everything it could to keep him happy. The result is there is so much continuity in the Bearcat football program right now that I don't think much will change after Tjeersdma eventually retires.
People might also say that putting that much emphasis on football at the D-II level isn't worth it. But I look at what the football program has done for Northwest Missouri State. Living in the Kansas City area, I see all of the "Bearcat Paw" logos on cars around town. I hear Mel Tjeerdsma on the local sports talk radio station, which reaches a large audience across the Midwest. Heck, my son brought home a refrigerator football schedule from school one day that had the Kansas City Chiefs, all the local D-I teams and Northwest Missouri State on it. A powerful football program has given Northwest a huge image boost in the eyes of the general public and it could do the same at other schools if they would see the light.
I do understand that building a program like Northwest Missouri State's is not possible at many places in Division II. But wouldn't D-II football be more interesting if there were at least another handful of programs like Northwest's around?
GLVC Growing
As I've mentioned before in this column, GLVC football is on tap for the 2012 season. The league has gained another three schools just this week, with McKendree (a school in transition from the NAIA to D-II) being admitted as a full member of the league, and independents Central State and Urbana being added as associate members in football. The league will have nine teams when it opens play in two years.
Games to Watch this Week
St. Augustine's (4-1) at Winston-Salem State (6-0)
With both teams unbeaten in league play, this game could decide the CIAA's West Division. St. Augustine's has a terrific running back in senior Walter Sanders (700 rushing yards, eight touchdowns so far this year), but WSSU has the advantage everywhere else on the field. Winston-Salem State 31 St. Augustine's 20.
Concord (4-1) at Shepherd (5-0)
I always find interesting the games that pit the traditional power (Shepherd in this case) against the young upstart team trying to prove that it is a contender. Concord is good offensively, but will they have the ball enough to make things happen? Shepherd can eat the clock with its rushing attack against a Mountain Lion defense that is a bit suspect against the run. Shepherd 24 Concord 19.
CSU-Pueblo (5-0) at Colorado Mines (4-1)
With both teams unbeaten in RMAC play, this game will obviously play a big role in the league title race. Mines quarterback Clay Garcia is off to a great start with 1762 passing yards and 21 TD passes already this season. He gives the Orediggers a slight advantage in this one. Colorado Mines 31 CSU-Pueblo 27.
Tuskegee (4-1) at Morehouse (5-0)
Morehouse has been living off turnovers, forcing 21 already this year. Morehouse also has a very good running game, and that combination can make for a tough team to beat. Still, I feel Tuskegee has more talent and if the Golden Tigers can hold on to the football, they should win this game. Tuskegee 27 Morehouse 21.
Midwestern State (5-0) at Abilene Christian (5-0)
Don't let the identical records fool you: ACU has played a much tougher schedule and has been the more impressive team so far this year. That said, MSU does possess one of the top quarterbacks in D-II in Zack Eskridge and a defense good enough to make this a game. I just think the Wildcats are a bit more talented on both sides of the ball. Abilene Christian 24 Midwestern State 21.
Edinboro (4-1) at Slippery Rock (4-1)
Both teams have suffered their only loss at the hands of IUP, and with both still to face California, this could be an early playoff elimination game. Neither team has much offensively but the Scots are especially limited, averaging just 236 yards per game. Slippery Rock 20 Edinboro 13.
Winona State (4-1) at Minnesota-Duluth (5-0)
UMD has obliterated every team it has faced this season, and the Warriors appear to be the only team remaining on UMD's schedule with the talent to slow down the Bulldogs. WSU has a chance, if they can avoid turnovers and get the ground game going with Rayon Simmons (458 rushing yards this year). That said, the Bulldogs are just too tough at home. Minnesota-Duluth 37 Winona State 23.
Mailbag
[Q] Is California for real or will they falter in the playoffs again?
Joe
[A] I'm not sure I would regard three straight trips to the national semifinals as faltering, but obviously the expectations have been raised at Cal. I will address your question in terms of the Vulcans being a true national title contender.
As long as quarterback Josh Portis is healthy, I do believe Cal is good enough offensively to play with anyone in D-II. My question would be on the defensive side of the ball. I know the overall defensive statistics (just 245 yards per game allowed) look good at this point, but the Vulcans haven't and likely won't play anyone with a good enough offense during the regular season to give us a gauge of whether they can stop an offense like Grand Valley or Northwest Missouri State. My gut instinct is that the Vulcans are not good enough defensively to beat those teams, but we shall see.
[Q] Do you think Delta State has returned to elite status?
Marvin
[A] No. The Statesmen can score points, but they are too porous defensively to be considered a national championship contender. Going into Thursday night's game with Arkansas-Monticello, DSU was allowing 407 yards and nearly 31 points per game.
Contact
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