RFC Summer Semester--Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC) Preview (NAIA)

Website

2011 Final Standings

Looking back: MidAmerica Nazarene (10-2 overall) and Missouri Valley (9-2) both shared the Heart of America Conference (HAAC) championship in 2011, as both squads finished 8-1 conference play.  A third team, Benedictine (Kan.), finished third in the HAAC at 7-2.  All three teams advanced to the NAIA playoffs, but none of them advanced past the quarterfinal round.

Looking ahead: Expect another close race for top honors in the HAAC for 2012.

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

1. Missouri Valley (9-2):  The Vikings were ousted in the first round of the 2011 NAIA playoffs by St. Francis (Ind.), 28-14.  Hopefully, 2012 will provide a different ending for the program donning the purple and orange out of Marshall, Missouri. As in a much deeper postseason run, perhaps even ending in a national championship.  Maybe.  Just maybe.

2. MidAmerica Nazarene (10-2):  The Pioneers were the lone HAAC team to win a postseason game in 2011, defeating and eliminating Southern Nazarene, 40-28, before being eliminated themselves by eventual national champion St. Xavier, 29-14, in round two.  They'll play host to Missouri Valley in the second game of 2012 on September 8.


3. Benedictine (Kan.)--(9-3):  The Ravens saw their 2011 season end in the first round of the NAIA playoffs as well, as they fell to Georgetown (Ky.), 21-7.  They'll be one of the few teams in the U.S. to open the 2012 season on Saturday, August 25, as they'll travel to Nebraska to face the Concordia Bulldogs.


4. Baker (7-3):  Although a season-ending four-game winning streak ended gave them the Wildcats a winning record for 2011, they finished a distant fourth in the HAAC at 6-3.


5. Central Methodist (5-5):  The Eagles will be tested quickly in their 2012 season opener, at home against MidAmerica Nazarene on September 1.


6. Avila (4-6):  The Eagles will open the 2012 season on the road, against one of college football's newest programs in Lindenwood University-Belleville (Ill.), on September 1.


7. Evangel (3-7):  The Crusaders are coming off of their fourth straight losing season, and fifth in the last six years.  They face an uphill battle in trying to earn their first NAIA playoff appearance since 2005.


8. Peru State (2-8):  The Bobcats will also open the 2012 season on August 25, with a road game at Dakota State.


9. Culver-Stockton (1-10):  The good news for the Wildcats?  They're just 10 wins away from 300 wins in program history.  The bad news? They enter the 2012 season with an all-time record of 290-550-31.


10. Graceland (1-9):  The Yellow Jackets hope to put 2011 behind them.