August 31st, 2010 12:00am
Where has the summer gone? It seems like just yesterday I was busy following spring practice and now I find myself scrambling to crank out my first column of the season a bit later than the boss would like (Sorry Brandon!).
This past off-season has actually been a very entertaining one to follow in Division II, with conference shakeups and a major schedule change being two of the top issues.
But I think one of the most interesting stories going on right now is what's happening at St. Cloud State. SCSU President Earl H. Potter III announced about two weeks ago that the school is considering dropping football due to major budget concerns.
A little background on St. Cloud State: the school is the largest in the NSIC and one of the largest D-II football playing schools in the country. The Huskies have never been a football powerhouse, but have winning records in six of their last eight seasons. The school has a strong overall athletic program with over 20 sports, including D-I men's and women's ice hockey. SCSU also sports a modern football stadium that was built in 2004.
But despite the successes, the school also has some unique struggles when it comes to football. SCSU is just an hour from the Twin Cities, making it somewhat of a suitcase college. Hockey is really the only support on campus that receives much fan support and embarrassingly, D-III St. John's just down the road basically doubles the much larger SCSU in football attendance.
To try to cure the $500,000 annual deficit the athletic department is running, Potter's three money saving proposals are to 1) cut football, 2) cut football and three other sports, or 3) cut eight minor sports.
Further complicating matters is that the NSIC has a core sports requirement which includes football. The conference is having meetings on September 20th where its Presidents will essentially vote on SCSU's request to stay in the conference minus football. If the league refuses to allow SCSU in the league without football, it either must keep the sport or find a new conference.
I hate to see schools even get to the point where they consider dropping football, but I will give the SCSU administration some credit for at least allowing some dialogue to take place on the matter and for giving some forewarning about what may happen. Remember when Western Washington dropped the sport without notice a couple of years ago? That is the cowardly way to go about it.
No matter what happens, boosters and possibly even the student body (a referendum to increase student fees to cover the athletic deficit appears to be gaining traction) will apparently have a chance to pony up the money to save the program. My hope is that this situation will create enough urgency amongst boosters and the student body to solve the budget situation and retain all the sports on campus.
With 16 starters returning to a team that went 7-4 last year, St. Cloud State has an excellent chance to make the playoffs this fall. It would be sad if a season that could potentially be among the school's best ends up being its last.
Division II Football Schedule gets Pushed Back
The NCAA has decided to push back the entire Division II football schedule one week, starting with this season. What that means is the first permissible game date will become the Thursday before Labor Day instead of the week previous. There are still some games being played earlier this year, but only because the lateness of the rule change caused too many scheduling problems this season.
The reason for the date change was simple: It saves schools a lot of money by pushing back the first fall practice a week. It's one less week each school needs to have its facilities open to house an entire football team. In these tough economic times, I get why college presidents were very interested in seeing this change take place.
But, I believe the changed calendar hurts Division II in a couple of ways. First, opening up the season a week before everyone else gave the division a weekend when it was the only game in town. And since D-II teams were the only ones in the NCAA that could play that weekend, it forced them to play each other. This created some fun out-of-conference match ups that in the future may be replaced by games against D-III or FCS schools on Labor Day weekend.
The other problem is that pushing back the season a week also pushes the national championship game back a week. In the past, the D-II title game has generally fallen on the second Saturday in December. This is the weekend after many of the major D-I conferences have their league title games and the weekend before the FCS and D-III championship games and the start of the FBS bowl season. Again, it was a weekend D-II enjoyed a great deal of attention in the college football world and the solid TV ratings that our national championship game has enjoyed in the past would seem to back that up.
Random Thoughts on the Opening Weekend
-Our two preseason All-America selections at running back-- Minnesota-Duluth's Isaac Odim and Mars Hill's Jonas Randolph-- combined for just 95 rushing yards on 40 carries last weekend. Ouch.
-Minnesota-Duluth's 35-10 road win over Central Washington was impressive, albeit a bit misleading. The game was closer than the score would indicate and I feel both of these teams have a chance to be very good this season.
-Despite Odim's rough game, the Minnesota-Duluth coaching staff has to very encouraged that they have found a way to get standout receiver D.J. Winfield (seven receptions for 164 yards and a touchdown) involved in the offense again. After an outstanding freshman season during UMD's national championship run in 2008, Winfield rarely saw the ball last season. But sophomore quarterback Chase Vogler looked much more comfortable throwing the ball on Saturday than he did last year and if he and Winfield can continue to develop some chemistry, the Bulldog offense will be tough to stop.
-Washburn's 34-29 win over Colorado Mines may have some people thinking the Ichabods are overrated, but just like the UMD-CWU game, the score of this one was misleading. WU had 611 yards of offense and limited Mines to just nine rushing yards, which means this game shouldn't have been close. We'll find out a lot more about the Ichabods after they play Abilene Christian on Saturday night.
-I don't care how inexperienced Carson-Newman is; Winona State deserves a great deal of credit for going on the road and knocking off the Eagles for a second consecutive season. Whether either of these teams is playoff caliber is yet to be determined, but irregardless this is an impressive win for the Warriors.
-Shepherd's 35-27 win over defending PSAC champ Shippensburg should serve notice to the rest of the WVIAC that the Rams are back in the title hunt this season.
-Our pick to win the SAC (Wingate) struggled badly in a 10-7 win over West Georgia on Saturday. Are the Bulldogs overrated or has UWG finally started to play some football this season? Stay tuned.
Storylines to Watch in 2010
Can Northwest Missouri State repeat as National Champs? I believe the Bearcats are the heaviest preseason favorite we have seen since Grand Valley State in 2002. Northwest needs to find five new starters on defense, but with nine offensive starters returning to a team that was second in the country in scoring last year, the 'Cats should be able to outscore every team it plays all season. About the only thing that could derail another championship season is if the injury bug bites at key positions.
Can Grand Valley State maintain its dominance in 2010? The Lakers will have a new head coach (Matt Mitchell), a new quarterback (Eastern Michigan transfer Kyle McMahon), and they lost their top defensive player (Danny Richard) to a season-ending injury in fall camp. On the surface, this may seem like the season where GVSU slips back to the pack a bit. But if you dig further, you will find that the Lakers are still loaded defensively and have a great offensive line. With so much talent in the program, look for Mitchell to find the skill guys to once again field one of the best teams in the country.
Who will emerge as the favorite in Super Region Two? Defending region champion Carson-Newman returns just six starters from last year's team so the Eagles are rebuilding. So is North Alabama, who returns just five starters last year. Normally Valdosta State and Delta State are in the mix, but both teams struggled in 2009. Could this be the year where a team like West Alabama or even Wingate (18 returning starters) makes a run at the national semifinals? Your guess is as good as mine.
Will California finally get over the hump and reach the national championship game? The Vulcans have dominated in Super Region One recently, but have lost three straight times in the semifinal round. Cal returns a tremendous player in senior quarterback Josh Portis and coach John Luckhardt believes this is the most talented overall team he has had in his tenure at Cal. I like California's chances of advancing to the big game this season.
How will the rebuilding process go at Pittsburg State? The Gorillas suffered through their first losing season in 31 years last fall and new head coach Tim Beck will have a number of new players in key roles this year. My feeling is that 2010 could be a struggle, but with the tradition at the school and Beck's focus on getting more athletic, it won't take long for the Gorillas to be back among the elite programs in the division.
Games of National Significance this Week
Thursday Night
West Texas A&M at Grand Valley
TV: CBS College Sports at 8 PM Eastern
The Lakers traveled to West Texas last season and handled the Buffaloes rather easily on their home turf. But this WTAMU team is more experienced and with the Lakers' inexperience at the skill positions, the Buffaloes could potentially make this a game. Still, the Lakers' defense and offensive line will insure that they prevail at home. Grand Valley 28 West Texas A&M 17.
Texas A&M-Kingsville at Northwest Missouri
Would you believe that the Bearcats have lost their season opener each of the last three seasons? Northwest has traditionally been a slow starting team that builds as the season goes on. But the Javelinas just aren't strong enough defensively to win this game. Northwest Missouri State 38 Texas A&M-Kingsville 17.
Saturday
California at Saginaw Valley
The Cardinals traveled to Cal and knocked off the Vulcans in the season opener last season, a game that catapulted SVSU to a spot in the playoffs. Have to give a slight edge to Josh Portis and the Cal offense in this one, but it would not surprise me one bit to see SVSU win this match up for a second straight season. California 24 Saginaw Valley 20.
Fayetteville State at North Carolina-Pembroke
This game is the second annual Two Rivers Classic between these two neighboring rivals. UNCP won 41-34 in overtime last season and both teams went on to make the playoffs. The Braves would appear to have more returning experience coming into this season and should win at home. UNCP 31 Fayetteville State 20.
Wingate (1-0) at Valdosta State
As mentioned earlier, Wingate struggled in its opener and will have to play much better this week against a VSU team that wants to improve upon a down 2009 season. Valdosta State 24 Wingate 17.
Abilene Christian at Washburn (1-0)
The match up of ACU's defense against Washburn's offense should be fascinating to watch as both units are among the best in D-II. What will probably determine the outcome of the game is how well the Wildcats can run the ball against the Ichabod's rebuilt front seven. This should be a great game but I have to go with WU at home. Washburn 26 Abilene Christian 23.
Henderson State (1-0) at North Alabama
HSU's big 44-13 win over Southeast Oklahoma State makes this a very interesting match up. I'm sure UNA will be talented, but the Lions are unproven and will be taking on a team that has a game under its belt. North Alabama 28 Henderson State 24.
Nebraska-Kearney (0-1) at Nebraska-Omaha
The Lopers picked up a rare win over the Mavericks last season on the way to the playoffs. They may have to beat UNO again to have a good shot at another postseason appearance. I think running back Levi Terrell and a veteran offensive line will help UNO control this game. Nebraska-Omaha 27 Nebraska-Kearney 20.
Contact Me
Next week's column will feature an in depth look at all of the conference changes taking place in Division II and their impact on the division. Feel free to contact me at [email protected] with any comments or criticisms or if you have a question you'd like answered in the Mailbag.