OK, Gang...let's not get ahead of ourselves. No, I'm not back...as much as I would love that to be true, it simply isn't the case.

With that said, since writing my team capsules for GLIAC Football Media Day I have continued to have a few notions or thoughts on the league rattling around my (decidedly deficient) brain. Hey, just because I'm not the week-in/week-out GLIAC Blogger doesn't mean I don't still fixate on this stuff...let alone any less! I had thought about throwing a few thoughts out on the MB, but after hearing that Brandon was still working on finding someone to take this gig regularly I thought I'd share them out here and at least let you folks (my pals) in on my madness.

So, without further adieu here is what I'm watching for in and around the league this year:

Impact of the new Scheduling Format
As many/most of you know by now, the GLIAC has gone to a pod-based scheduling set-up. I had a long-lost piece on the topic that I (for whatever reason) never posted, so I updated and posted it. You can peruse that here. In short, the scheduling across the league should prove to be (at least on the whole) a good amount more balanced with things based on three, five-team pods. While it appears that a few clubs may actually have their slates ease slightly, most teams will notice that their weekly grind through the GLIAC will prove even more difficult. The increased number of important, highly-competitive games will be fun to watch in and of itself. What I will also be eyeing is to see if this impacts the league's ability to get multiple teams into the playoffs. SOS ratings should be good for a lot of teams in this league come November, but I'm also having a hard time believing that anyone will go undefeated. As we have seen in years past getting multiple teams from one league into the bracket gets incrementally harder once those teams start having two and three losses on their records.

Who will win the league?
We've had four title-winners the last four years. Will one of those clubs be at it again, or will the likes of Ferris, Findlay, Saginaw Valley or Tech have anything to say about it?

Impact Players
When I look at some of the QB play and elite RB's this league has, I'm curious to see who will emerge this year with top-flight performances again. Most of the major players at these positions are back again this year, so this really could be a big year for offense in the league. There are some excellent D-Lineman and DB's returning also...can they slow these veteran offenses down?


Team-by-Team

Ashland
I tend to think the Eagles under-achieved a little last year. Anthony Taylor is as good a back as there is (arguably) in the country, and getting Jordan McCune back could help him immensely. The Eagles need to figure out what they'll do at QB (Travis Tarnowski appears to be the front runner for that spot) and how to replace Jamie Meder in the middle of the D-line, but there are enough pieces from a club that lost some close games last year AU could do some damage. In order to do that damage, they'll need to be ready every week as AU's schedule does look a bit tougher than what they faced a year ago.

Ferris
There's little argument that Ferris has what it takes now to win this league. This is particularly true of their all-everything QB Jason VanderLaan. I'll be interested to see if the Bulldogs try to lighten his load a bit this year. He's had more than 500 carries over his first two season, and while there's little arguing that he is a huge, beastly, bulging man (wearing a blue leisure suit) one has to wonder if carrying that much of the load won't catch up with him. If he got hurt, one would have to wonder what that might do to FSU's offensive firepower. I'll be watching to see how they keep him healthy, as well as whether or not the Bulldog defense can become a bit more consistent from week to week.

Findlay
Findlay's schedule is one of the few that actually got a bit easier (at least on paper) for this year. Daquione Ford and Lloyd Henry are back after All-GLIAC performances at RB and WR last year, but can the QB play gain the consistency needed to get the Oilers to the next step?

Grand Valley
If QB Heath Parling is truly healthy, the sky may be the limit for the Laker offense, particularly when you consider that nearly every rushing gained is back. While the second and third levels of the defense have some shuffling and inexperience to overcome, the front may be as deep and talented as GV has had in a while. I'll be interested to see if the Lakers can be ready to go every week, as their schedule features five teams that won eight or more games a year ago and really doesn't have any breathers.

Hillsdale
The Chargers had a losing record last year, but barely...and they were competitive nearly every week. If youngsters Mark LaPrarie and Bennett Lewis can get things rolling for the offense, the defense has enough key pieces back to keep Hillsdale in games. I'll be interested to see if LaPrarie can wind up following the mold of the Nicolet's, Weatherhead's, and the like. He set school passing records for Michigan prep power Rockford, so it's hard to argue that he has the talent required to do so.

Lake Erie
LEC moved the ball like mad last year, and 1500+ yard rusher Anthony Bilal is back to lead the charge. It was a tall order, however, for that prolific offense to overcome a defense that yielded a league worst 43.7 points per game. Will definitely be interested to see if The Storm defense can improve at all.

Malone
First couple of years in the league have been rough for the Pioneers. Their offense took a big step forward a year ago, but the defense struggled. Can Malone continue to show improvements as the enter year three?

Michigan Tech
Watching Tech will be interesting for me this year, simply to see if they can win tough games on the road. They have seniors in the backfield in QB Tyler Scarlett and RB Charlie Leffingwell, so this is the year for them to do it. It seems like the Huskies are nearly always going to post a winning record, but they have a tendency to struggle against key opponents...particularly on the road, and that keeps them from being in the GLIAC Title discussions come November.

Northern Michigan
The Wildcats will have some questions to be answered at QB and some other key spots, but there are so many underclassmen that played last year and gained valuable experience that it should be fun to see if that group continues to develop. NMU was another club that the pod-scheduling actual eased things for heading into this year, so is a .500 season within reach?

Northwood
Coach Riepma brought Northwood out of the shadows and into glory once already. He'll be starting almost from scratch again this year, as the Timberwolves have gone five straight years without posting a winning record. Riepma was known for his "Woodbone" offense in years past...does that re-emerge?

Ohio Dominican
The Panthers' schedule does stiffen a bit this year, so how the increased grind impacts them will be interesting to watch. I'm also eager to find out how they handle being the hunted, which they certainly will be this year. Make no mistake, ODU has a lot of talent coming back...senior QB Mark Miller and his top two receivers will lead the way, as will a defense that returns most of its key contributors.

Saginaw Valley
This might be the team that intrigues me the most entering 2014. When you lose nine starters on offense and five/six on defense, it's tough to know what it is you're going to get in terms of product/output on the field from all of the new personnel. Add to the equation that fact some of the program's all-time greats were part of the departures and the intrigue deepens. Look, I don't think Saginaw will fall off the face of the earth...it's not like Jim Collins doesn't have more talent waiting in the wings...that said, replacing a four-year starter at QB and an NFL draft choice at WR (among other key losses) can't be easy.

Tiffin
Antonio Pipken is gaining experience at QB. Will the rest of the Dragons put together the kind of work needed to support him?

Walsh
The Cavaliers will enjoy the luxury of the return of elite playmaker Anthony Schrock. Will that bolster Walsh's output enough to overcome a defense that gave up over 35 points per game?

Wayne State
The big thing to watch for me year-in and year-out with Wayne seems to be the QB position. The defense is almost always above average (if not elite), and there are usually solid playmakers at RB and WR. From there, getting at least solid QB play has always seemed to be a bit of a struggle. Three guys who started games last year are vying for the position. Will one of them emerge and become strong enough to lead the offense to a better output than last year (last in the league in yards, next to last in scoring).