September 6th, 2011 12:00am
I love the first week of the football season. And not just because it has been eight months since a game was last played.
I love it because prognosticators such as my self spend an entire off-season trying to determine who will be good and who won't. The first week of football is my first chance to find out where I may have been right or wrong. It is also a first chance to pick up on teams that may be coming out of nowhere to do something special this season.
One week into this season and three of my four regional favorites-- Grand Valley being the only exception-- have been less than impressive.
Am I entirely back to the drawing board? Not necessarily. I still think Abilene Christian, California, and Delta State could be semifinal contenders by the end of the year. But I'm not as sure about these teams as I was a week ago… and that's what makes it fun.
Random Thoughts from Week One
-New Mexico Highlands won just a single game last season, has a completely overhauled roster and coaching staff and trailed at Eastern New Mexico 28-0 at halftime on Saturday night. Instead of packing it in, the Cowboys dominated ENMU in the second half and overtime, earning a shocking 43-36 OT win. And the Cowboys had to overcome an astounding 25 penalties to pull it off!
-Pittsburg State is back! The Gorillas pounded Missouri Western 34-7, rushing for 312 yards and holding the Griffons to just 191 yards of total offense in the process. D2 football is just more fun with a strong PSU team. I already have the Gorillas' October 1 meeting with Northwest Missouri State at Arrowhead Stadium marked as one of this season's must see games.
-St. Cloud State looked like a machine in thoroughly dominating California 26-3 last week. The Huskies look to be a real threat to Minnesota-Duluth's NSIC supremacy this season.
-The University of Sioux Falls got a rude welcome to D2 play as the Cougars suffered their first home loss in eight years, 33-17 to Washburn. To their credit, USF fought back from a 27-0 first half deficit to make the score look respectable, but WU dominated, out gaining USF by nearly 300 yards. Next up for USF: a trip to Northwest Missouri State. Ouch.
-Abilene Christian did not look like a national championship contender in its 27-24 win over Tarleton State. The Wildcats had to overcome 14 penalties and scored 10 points in the final 6:15 to come away with the win. ACU has this week off before a huge game against North Alabama at Cowboys Stadium on the 17th.
-I'm not sure if Michigan Tech's 23-6 road win over Winona State means that the Huskies are much better than expected or the Warriors are much worse. I really expected WSU to be a factor in the NSIC this season, but they were unable to do anything offensively against MTU.
-The PSAC went just 7-7 in D2 non-conference play this year, after going 18-10 over the previous two seasons combined. This also comes on the heels of a season in which a PSAC team did not win the region for the first time since realignment in 2004. I thought removing the scholarship restrictions would improve this league immensely in relation to the other conferences in Super Region One, but that does not appear to be happening.
Deregulation Coming to Division II Recruiting?
The Division II Presidents Council voted last month to sponsor legislation that would radically change the recruiting rules in this division. The legislation will be voted upon by the D2 membership at NCAA convention in January.
Right now the magic date in D2 recruiting is June 15 prior to the recruit's senior year of high school. After that date, coaches can make three in-person off campus visits, can make one phone call per week, and start emailing and sending faxes to recruiting prospects.
The new legislation would change everything. It would not only allow contacts with recruits a full year earlier (June 15 prior to junior year of high school), but also place no limits on the number of phone calls or in-person visits. It would also allow text messages or instant messages to start taking place on that date.
I think this potential change is great. Usually large bureaucracies like the NCAA tend to add rules on top of rules, so this is a refreshing change. This is D2's way of saying we think our schools are doing things the right way so let's reduce needless oversight.
Of course a change that opens up communication with recruits this much has the potential to be abused by some. But I think it's more likely that the abusers will alienate recruits and weed themselves out of the process. Plus, any coach that would take communication to the level where it becomes an irritant to potential recruits probably would have a tendency to bend the existing rules anyway.
As far as direct effects on D2 football, I don't think earlier recruiting contact would mean that D2 schools will suddenly be able to land a higher caliber of athlete. D2 coaches could start contacting kids in junior high and the best athletes are still going to go to Division I schools. There is an obvious pecking order in recruiting.
But what I think this will do is lead to better relationships and decision making in recruiting. What I mean is that by more frequent and earlier contact, both the coach and the recruit have more time and contact to figure out if it is a good fit for both parties. Many D2 schools tend to sign large classes with a last minute recruiting rush in January. I think this leads to some of the high attrition rates we see in D2 football. Hopefully a longer recruiting process will help in that regard.
Top Games this Week
Kutztown (1-0) at Mercyhurst (1-0)
This is a match up of two 2010 playoff teams that both carry high expectations into this season. Kutztown had 697 yards of offense in a 56-30 win at St. Anselm last week while Mercyhurst struggled to an OT win over Notre Dame College. KU quarterback Kevin Morton is developing into one of the top signal callers in D2 and I think he will help his team outscore the Lakers. Kutztown 35 Mercyhurst 31.
Central Washington (0-1) at Humboldt State (1-0)
HSU had dropped 16 consecutive games to the Wildcats until knocking them off 25-24 in their first meeting last season (CWU got revenge, winning the second game 26-18). Robb Smith has done a great job rebuilding the Lumberjack program and another win over the Wildcats might signify a changing of the guard in GNAC football. Humboldt State 24 Central Washington 20.
Bemidji State (1-0) at Augustana (0-1)
Augustana needs to regroup after a 20-12 loss to top-ranked Minnesota-Duluth last weekend. It won't be easy with a very solid Bemidji State team coming to town. The Beavers will also have had 16 days to get ready for this game. The Vikings have a bit more talent on offense, and that should be the difference. Augustana 24 Bemidji State 16.
Wingate (0-1) at Albany State (1-0)
This is a rematch of last year's playoff game won by ASU. Wingate is coming off an overtime loss to Valdosta State and can't afford a second loss going into conference play. Both teams sport quarterbacks (Stanley Jennings for ASU and Cody Haffly for Wingate) that are among the top in all of D2. This should be a great game. Wingate 24 Albany State 21.
Delta State (1-1) at Fort Valley State (0-1)
Don't let the records deceive you… both of these teams' losses are at the hands of FCS opponents. The Statesmen have not gotten untracked offensively yet this season after finishing near the top of D2 in total offense last year. FVSU is very solid defensively and will give DSU a run for its money. Delta State 28 Fort Valley State 17.
Henderson State (0-1) at Harding (1-0)
These are two of the three teams (Ouachita Baptist being the other) that I have pegged as favorites in the GAC. HSU has won three of the last four games in this series, but Harding was very impressive in scoring 63 points last week. I give the Bisons the edge. Harding 31 Henderson State 27.
Winston-Salem State (1-0) at Virginia Union (2-0)
VUU has pitched a pair of shutouts this season, but the WSSU offense should be among the best in the CIAA. Something will have to give. Winston-Salem State 17 Virginia Union 14.
Grand Valley (1-0) at Hillsdale (0-1)
Hillsdale has become GVSU's biggest nemesis in the GLIAC. The Chargers ended GV's 45-game league winning streak in 2009 and should have beaten the Lakers again last season if not for a mistake in running out the clock. Unfortunately for Hillsdale, the Lakers are a much improved team and the Chargers' 20-17 loss to Ferris State last week doesn't give me much confidence that they can hang with the Lakers again. Grand Valley 34 Hillsdale 20.
Mailbag
[Q] As an alum of an Arkansas GAC school, I was pretty disappointed to see them leave the GSC, but I understand why. With the GAC not getting an automatic berth and no GAC school in the preseason Top 25, should there be any high expectations for any GAC school this year, especially any Arkansas school? And if so what will region realignment do to any playoff hopes?
Darren
[A] As I just mentioned in the game previews, I feel Henderson State, Harding and Ouachita Baptist are the teams to beat in this conference this year. I feel its 50-50 that one of those three gets into the playoffs, but it would take a perfect storm for more than one GAC team to reach the postseason. The region is tough with the MIAA and LSC involved so I don't think a GAC team has the potential to go very far in the playoffs, if someone from the league makes it.
When the regions shift next year, the GAC will still be in a region with the MIAA and the NSIC, so it may get even more difficult when you consider that GAC teams will potentially have to tangle with programs like Minnesota-Duluth and Northwest Missouri State every year in the postseason. I'm not saying it will be impossible for GAC programs to compete, but it won't be an overnight process based on the current state of the best GAC programs in comparison to best in D2.
Contact Me
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