There comes a time in a suspenseful movie where a masked marauder playing as a main character is revealed. As your informal blogger for a year, I thoroughly enjoyed spending time covering the season and its many twists and turns. The CIAA certainly deserves quality coverage and I hope to continue to provide that same or better insightful coverage from week to week just like our venerable SR1 cast mates Chuck and Paul.

Now that we have exchanged pleasantries: welcome to the 2016 edition of CIAA Football. Make no mistake, this is an entertaining league with an improving football product. My first blog entry is dedicated to preseason expectations. Here is my expected finishing order from bottom to top.First, these six teams are not expected to be in the running for the championship.

The Falcons had the fourth worst scoring offense in all of Division II last year. The team faced a lot of off the field issues and lacked talent to meaningfully compete.

Bright spot: Rising sophomore Defensive Back Darius Cole had five interceptions last year. First year head coach Tim Chavous brought in two assistants who really know the conference in former ECSU Offensive Coordinator Alvin Parker and former WSSU assistant Jason Mai. Smart hires.

Not so bright spot: So we are breaking in a new head coach and trying to build up the roster. What does the athletic department do? Schedule arguably the toughest non-conference schedule any CIAA school has seen in recent years (against Division I MEAC Co-Champs NC A&T and NC Central) and Carson-Newman. WHYYYYYYYY?

Trajectory: Par

11: Lincoln Lions

The skinny: Lincoln (I mean THE Lincoln) won three games last season, tying their record for the best finish since reinstating football.
Scott led the conference in rushing yards. On defense, Lincoln returns three of their top four tacklers and their linebacker core is two of the three.

Not so bright spot: The Lions only had one passing touchdown last year and that has to improve to keep defenses honest about
Scott.Yikes!

Trajectory: Par

10. Livingstone Blue Bears

The skinny: Livingstone had its most successful season since winning the CIAA Championship back in 1998. The Blue Bears have reached a critical junction in their climb to the top with star QB Drew Powell and WR Jalen Hendricks both exhausting eligibility.Now that I think of it, Livingstone lost their top three scorers from last season: Powell, Hendricks, and Kicker Leonardo Manzo.

Bright spot: Sophomore Defensive Lineman Armond Cox is a terror on defense. Livingstone historically always has that one guy on defense that really stands out, but Cox is a player who can be a game breaker for the Blue Bears. Starting tailback Jarius Richardson also returns.

Not so bright spot: Simply put, Livingstone has a lot of offense to replace.A lot.

Trajectory: Down

9. Shaw Bears

The skinny: They are the equivalent of that high level executive that has lost their job and fallen on hard times. You know they are going to make a comeback.

Bright spot: The administration made a good move in bringing in Adrian Jones as head coach.Jones is coach who has had success in FCS, the CIAA, and high school action. Leading WR Trevante Long returns.Shaw always seems to have a stud in the secondary, and Bruce Parker looks to continue that legacy.

Not so bright spot: This is an extremely young team with 33 freshmen among its roster, some of which will be expected to fill in key roles. Growing pains are likely.

Trajectory: Things are looking up.

8. Elizabeth City State Vikings

The skinny: The Mighty Viking ship had been taken on a lot of water lately, both on and off the field. Budget cuts, falling enrollment, and highly questionable managerial decisions have all plagued the football club (More on that in a second).

Bright spot: QB Daquan Neal is electric to watch. Neal seemed to be finding his groove late in the season, and that should bode well going forward. Welcome back RB Petey Boone! The secondary has some experience with Malcolm Cherry and Solomon Radcliffe minding the pass defense.
Enter Ernest Wilson.Yes, formerly of the we-never-moved-out-of-the-basement Savannah State. Exactly how is that an improvement? Question marks exist at defense, with their five top tacklers graduating, including stud lineman Stephen Williams. WR is also questionable as the leading two receivers have graduated.

Trajectory: Par

7. Johnson C. Smith Golden Bulls

The skinny: JCSU is a club that never really can get through the proverbial glass ceiling. The tools are there: a great location, some money for scholarships, and a weakened division. Yet, the coaching has always let them down. Right?

Bright spot: DB Carlo Thomas. I would just end it there because what he singlehandedly did last year was put the Golden Bulls on his back. Carlo led Division II in interceptions and really put JCSU in short field positions. That took some pressure off the passing game.

Not so bright spot: Look for Jordan Lane to take reign this year. The offensive line is a porous unit though, so Lane might be running around a bit. JCSU is likely to struggle with the run too. Depth still looks to be an issue. Losing CIAA POY Austin Jacques does not help either.

Trajectory: Par (although I do have them higher than the Coaches do).