RFC Summer Semester--Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) Preview (NCAA Division II)

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2011 Final Standings

Looking back: Can anybody "silly season" in the SIAC?  That was what it was like for that league in 2011, as none of its teams won more than eight games overall, while losing at least one conference game along the way.  The conference fared poorly in postseason play last season, as Albany State (Ga.) was crushed by North Greenville in the first round in the NCAA Division II playoffs, while Miles--the team that knocked off the Golden Rams to win the inaugural SIAC championship game--lost to Johnson C. Smith, 35-33, in a thriller at the Pioneer Bowl.
If that wasn't enough, three teams (Benedict, Clark Atlanta, and Fort Valley), all finished with identical 2-8 overall records.  Oh, and normally powerful Tuskegee struggled in surprisingly down season, finishing a disappointing 4-6.

Looking ahead: Don't be surprised to see even more silliness in the SIAC this season.  Who knows, maybe Tuskegee can get back to being Tuskegee in 2012.

2012 Predicted Order of Finish (2011 overall record in parentheses)

East Division

1. Morehouse (8-2): Although the Maroon Tigers finished 6-1 in SIAC play, that one loss--a 25-15 setback to Albany State--cost them a trip to the league's first-ever title game in 2011, not to mention a possible trip to postseason play.  Their toughest non-conference game to start 2012 will be on September 15, when they travel to Cleveland, Ohio to face defending CIAA champion and NCAA Division II national semifinalist Winston Salem State.

2. Albany State (Ga.)--(8-4):  An upset loss to Miles in the inaugural SIAC title game, followed by that blowout defeat in the first round in the D-II playoffs, dampened an otherwise decent 2011 season for the Golden Rams. Head Coach Mike White enters the 2012 season needing just seven wins to join the 100-win club as active head coach, with a 93-40 career record entering his 12th season.  Still, ASU has to navigate its way through a non-conference schedule, which opens up against, you guessed it, North Greenville, at home on September 1.  That's followed by two key tests in North Carolina against Wingate and Elizabeth City State on back-to-back weekends.  Also, the Golden Rams must match-up with Morehouse in Atlanta on October 13.


3. Fort Valley State (2-8):  If the Wildcats are to be serious contenders for an SIAC championship in 2012, they must learn how to win the close games they lost in 2011.  FVSU lost five games by nine points or less last season.  To open this season, the Wildcats will pay visits to perennial Gulf South Conference powers Delta State and Valdosta State.


4. Clark Atlanta (2-8):  Like Fort Valley State, the Panthers also lost a lot of close games in 2011, losing five of their eight contests by 10 points or less.


5. Benedict (2-8):  Looks like there's a theme with these teams and close losses. The Tigers lost three games by six points or less last season, although both of their wins also came by six points or less, including a thrilling 23-17 victory over Shaw.


West Division

1. Tuskegee (4-6):  After a disappointing 2011 campaign that saw them go winless (0-3) in non-conference games, the Golden Tigers hope to return to their rightful place at the top of the SIAC standings in 2012.  Early non-conference games against Alabama A&M from the FCS, as well as defending Pioneer Bowl champion Johnson C. Smith could determine how far head coach Willie J. Slater and his charges will go this season.

2. Stillman (7-4):  The Tigers started fast right out of the gate in 2011, winning six of their first seven games.  But they faded down the stretch, losing three of their last four contests. If they hope to cross the finish line as at least the West Division champions in 2012, the Tigers must learn how to finish the season better than they started.


3. Miles (7-5):  Speaking of the "it's not how you start, but how you finish" adage, the Golden Bears struggled to a 1-3 start, only to go 6-1 over their final seven games of the 2011 regular season to win the inaugural SIAC championship game, as well as earn a berth in the Pioneer Bowl.  Although they suffered a tough season-ending loss to Johnson C. Smith in that contest, the Golden Bears enjoyed their first winning season since 2004.  With tough non-conference games against the likes of North Alabama, Shaw, and West Georgia to open the 2012 season, just matching last season's seven-win mark, much less making a return trip to the SIAC title game, will be a challenge.


4. Kentucky State (6-4):  The Thorobreds will play nine regular season games in 2012, including a trip to Philadelphia to face Lincoln (Pa.) on September 8.


5. Lane (4-6):  A 26-24 upset win over Albany State--the first in the program's history--was the highlight of an otherwise disappointing 2011 season for the Dragons, who finished last in the West Division at 2-5.