October 19th, 2010 12:00am
Despite the fact that 2008 Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs were just the third team in the history of the division to go 15-0 and trailed on the scoreboard for just three minutes over the entire course of the season, I'm guessing most people would not rank that team among their top five or even ten to ever play D-II football. For this reason, the '08 Bulldogs have to be among the most underrated teams in D-II history.
That Bulldog team had a quarterback that was a dual threat, explosive skill position players, and a physical, disciplined defense. But the real secret to UMD's complete domination of the 2008 season was this: they had the luxury of starting the same 22 players on offense and defense for all 15 games.
Why do I bring all of this up midway through the 2010 season? Because the 2010 version of the Bulldogs appeared to be headed down a similar path; through seven games UMD has been the most dominant team in the country.
But the 2010 Bulldogs will not have the luxury of rolling out the same lineup every week as we get into the playoffs. In fact, they will have to finish the season without the services of their-- and quite possible the nation's-- best player: senior running back Isaac Odim. Odim was lost to a season-ending knee injury in a non-contact drill in practice late last week.
Clearly, Odim's loss didn't affect the team much last week. UMD has a terrific backup in senior Brad Foss, who rushed for 121 yards and three touchdowns as the Bulldogs waxed the University of Mary, 49-0. The Bulldogs should cruise through the rest of the regular season just fine without Odim.
But UMD's goal is another national championship, and losing Odim's big play ability could be a major factor against teams like Grand Valley State or Northwest Missouri State in the playoffs.
To make matters worse, it was just revealed this week that the Bulldogs' best defensive player-- senior linebacker Robbie Aurich-- was arrested a couple of weeks ago after a run-in with police. Aurich is still on the team, but has been stripped of his captaincy by head coach Bob Nielson. This is another potential area of distraction that could affect the team as it heads to the postseason.
Despite all of this, I'm not ready to remove UMD as a favorite to win it all. Nielson is too good of a coach and this team has too much talent to not be a major factor in the playoffs. But if the Bulldogs do end up hoisting the championship trophy once again this season, they will have definitely overcome some obstacles along the way.
Regional Rankings
Many emails have come in to me about the absence of the regional rankings. The D-II Football Committee will not release the initial rankings until the week of November 1st. This means that there will be just two sets of rankings out before the playoff field is announced on November 14th.
I think this is a very positive change simply because of the wild fluctuations that take place in the rankings when they were released earlier in the year. From reviewing the selection criteria, it appears that the ranking system is very similar to what we have had for the past several years.
Top Games this Week
California (7-0) at Mercyhurst (5-2)
The Lakers are a strong defensive team and should get a boost from playing just their second home game of the season. But once again, California is a different animal from the other teams in the PSAC. The Vulcans just have too much talent overall for Mercyhurst. California 31 Mercyhurst 16.
Hillsdale (6-1) at Wayne State (5-2)
WSU appears to be surviving the post Joique Bell area quite nicely, as they have a very balanced offense. But WSU has also give up 917 yards of offense combined over the past two weeks. That's not a good way to go into this game against a Hillsdale team that features the second leading rusher in the country (Joe Glendening) and second best passer by efficiency rating in the country (Troy Weatherhead). Hillsdale 33 Wayne State 24.
Shepherd (7-0) at West Liberty (4-2)
Can Shepherd run the football against a WLU defense that allows just 80 yards per game on the ground? That will be the key factor going into this game. If the Rams can run the ball, they will control the game and keep the Hilltopper offense standing on the sidelines. If they cannot, Zach Amedro and company will have a good shot of putting more than 40 points on the board for a sixth straight game. West Liberty 35 Shepherd 28.
UNC-Pembroke (5-2) at Winston-Salem State (7-1)
This game features the number one (UNCP) and four (WSSU) defenses in the country in terms of total defense, so this should be a pretty hard fought game. The Braves have been a disappointment so far this year offensively, but I think they will have just enough to beat the Rams in a game that could decide the playoff fates for both teams. UNC-Pembroke 19 Winston-Salem State 16.
Grand Valley (7-0) at Ferris State (5-2)
This game gets passing interest because of its rivalry status and the fact that FSU is 5-2. But if you dig a little deeper, you'll find that FSU's five wins are against teams that are a combined 6-28. The Lakers will roll. Grand Valley 38 Ferris State 14.
Albany State (7-0) at Morehouse (6-1)
Both teams are good defensively and can run the football. But ASU has Stanley Jennings at quarterback, and all he does is lead the nation in passing efficiency. Even on the road, ASU's more diverse offense will be too much for the Maroon Tigers. Albany State 30 Morehouse 17.
Humboldt State (6-1) at Central Washington (5-3)
The combined four losses by these two teams doesn't look that great on paper, until you dig in and discover that each team has a close loss to a good D-I FCS team, CWU has a loss to top-ranked Minnesota-Duluth, and HSU beat CWU by one point three weeks ago. As great a job as Rob Smith has done in turning around the Lumberjacks, I think the Wildcats get revenge this time around. Central Washington 21 Humboldt State 17.
C.W. Post (5-2) at Kutztown (7-0)
This week is entering uncharted territory for Kutztown, as the Golden Bears have an opportunity to set a school record for wins in a season. Both teams are unbeaten in the PSAC East, so this game is obviously huge for other reasons as well. I will give a slight edge to KU playing at home; the Golden Bears are a bit stronger offensively and seem to have the karma of a dream season going for them. Kutztown 31 C.W. Post 30.
Midwestern State (6-1) at West Texas A&M (5-2)
With both teams still having games against Top-10 teams later this season, this week's match up is getting close to falling into the must win category for each squad. Both teams are very explosive offensively, so it will probably come down to which team does the best job of avoiding the big mistake. I will take the Buffaloes at home. West Texas 37 Midwestern State 34.
Mailbag
[Q] I know you talked in your column (two weeks ago) about more teams becoming great programs. In your opinion which program is the biggest overachiever?
Rick
[A] The answer to that question is easy for me: Chadron State. CSC is a small school in a small town in a remote location (western Nebraska), and yet the Eagles have had a very good program capable of (at times) playing with the best programs in this division.
I know most people probably equate the Eagles with Danny Woodhead and assume that he was responsible for all of the program's success. But since moving to D-II in 1992, CSC has had just one losing season and made seven playoff appearances. Much of that success is credit to the fine coaching jobs done by Brad Smith (1987-2004) and Bill O'Boyle (2005-present).
Contact
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