11. West Virginia State (0-11, 0-10)A quick look at 2014: 10. Virginia-Wise (2-9, 2-7)
A quick look at 2014: Most of the linemen return on both sides of the ball so the continuity will help if they can get a little stronger. They need one of their three quarterbacks to take command of the offense and they need a replacement for star receiver James Long. UVA-Wise has some of the best athletic facilities in the MEC so it will be interesting to see if they can recruit the talent they need to contend for the conference championship.

9. Fairmont State (3-7, 2-7)A quick look at 2014:8. West Liberty (3-8, 3-6)

West Liberty won their first two conference games but the season hit a major skid after September. The Hilltoppers earned just a single win over the last eight weeks of the season. Offensively, West Liberty finished 10th in the MEC in scoring and total offense, which led to the departure of veteran offensive coordinator Gary Krol. Not long ago, West Liberty had one of the best passing offenses in the county, but in the 2013 they had only 8 passing touchdowns.

A quick look at 2014: 7. Notre Dame (5-6, 4-6)

A year ago, Notre Dame won only two conference games and both were over other GLIAC newbies Walsh and Malone. This year they won four conference games in the MEC and were generally more competitive. The Falcons were a play away from another victory in week 4 but lost by two points at Charleston when the Eagles kicked a field goal on the last play of the game. A victory there would have put them over .500 by the end of the season.

A quick look at 2014: Standout running back Pedro Powell will graduate and not many guys behind him saw many carries. Ray Russ will be back at QB to lead a passing attack that was pretty good However, the top two receivers will move on. The defense needs to improve but with several top tacklers returning, they should better.

6. West Virginia Wesleyan (5-5, 5-4)

Wesleyan contested only nine D2 games in 2013 and all were against MEC opponents. The Bobcats suffered lopsided losses to Shepherd and Concord but otherwise competed very well. They went toe to toe with NDC and Glenville in the other two losses and they closed out the year with three straight wins including an upset of Urbana in the finale. The Bobcats were excellent in passing offense, but not so good running the ball. Conversely, the defense was very adept at stopping the run, but not as good in pass defense.

A quick look at 2014:5. Glenville State (6-5, 5-4)A quick look at 2014: The Pioneers will lose a pretty large senior class but a solid core will return. All-MEC running back Rahmann Lee was just a freshman and the quarterback position should be more settled next year with Sean Steele returning. If the defense can be just as solid next year, the offense should be more mature and the Pioneers could be a few spots closer to the top of the standings.

4. Charleston (6-5, 5-3)

Charleston had a solid defense that was in the top 3 of the MEC in every team category. The offense, unfortunately, was not as consistent. In their six victories, the Eagles averaged 31 points per game, but in five losses, they averaged only 11 points per contest. The passing game was reasonably efficient, but was good for only 113 yards per game, which was in the bottom 10 in all of Division II. The running game was pretty good but needed to be better considering the lack of productivity throwing the ball.

A quick look at 2014:3. Urbana (7-4, 7-2)

Urbana was one of the new guys in this group of teams, but they did not struggle to acclimate. A 7-2 conference record against an entirely new schedule is a pretty impressive debut. The unexpected loss to Wesleyan kept them from finishing in second place, but they did beat Concord on the field, came within a touchdown of Shepherd and very nearly upset FCS member Southeast Missouri. The Blue Knights had the best passing offense in the MEC and standout QB DJ Mendenhall was named offensive player of the year. He was also a Harlon Hill Trophy candidate.

A quick look at 2014: Urbana loses quite a few senior standouts so 2014 may not be their year to challenge for the conference title. However, they look like a very good fit for the conference and should be a contender as they continue to build up the program.

2. Concord (8-3, 7-2)A quick look at 2014: The team that Garin Justice has coming back next year looks good. Not as good looking as his wife, but good. Seriously though, Concord might be the preseason pick to win the MEC next year. They had only a handful of seniors on the roster in 2013 and will return 18 starters. They have a few defensive standouts to replace, but as a unit they retain a lot of talent. They need to improve in the passing game which was upside down in the TD-INT ratio by nearly 2 to 1, but starting QB Brian Novak was just a redshirt freshman.

1. Shepherd (11-1, 9-0)A quick look at 2014: They lose some key players, especially on defense but until someone beats them, they are the preseason pick to win it again.

So there is the final run down on the MEC season. Add some of your own commentary below, if you wish. Are there some sleeper teams in the mix that could contend for the title next year? Who are some of your players to watch for offensive and defensive players of the year?

Questions, Comments? Leave them here or email me at [email protected]