October 30th, 2012 12:00am
I used to participate quite regularly on our message boards, but as the years have gone by and life gets busier, my time has become too limited to get in to many online debates. As Brandon can attest, some weeks it is a real challenge for me to find the time to research and write a column.
That said; I still try to make time to read the message board a couple of times per week. It is a good way to keep a pulse on topics that may be interesting to fans or even to get leads on interesting information to put in a column. The one thing I have found over the years is that our message board participants tend to be very well informed and in some cases, very well connected.
About a week ago, a person named catbacker07 posted a topic on the message board the topic of whether or not D2 football is watered down. catbacker07 indicated in the post that the question was in response to comments I made about there not being any truly great teams this season. What followed was an interesting debate amongst some of the most respected posters on the message board. If you would like to read their comments or join in the conversation you can do so by following this link.
The watering down of D2 is something I have heard mentioned many times over the years. While the term is a bit vague, I take "watered down" to imply that the division is less competitive and that the top teams are not as good as they were in the past.
It is certainly debatable whether the top teams are as good as they used to be. How would the 2009 Northwest Missouri State championship team compare to the 1998 and 1999 versions or how would the Pittsburg State 2011 championship team compare to the 1991 version? Those are interesting questions and I can see how opinions could go both ways, but I do not think anyone could definitively say that the national championship teams from 10 and 20 years ago are much stronger than they are now.
What I am sure of is that D2 football as a whole is much stronger than it was 15 or 20 years ago. Many teams-- in some cases entire conferences-- made the move from the NAIA to D2 in the 90s. In those days the NAIA was much stronger and even had two divisions for football. Some schools that made the switch to D2-- such as Pittsburg State and Carson-Newman-- were great additions and immediately able to compete with the best teams in this division.
Most teams that made that switch, however, were not. The RMAC, NSIC, WVIAC, SAC and the teams that now make up the GAC moved to D2 in the 90s. Outside of a few notable exceptions, most of the teams in those leagues were not at all ready to compete at the D2 level. It is really remarkable the strides some of these programs have made in the last 10-15 years. There is no question that the overall depth of the division has improved over the last several years because there are simply more quality programs than there used to be.
So if the similarity in the championship teams is at best arguable and there is more depth to the division now, why would there be a perception among so many that D2 is watered down?
I think it has to do with the names of the schools that have left the division rather than how good those teams actually were. A Pittsburg State fan may romanticize about the good old days of battling national power North Dakota State in the playoffs and assume that the play was better at that time because of it. A North Alabama fan remembers the three straight national championships in the mid-90s and the rivalry games against Jacksonville State and Troy State just prior to that time and the perception is that things were better then. Even a Grand Valley State fan remembers the national championship game games and playoff battles against North Dakota from 2001-07 and it is just not the same now.
So when someone says that D2 is watered down, pay close attention to the source. You are most likely to hear such comments from fans of traditional powers or those that have followed this division over a long period of time. You will also hear it from supporters of schools that have recently left for D1. Meanwhile, everyone else is just happy to be climbing the competitive ladder and is elated when their football program can be compared favorably to current powers like Northwest Missouri State or Grand Valley State.
Thoughts from Last Week
-After watching Missouri Western dismantle Emporia State 57-28, I have come to the conclusion that the Griffon offense reminds me of the Minnesota-Duluth national championship teams. The Griffons have an outstanding offensive line and running back Michael Hill compares very favorably to former UMD All-American Isaac Odim. MWSU is not quite as good as those Bulldog teams were defensively, but if the Griffons do reach the playoffs they will be a tough team to deal with.
-The Great American Conference should just name its player of the week award after Henderson State quarterback Kelvin Rodgers. The sophomore won the award for the sixth time this season after throwing for 518 yards in a 44-36 win over Southern Arkansas last week. He has thrown for 3381 yards and 39 touchdowns already this season. The good news for the other offensive players in the conference is that Rodgers and the Reddies (9-0) are off this week.
-Two weeks ago it appeared that it was time to write off Grand Valley State for the 2012 season. But the Lakers (7-2) have now won two straight, including a shockingly easy 42-23 win over a very good Hillsdale team last week. Could the Lakers still reach the playoffs this season?
-East Stroudsburg freshman quarterback Matt Soltes set a PSAC record with 666 yards of total offense (131 rushing, 535 passing) in a 45-37 win over LIU Post on Saturday. As a team, ESU racked up 828 yards of offense.
-The game of the year in the PSAC did not disappoint as Shippensburg (9-0) scored in the final seconds to knock off Bloomsburg (8-1) 49-42 to win the PSAC East title. Red Raider quarterback Zach Zulli now has 3561 passing yards and an incredible 45 touchdown passes this season. He has to be one of the frontrunners for the Harlon Hill Trophy.
-Please keep Lindenwood defensive back Sterling Thomas in your thoughts. He remains hospitalized after suffering a severe spinal cord injury against Missouri Southern on Saturday.
Top Games this Week
Glenville State (5-4) at Shepherd (6-2)
This is a pretty good rivalry with extra interest this year as the winner will wrap up at least a share of the WVIAC title. Plus, the Rams are battling to keep their playoff chances alive. GSC has played solid defense in conference play, but the Rams allow just 39 yards per game on the ground (tops in the country). The Pioneers will have to throw the ball to have a chance and that is not their specialty.
Shepherd 20 Glenville State 10
California (7-2) at Mercyhurst (7-2)
There is much on the line in this game. If Cal wins, they will play Shippensburg in the PSAC title game next week. If Mercyhurst wins, Indiana will represent the PSAC West in the title game (provided that IUP can beat lowly Gannon ). When the Vulcans have struggled to establish a running game they have had trouble winning, but that is not the strength of Mercyhursts defense as they allow 181 yards per game on the ground this season.
California 28 Mercyhurst 21
Albany State (6-3) at Fort Valley State (7-2)
With the SIAC East title and bragging rights on the line between these two rivals, this should be a hard fought game. FVSU has the better offense, but ASU has won five straight games on the strength of a defense that allows just 282 yards per contest.
Albany State 20 Fort Valley State 14
Tuskegee (7-1) at Miles (8-1)
The SIAC West title goes to the winner of this game between the traditional league power (Tuskegee) against a Miles team that just a few years ago was the laughingstock of the conference. Tuskegee has pitched three straight shutouts but will be facing a Miles offense that leads the conference in scoring.
Miles 24 Tuskegee 22
Emporia State (8-1) at Northwest Missouri State (8-1)
In ESUs 57-28 loss to Missouri Western last week it was pretty obvious that the Hornets do not have the physicality to match up with the top teams in the MIAA. The Northwest offense is not as physical as the Missouri Western offense, but the Bearcats harassing defense will make it tough on ESU to move the football.
Northwest Missouri State 38 Emporia State 17
Washburn (7-2) at Missouri Western (8-1)
The Ichabods were embarrassed on Homecoming last week against Northwest Missouri State and I expect them to play much better this week. The problem is that I do not know if they (or any team for that matter) are capable of slowing down the Griffon running game.
Missouri Western 38 Washburn 24
Sioux Falls (8-1) at Minnesota State (9-0)
Neither one of these teams are playing their best football, in fact between the two of them they gave up 76 points last week. I do think MSU is a bit stronger on both sides of the ball but the USF program knows what it takes to win in the big games. I feel this game is almost too close to call.
Minnesota State 27 Sioux Falls 24
New Mexico Highlands (7-2) at CSU-Pueblo (9-0)
NMHUs only D2 loss this season was in the final seconds against Chadron State, so the Cowboys will be a formidable opponent for CSU-Pueblo. Chadron State will also be big Cowboy fans in this one as a NMHU win could create a 3-way tie for the RMAC title. The Thunderwolves have an edge on both sides of the ball, but with so much on the line I expect a good game.
CSU-Pueblo 37 New Mexico Highlands 27
Midwestern State (7-1) at West Texas A&M (8-1)
MSU has recovered nicely from a surprising loss to Tarleton State to open the season, but in my opinion WTAMU is the best team in the LSC. The Buffaloes are solid defensively and quarterback Dustin Vaughans decision making (55 touchdown passes against just 12 interceptions in his two years as a starter) makes WTAMU a tough team to beat.
West Texas A&M 35 Midwestern State 26
Mailbag
[Q] I am a CSU-Pueblo fan and noticed with surprise that despite being number one for the last several weeks in the national polls, CSUP is seeded second in Super Region Four. What or who decides these rankings?
Bill
[A] The national poll is simply a compilation of votes from media around the country. The regional rankings are comprised of such things as strength of schedule, overall win/loss record, in-region record and results against common opponents. Therefore the national poll is based entirely on human input while the regional rankings are based more on raw numbers with limited human input. This is why there are differences. Both methods obviously have their strengths and weaknesses.
Contact Me
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