Tell us a bit about your conference

[boyblue]

Re: Tell us a bit about your conference

From a national perspective, the MIAA has two members, Northwest Missouri State and Pittsburg State. Between us we've been in 12 of the past 20 championships, winning 7 of them. We're in the midwest. We used to get a Bye in the playoffs being paired up with the LSC, but now have to play Grand Valley State. Our league took a year off last year to focus on academics and facility improvements. We have associate members in the conference that field teams during the regular season.

Any chance the MIAA will ever allow one OOC game?

[zimmy21]

Re: Tell us a bit about your conference

Any chance the MIAA will ever allow one OOC game?

Maybe if teams keep jumping ship to be somewhat competitive elsewhere

[Cat N Mav]

Re: Tell us a bit about your conference

Any chance the MIAA will ever allow one OOC game?

Only if we grow or get smaller. It sure helped with the numbers because the league won an overwhelming majority of the OOC games. Our former bottom dwellers are doing well in their new conferences, and the teams that used to be highly competitive in their former leagues have become lower tiered teams in the MIAA.

[Predatory Primates]

Re: Tell us a bit about your conference

A mowest fan called the MIAA "a circular firing squad" today. That pretty much says it all.

[Predatory Primates]

Re: Tell us a bit about your conference

Maybe if teams keep jumping ship to be somewhat competitive elsewhere

NSU wants to but they can't afford the buyout yet. I could see MoSo fleeing as well.

[walnut100]

Re: Tell us a bit about your conference

• The GAC was founded in 2011 from former members of the GSC and LSC
• GAC is a Region 3 Conference
• It has 12 members from the states of Arkansas and Oklahoma, two of which were add-ons from NAIA in 2012
• It has had three conference champions since its inception, all from the state of Arkansas, Henderson State with 3, Ouachita Baptist with 3 (the 2011 one was won by a bit of technicality so it's a bit of an asterisk), and Harding once.
• Those same three teams have had playoff appearances multiple times since conference inception, with Harding making the deepest run to date being Harding going all the way to the semi-finals vs TAMU-Commerce last year. Henderson and Ouachita have also had some competitive games in the past few years
• The balance of power in the conference currently favors the Arkansas schools but most of the Oklahoma schools have made huge strides in their programs to catch up and make games more competitive
• Every single founding member of this conference was considered a cupcake school in their old one but the programs have all improved dramatically and are much more competitive on the field than in the older days.
• As for this year's outlook, the teams to watch if you're an outsider trying to get familiar with the GAC before playoffs time are Ouachita, Harding and Southern Arkansas. All three are currently in the top 25 and appear to be the best teams in the conference this year

[cwfenn]

Re: Tell us a bit about your conference

I think most of the DII schools can be described as small to Medium. How is the high school football in your region? There are a lot of DI conferences that overlap the GSC footprint but there are so many Great high school football programs in the southeast that we're still able to get pretty good talent, maybe that's not the case in your neck of the woods?

High school football in New England is not at nearly as high a level as in other regions - I would argue it might be the weakest among the major geographical regions. Growing up in CT I know that the best high school teams I've seen wouldn't come close to the best teams in PA (where I live now) with a few exceptions (look up Dwight Freeney's and Jordan Reed's high school coach, Jack Cochran - he ran his teams like an NFL program). The only college team of any consequence in New England is Boston College, and they have not fared well since joining the ACC. UConn desperately wants to matter, but they're a basketball school.

The best teams in the NE10 will typically have a significant number of players from outside of the region (LIU-Post with mostly NY-based players, Assumption with players from all over, and New Haven with most of their players from NY and NJ). Even Stonehill, who was competitive in recent years, went to PA to get a QB.

[Predatory Primates]

Re: Tell us a bit about your conference

The MIAA recruits locally [ks, mo, neb,iowa,oklahoma, ar] lots of players coming from the kc, st louis, omaha, and Tulsa areas.

Nearly everyone also has Texas players and some Florida guys on their rosters. There are also a few jucos from ks to ga to detroit, to az, to cali on most teams.

There are also some 4 year guys from other places spread around the country. The established programs tend to have coaching trees with ties that may point out a really good out of area player or 2 who would do well in d2.

[Predatory Primates]

Re: Tell us a bit about your conference

https://pittstategorillas.com/roster.aspx?path=football

Pitt's roster as an example. Mostly local to the 4 states (ks,mo,ok,ar) but others from a variety of places.

[wscsuperfan]

Re: Tell us a bit about your conference

Isn't the CIAA like one of the oldest conferences in the NCAA regardless of division? And I don't think the SIAC is far behind.

RMAC was founded in 1909

[wscsuperfan]

Re: Tell us a bit about your conference

It must be nice to have so many teams for football. The GSC has 13 schools but only 7 have football programs. If it weren't for a couple affiliates and instate rivals GSC teams would have a difficult time filling their schedules.

NSIC requires all members to sponsor football

[boyblue]

Re: Tell us a bit about your conference

How many DII conferences play exclusively conference games

[laker]

Re: Tell us a bit about your conference

How many DII conferences play exclusively conference games

NSIC does.

[Ian Carlson]

Re: Tell us a bit about your conference

How many DII conferences play exclusively conference games

I believe only three, and up until last year they were all in the same region. As laker said, the NSIC does in SR4, while the GAC and the MIAA do in SR3.

That needs to change.

[boyblue]

Re: Tell us a bit about your conference

I believe only three, and up until last year they were all in the same region. As laker said, the NSIC does in SR4, while the GAC and the MIAA do in SR3.

That needs to change.

Any chance it will change. Do they gain any advantage as it relates to the playoffs?