What it is: Not to be confused with the MIAA of the Great Plains--the NCAA Division II Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association--the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association is considered the nation's oldest intercollegiate athletics conference, with a history dating back to 1888. As far as football goes, the D-III MIAA currently consists of seven schools, with Trine University of Indiana being the only non-Michigan institution.
The MIAA has had limited success in the playoffs since the league lifted its ban on postseason play in 1977. Albion, which leads the MIAA with 33 conference titles all-time, won the league's lone national championship in 1994, crushing Washington & Jefferson, 38-15, in the title game that year. Its only postseason win in the last 15 years came in 2009, when Trine outlasted Case Western Reserve, 51-38, in first round D-III playoff action.
Website: http://www.miaa.org/
Predicted order of finiah (2009 order of finish, projected champion in BOLD type)
1. Trine (10-2): The Thunder have compiled a combined record of 20-3 over the past two seasons in winning back-to-back MIAA championships. It welcomes back eight starters apiece on both offense and defense.
2. Albion (4-6): The Britons hope to steal some "Thunder" in the conference race, and claim their first league title since 2005.
3. Adrian (6-4): The Bulldogs will find out quickly just how good they are when they open the 2010 season on the road against defending D-III champ Wisconsin-Whitewater on September 4.
4. Hope (3-7): The Flying Dutchmen last won an outright MIAA title in 2006. They shared a league title with Olivet the following year. In all, the program has 20 conference championships, second only to the 33 league crowns won by Albion.
5. Alma (5-5): The Scots non-conference schedule includes visits to Illinois Wesleyan (September 11), as well as to NCAA Division II Kentucky Wesleyan (September 25).
6. Kalamazoo (4-6): The Hornets ended the 2009 season on a four-game slide after a 4-2 start. They gave up an average of 38.25 points a game during that skid, while being outscored 153-90.
7. Olivet (0-10): Rich Hulkow enters his rookie season as the Comets head coach. He takes over a program that has won just one game over the past two years, and enters the 2010 campaign on a 17-game losing streak.
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4 years ago
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