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2012 Final Standings
Looking back: Coe College ran away with the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference crown in 2012, finishing the regular season undefeated at 10-0 overall, and 7-0 in IIAC action. But the Kohawks otherwise outstanding season came to a stunning end in the first round of the NCAA Division III playoffs, as Elmhurst pulled off the 27-24 upset win.
Looking ahead: With five teams finishing in a five-way tie for second place in the IIAC last year, everybody will be chasing Coe going into the 2013 season.
Predicted order of finish (2012 overall record in parentheses)
1. Coe (10-1): The Kohawks enter the 2013 campaign as the team to beat in the IIAC.
2. Central (5-5): Coming off just their second season of fewer than six wins dating back to 2000, the Dutch will try to bounce back, and try to win their 21st conference championship this season. But with a schedule that includes a season-opening clash against D-III playoff semifinalist Wisconsin-Oshkosh on September 7, avoiding the program's first losing season since 1960 will be anything but easy.
3. Wartburg (6-4): The Knights non-conference schedule for 2013 includes a September 14 visit to Minnesota to face 2012 D-III playoff participant Bethel.
4. Dubuque (5-5): After an unlikely NCAA postseason appearance in 2011, the Spartans will look to get back on top after a so-so 2012 season.
5. Buena Vista (4-6): Coming off of a 4-3 finish in league play last season, the Beavers and their faithful hope for an even better outcome this season.
6. Simpson (6-4): Despite a three-game losing streak, the Storm finished the 2012 season strong with a win over Luther. Head Coach Jim Glogowski and his charges hope for an ever stronger finish to the 2013 campaign. Their last NCAA playoff appearance came in 2003.
7. Loras (2-8): Duhawks were held to 19 points or less in each of their eight losses last season. This season's slate includes games against 2012 D-III playoff participants Elmhurst and Coe.
8. Luther (0-10): Winless Norse look to begin what will likely be a long rebuilding process under first-year head coach Aaron Hafner.
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2012 Final Standings
Looking back: At the end of a very competitive 2012 campaign, St. Scholastica (8-3 overall) advanced to the NCAA Division III playoffs for a second straight season. The Saints finished in a three-way tie for first place with Northwestern (Minn.)--(8-3 overall) and Greenville (8-2 overall) at 7-1 in conference play.
In the postseason, though, St. Scholastica's run in the D-III playoffs was cut short for the second year in a row, as eventual national semifinalist Wisconsin-Oshkosh cruised to a 55-10 win in the first round. In the NCCAA Victory Bowl, two UMAC teams provided the opposition against each other, as Greenville edged Northwestern, 28-27, on November 17.
Looking ahead: Expect the UMAC title race to be wide open again in 2013. In off-the-field news, Iowa Wesleyan will bring its transition to the D-III ranks this fall.
Predicted order of finish (2012 overall record in parentheses)
1. Greenville (8-2): If the Panthers want to win the UMAC title outright in 2013, they must do it under interim head coach Robbie Schomaker. He replaces Ordell Walker, who resigned to become the head coach at Bluefield.
2. Northwestern (Minn.)--(8-3): The Eagles entered the final week of the 2012 season at 8-1 overall, and unbeaten in UMAC play at 7-0. But back-to-back losses to Greenville, including the defeat in the NCCAA Victory Bowl, brought about a disappointing end to what was an otherwise good season. Fans hope for a better ending to the 2013 season.
3. St. Scholastica (8-3): In just five years of existence, the Saints have gone from a fledging start-up program, to a perennial postseason contender. Barring any potentially devastating injuries to key players, don't be surprised if they're in the UMAC championship again in 2013.
4. Minnesota-Morris (6-4): After posting their best season since 2006 (7-3 overall), the Cougars hope to take the next step, and take home a UMAC title in 2013.
5. Eureka (4-6): The Red Devils face a long, tough road after ending the 2012 season on a four-game skid. That came about about they started 4-2.
6. Martin Luther (4-6): On the flip side, the Knights and their faithful have a glimmer after ending last year with back-to-back wins following a 2-6 start.
7. MacMurray (2-7): Highlanders hope to go nowhere to go but up under third-year head coach Chris Douglas.
8. Westminster (Mo.)--(3-6): The Blue Jays look to bounce back after a disappointing 2012 season. Head Coach John Welty and company will try to clinch their second winning season in three years. Oh, and they also ended last season on a five-game losing streak after starting 3-1.
9. Crown (2-8): There's nowhere to go but up for the Knights this season.
10. Iowa Wesleyan (3-8): The Tigers begin their rookie season in D-III after a number of years as an NAIA member.
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2012 Final Standings
Looking back: Minnesota State-Mankato (13-1 overall in 2012) advanced to the national semifinals of the NCAA Division II playoffs, where they were upset at home by eventual national champion Valdosta State. Two other NSIC teams, Minnesota-Duluth and Winona State, both won 10 games a piece last season. The Bulldogs lost to Missouri Western State, 57-55, in a triple-overtime thriller, while Winona State downed Lindenwood, 41-21, to win the Mineral Water Bowl. A fourth team, Sioux Falls, finished 9-2 but didn't advance to postseason play of any kind.
Looking ahead: Don't be surprised if Minnesota-Duluth, Minnesota State-Mankato, Sioux Falls, and Winona State are all challenging for the NSIC championship in 2013.
Predicted order of finish (2012 overall record in parentheses)
1. Minnesota State-Mankato (13-1): Mavericks look to make another deep playoff run after their stunning loss in the national semifinals. But in order to do just that, they have to do so under interim head coach Aaron Keen. Who knows, depending on the outcome of the upcoming season, that "interim" tag could be removed, permanently.
2. Minnesota-Duluth (10-2): The Bulldogs enter the 2013 season with a new head coach as well, as Curt Wiese replaces Bob Nielson, who left UMD to become the head coach at FCS Western Illinois. Wiese will have his work cut out for him, as he tries to build on the Bulldogs winning tradition.
3. Winona State (10-2): Instead of trying to defend the Mineral Water Bowl title they won in 2012, the Warriors hope to challenge for a playoff berth in 2013.
4. Sioux Falls (9-2): While the Cougars avoid having to face Minnesota State-Mankato, they must hit the road to open the 2013 season against Minnesota-Duluth, on September 7.
5. St. Cloud State (7-4): Huskies have the tough task of playing every regular season game in the ultra-competitive NSIC. Oh, and they play three of their first five games on the road to open 2013.
6. Bemidji State (7-4): The Beavers have compiled an overall record of 113-71 since 1996, under head coach Jeff Tesch. However, only two of these years were nine-win seasons. That's something that Tesch in 2013.
7. Wayne State (Neb.)--(6-5): The Wildcats and their faithful hope that a stretch in which they play three of their last four games at home will result in another winning season.
8. Northern State (6-5): The Wolves will try to build on their best season under head coach Tim Dosch this year.
9. Augustana (S.D.)--(5-6): New head coach Jerry Olszewski will try to make the Vikings very competitive in a very rugged conference.
10. Southwest Minnesota State (4-7): The Mustangs will try to get their first winning season since 2008, when they finished 6-5 overall (6-4 in the NSIC).
11. U Mary (4-7): The Marauders will face seven teams that posted winning records in 2012. And that's all conference games. Ouch!
12. Minot State (3-8): The Beavers will face another uphill battle in 2013.
13. Upper Iowa (2-9): Peacocks have a lot to prove after a miserable 2012 season.
14. Concordia-St. Paul (Minn.)--(2-9): After finishing 6-5 just two years ago, the Golden Bears will try to move forward after a rough 2012 campaign.
15. Minnesota-Crookston (2-9): As if having a rough 2012 campaign wasn't bad enough, the Golden Eagles learned that they must play the 2013 season with an interim head coach in Mike Fritze. He'll fill in for Paul Miller, who recently took of leave of absence for health reasons.
16. Minnesota State-Moorhead (1-10): The Dragons will face a long, hard climb out of the NSIC cellar.
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2012 Final Standings (courtesy of d3football.com)
Looking back: St. Thomas advanced to its first-ever Stagg Bowl in 2012, only to see the Tommies come up short in their quest to win a national championship, as Mount Union won, 28-10. The only other MIAC team to advance to the NCAA Division III playoffs was Bethel (Minn.). The Royals advanced to the second round before bowing out with a 37-14 loss to Wisconsin-Oshkosh.
Looking ahead: Every team will try to topple the Tommies in 2013. At least that will be the case in the MIAC, maybe. Oh, and for the first time in six decades, there will be a brand new head coach at St. John's, as the legendary John Gagliardi retired as the all-time winningest coach in all of college football, with 489 wins to his credit.
Predicted order of finish (2012 overall record in parentheses)
1. St. Thomas (14-1): The win total for the Tommies has risen steadily over the past four years: 11-2 in 2009, 12-1 in 2010, 13-1 in 2011, and 14-1 in 2012. For those of you doing the math at home, that's an overall record of 50-5 (.909 winning percentage during that span. Take away the 2009 season, and the overall record for the last three years is 39-3 (.929 winning percentage). So the big question in Tommie-land is this: Can the Tommies finally breakthrough, and win the national championship that eluded them last December. It'll be interesting to see what happens.
2. Bethel (Minn.)--(9-3): Should the Tommies tumble from the top in the MIAC, the Royals could be more than ready and able to claim the conference crown this fall. With preseason national rankings of No. 8 by d3football.com, and No. 12 by Lindy's Sports magazine, they just might have what it takes to be tops in the MIAC going into 2013. By the way, St. Thomas must pay a visit to Bethel on October 19.
3. Concordia-Moorhead (Minn.)--(8-2): Despite finishing tied for second place with Bethel, the Cobbers found themselves on the outside looking in when postseason play rolled around. A controversial loss to the aforementioned Royals in the closing seconds, as well as a loss to St. Thomas, proved costly to the Cobbers playoff hopes. They'll try to pay back Bethel in a home game on October 12, as well as the Tommies in a road contest on November 9.
4. St. Olaf (7-3): The Oles lost all three games of 2012 by a combined total of 36 points. That forced to settle for a share of fourth place when all was said and done. If they hope to contend for a conference crown in 2013, they must do it under new head coach Craig Stern. He takes over the reins from Jerry Olszewski, who left St. Olaf to become the new head coach at NCAA Division II Augustana (S.D.).
5. Augsburg (7-3): The Auggies face a tough schedule in 2013, facing the likes of Concordia (Wis.), Concordia-Moorhead (Minn.), Bethel, and St. Thomas. And that's just within the first eight games.
6. St. John's (5-5): For the first time since 1953, someone other than John Gagliardi will lead the Johnnies onto the football field. And that someone is Gary Fasching. Obviously, he will have some big shoes to fill in replacing the legendary coach that took home four national championships, and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2006.
7. Gustavus Adolphus (3-7): The Gusties face a long uphill battle in trying to return to prominence in the MIAC after a disappointing 2012 season. Their last conference title came in 1987 (10-0 overall), and their highest finish since then was a tie for second place in 1998.
8. Carleton (3-7): The Knights also find themselves in the same boat as the Gusties after going 1-7 in MIAC action last season.
9. Hamline (1-9): The Pipers also face a lot of long odds after going winless (0-8) in conference play a year ago.
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2012 Final Standings
Looking back: For the first time since 2004, a team other than the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater came out on top in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC). And it was the Titans of the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh that made the most of their 2012 season, as they finished unbeaten in WIAC play (7-0) en route to their first-ever NCAA Division III playoff appearance. The Titans lost to eventual national runner-up St. Thomas in the national semifinals.
Looking ahead: Can Oshkosh make another deep postseason run? Or can Whitewater rebound, and return to the form that helped them advance to seven straight Stagg Bowls (2005-2011), win four national championships in five years (2007, 2009, 2010, 2011), three straight national championships (2009, 2010, 2011)? Or will some other team step up, and find themselves on top come mid-November? At least one of those questions will be answered during the 2013 season.
Predicted order of finish (2012 overall record in parentheses)
1. Wisconsin-Oshkosh (13-1): After a historic 2012 season, the Titans will try to follow up that performance with an excellent 2013 season. Prior to last year, Oshkosh had never won more than eight games in a single season. Even then, the Titans had managed to do just that in just three seasons prior to 2012.
2. Wisconsin-Whitewater (7-3): The Warhawks enter the 2013 season with the rare experience of being the hunter, instead of being the hunted. Their non-conference schedules includes a trip east to face Buffalo State on September 21. Why is that game so significant, you ask? Because it was the Tigers that ended the Warhawks lengthy winning streak with a 7-6 upset win last season.
3. Wisconsin-Platteville (8-2): Coming off of a 2012 season which saw them finish in a second place tie with Whitewater at 5-2 in the WIAC (which included giving the aforementioned Warhawks all they could handle before losing in a heartbreaker, 27-26), the Pioneers hope to make some in the WIAC in 2013.
4. Wisconsin-Eau Claire (4-6): The Blugolds face a laundry list of tough tasks to start the 2013 season, as they must travel to Minnesota on back-to-back weekends (St. Thomas and St. John's), then play host to a Pacific Lutheran squad that finished second (5-1) in Northwest Conference action in 2012, before opening WIAC play on the road against Platteville on October 5.
5. Wisconsin-LaCrosse (4-6): Speaking of tough schedules, the Eagles must face Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic foe Dubuque, perennial playoff participant North Central, and Missouri S&T from the NCAA Division II ranks, before starting conference action at home against Whitewater. If that wasn't enough, the Eagles must a pay a visit to defending WIAC champion Oshkosh the following week. Ouch!
6. Wisconsin-Stout (3-7): Guess who the Blue Devils will face on September 21, 2013? Yes, you guessed it, North Central!
7. Wisconsin-Stevens Point (2-8): The Pointers face a long, uphill battle after their worst finish since 2000, when they also finished 2-8 overall.
8. Wisconsin-River Falls (2-8): The Falcons find themselves in that same boat after finishing 1-6 in the WIAC last season.
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2012 Final Standings
Looking back: After three straight seasons of finishing 8-2, Concordia (Chicago) finally broke though in 2012, as the Cougars finished the regular season undefeated at 10-0, winning the Northern Athletics Conference championship, and advancing to the NCAA Division III playoffs for the first time ever. Still, their taste of postseason play was brief, as their season ended with a heartbreaking 24-23 loss to Bethel (Minn.) in the first round.
Looking ahead: The Northern Athletics Conference underwent a slight name change as of July 1. It's now known as the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC).
As if that wasn't enough, Maranatha Baptist decided it had enough of the NACC, and will settle for being an NCAA Division III independent. That will leave the league with seven teams for football. Even so, every other team in the newly renamed conference will be chasing Concordia (Chicago) in 2013.
Predicted order of finish (2012 overall record in parentheses)
1. Concordia (Chicago)--(10-1): If the Cougars hope to make a deeper playoff run this season, they must do it under new head coach Randy Awrey.
2. Concordia (Wis.)--(7-3): Thanks to a season-ending four game winning streak, the other Concordia hopes to dethrone the Cougars, and swoop down on a conference championship in 2013.
3. Wisconsin Lutheran (7-3): Coming off of their best season in program history, the Warriors hope to take the next step, and earn their first-ever NCAA playoff appearance in 2013.
4. Aurora (5-5): The Spartans hope to improve on a 4-3 finish in conference play last season.
5. Benedictine (Ill.)--(5-5): The Eagles find themselves playing the role of the hunter, instead of the hunted, after winning at least a share of the conference title in 2010 and 2011. But in 2012, they struggled to a 3-4 mark in conference play.
6. Lakeland (2-8): The Muskies will try to turn the corner after a dismal 2012 season.
7. Rockford (2-8): The Regents face a similar uphill battle after a 1-6 mark in league games last year.
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