RFC Summer Semester--Mid-States Football Association (MSFA) Preview (NAIA)

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2011 Final Standings (Mideast League)

2011 Final Standings (Midwest League) 

Looking back: 2011 proved to be a banner season for the Mid-States Football Association, with St. Xavier winning its first-ever NAIA national championship.  Additionally, by season's end, the MSFA had at least seven teams that were nationally ranked.

Looking ahead: Can St. Xavier repeat as national champions?  Or will some other squad rise to the challenge?  Those are the multiple questions still yet to be answered in 2012.  With seven teams ranked in the NAIA Preseason Top 25, any of them are more than capable of making a deep postseason run this season.
 
2012 Predicted Order of Finish (2011 overall record in parentheses)

Mideast League

1. St. Xavier (14-1):  As the defending NAIA national champions, the target will be on the Cougars backs from day one to start 2012.  In fact, they'll have a tough test right away, at home against St. Francis (Ill.) on September 8.  If that wasn't enough, the Cougars will play host to that other St. Francis, from Indiana, three weeks after doing battle with the team of the same name from Illinois.

2. Marian (12-1):  The Knights finished 5-0 in MSFA play to win the Mideast League title in 2011.  However, that one setback of last season came in the NAIA national semifinals, where they fell to eventual national champion St. Xavier, 30-27.  MU will get its chance at revenge on November 3, when they to Chicago to face SXU on the final day of the 2012 regular season.


3. St. Francis (Ind.)--(9-3):  The Cougars from Fort Wayne, Indiana face a stiff challenge before even taking the plunge into their conference schedule, as they take on the likes of NCAA Division III Wisconsin-Stevens Point, and St. Ambrose, among other foes.


4. Taylor (5-5):  How's this for a tough schedule in 2012?  The Trojans will take on four teams ranked in the NAIA Preseason Top 25.  Additionally, they'll open the season on the road against NCAA Division III Anderson on September 1.

5. Siena Heights (n/a):  With an 8-1 record against mostly junior varsity and obscure opponents in 2011, the Saints will play their first full varsity season in 2012.


6. Concordia (Mich.)--(0-11): The Cardinals enter the 2012 season looking to get their first-ever win in program history.


Midwest League

1. St. Francis (Ill.)--(10-3):  With a preseason national ranking of No. 7, the Saints will be the team in the Midwest League coming into 2012.  After an appearance in the NAIA national quarterfinals last season, the expectations will be even higher this season.  They'll get a tough test on September 8, when they pay a visit to defending NAIA national champion St. Xavier.

2. William Penn (9-2):  The Statesmen lost just two games in 2011.  But it was that second loss, a 14-13 setback to Grand View, on the final day of the regular season, that put them on the outside looking in come playoff time.  Will 2012 be the year that the Statesmen break through, and advance to postseason play?


3. Grand View (8-4):  While that improbable one-point win over William Penn lifted the Vikings to the NAIA playoffs, their stay in postseason play was cut short in the first round, as Marian cruised to a 31-0 shutout win in the first round.  An early highlight of their 2012 schedule includes a visit to NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Drake on August 30.


4. Saint Ambrose (7-3):  While they begin the 2012 campaign ranked No. 20 in the nation, the Bees might be hard pressed to maintain that ranking this season, as they'll take on the likes of Grand View, St. Francis (Ill.), St. Francis (Ind.), and William Penn.

5. Olivet Nazarene (5-6):  Can anybody say "uphill battle" for the Tigers, as they'll look to improve on last season's 3-4 mark in Midwest League action last season?


6. Trinity International (2-8):  The Trojans will try to put the misery of 2011 behind them.


7. Waldorf (2-9):  The Warriors also will look for a fresh start in 2012, under new head coach Kent Anderson.


8. Robert Morris (Ill.)--(4-4):  Compiling a. 500 record against non-conference competition in 2011, the Eagles will jump right into the MSFA fray in 2012.