Silos should get a limited amount of teams into the playoffs

[Buffalo/Islander Alum]

I think the NSIC and MIAA were in the silo boat until Upper Iowa and Lincoln left those conferences this year.

Minnesota-Duluth got a taste of what its like to schedule outside the silo and pick a weak team non conference to hurt their SOS and miss the playoffs with 2 losses.

I think Redwing stated earlier its hard to compare mostly silo teams when it comes regional playoff time and even more frustrating when the silo playoff teams get blown to bits in the playoffs by teams outside their conference.

[Tundra_Man]

I think the NSIC and MIAA were in the silo boat until Upper Iowa and Lincoln left those conferences this year.

Minnesota-Duluth got a taste of what its like to schedule outside the silo and pick a weak team non conference to hurt their SOS and miss the playoffs with 2 losses.

I think Redwing stated earlier its hard to compare mostly silo teams when it comes regional playoff time and even more frustrating when the silo playoff teams get blown to bits in the playoffs by teams outside their conference.

Unfortunately the NSIC will likely become silo again in fall of 2025, as they have agreed to admit Jamestown. Barring another school leaving the conference, that will return the NSIC to an even number of schools (14 football, 16 total.)

I suppose there's a possibility that the NSIC could still arrange their schedules so that each team has an open date every season to allow for non-conference games, but in my opinion that is highly unlikely. Schools like the convenience of not having to go out and find an opponent every year. Fans like non-conference matchups. Administrators, not so much.

At least with a larger conference like the NSIC, a team doesn't play every other team in a single season, which means that the end of the season SOS of each school across the conference isn't identical. That's not as good as having non-conference games, but at least it's better than nothing.