RFC Summer Semester--Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Preview (NCAA Division III)

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2011 Final Standings 

Looking back: St. Thomas had its best season ever in 2011, advancing to the national semifinals of the NCAA Division III playoffs, only to lose to eventual three-time national champion Wisconsin-Whitewater, 20-0.  They were the only team from the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) to advance to postseason play.

Looking ahead: Will the Tommies finally reach the top of the D-III summit in 2012?  Or will the likes of St. Olaf and Bethel (Minn.) provide a stiff challenge?  And what about St. John's?  Can the Johnnies return to prominence under legendary head coach John Gagliardi?  Those are among the multiple questions that will be answered going into this season.

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

1. St. Thomas (13-1):  The Tommies have had back-to-back unbeaten regular seasons within the last two years.  Additionally, since the start of the 2009 season, UST has compiled a combined overall record of 36-4 (.900), advancing to the NCAA Division III playoffs each time.  The Tommies last regular season loss came on October 17, 2009, a 20-17 loss to St. John's.  Additionally, their last loss to a MIAC came in the national quarterfinals, a 12-7 setback to Bethel (Minn.).  After seeing their postseason run derailed by Wisconsin-Whitewater in last year's national semifinal round, the Tommies hope to finally get over the hump in 2012.

2. St. Olaf (8-2):  Since 2005, the Oles have fluctuated between 8-2 and 6-4 seasons, with a 5-5 mark from 2009 thrown in just for good measure.  They'll look to have their first nine-win season since 1970, when the Oles finished 9-0.  


3. St. John's (6-4):  Head Coach John Gagliardi will enter his 60th season at SJU, as well as his 64th overall as a head coach.  Coming into the 2012 season, Gagliardi has a career record of 484-133-11 (.779).  Believe it or not, he's just 16 wins away from becoming the first coach in college football history to win 500 games.  In order to move closer to that milestone, however, the Johnnies would have to finish 15-0.  That would put him at 499 career wins, one win shy of his 500th. It would also mean that SJU would have to overcome its worst finish since 1997, when the Johnnies also finished 6-4.


4. Bethel (Minn.)--(8-2):  After a run to the national semifinals in 2010, the Royals missed out on another D-III playoff appearance in 2011, despite winning their final three games of the season. They'll open the 2012 season against another squad that won exactly eight games all of last season in Wartburg, on September 8.


5. Concordia-Moorhead (Minn.)--(6-4):  The Cobbers hope to have a better ending to 2012 than they did to 2011, when they lost back-to-back games.


6. Augsburg (6-4):  The Auggies will look to improve on their 4-4 record in MIAC play from last season.  They started the 2011 campaign with four straight wins, before stumbling down the stretch, losing four of their final six games.


7. Gustavus Adolphus (2-8):  The Golden Gusties look to get back on the winning track after a dismal 2011 campaign.


8. Carleton (2-8):  The Knights were held to 14 points or less in the eight games they lost last season.  Oh, they did win one game in overtime, a 23-17 triumph over Macalester, on October 22.


9. Hamline (0-10):  As if losing 16 straight games overall going into the 2012 season wasn't enough, the Pipers have also lost 16 MIAC games in a row.  They've also won just two conference games in the last four years.  That's a record that second-year head coach John Pate hopes to turn in his second season at the Pipers helm.


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