Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC)
Looking back: In just their second season under head coach Gary Fasching, the St. John's University Johnnies won their first Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football championship since 2009, finishing 7-1 in MIAC play en route to a 10-2 overall record. It also didn't hurt that the Johnnies won their 600th game of all-time during the 2014 season. SJU enters the 2015 season with an all-time record of 600-242-24, and a .707 winning percentage, which ranks first at the NCAA Division III level.
At the D-III playoffs, the Johnnies stomped St. Scholastica, 35-7, in the first round, before losing to Wartburg in the second round.
Looking ahead: Expect St. John's to be the team in the MIAC again this season.
Predicted order of finish (2014 overall record in parentheses):
1. St. John's (10-2): The Johnnies enter the 2015 season ranked No. 4 in the nation by Lindy's Sports, and No. 9 by d3football.com. They'll need quality contributions from players such wide receiver Evan Clark, and running back Sam Sura on offense, as well as lineman Matt Hobby and linebacker Carter Hanson on defense if they're to make a deep playoff run this fall.
2. St. Thomas (8-3): The Tommies hope to be in the MIAC title mix too after losing to Wartburg in the first round of the NCAA Division III playoffs.
3. Concordia-Moorhead (Minn.)--(8-2): The Cobbers will look to be in the MIAC title discussion as well after losing both of their games in 2014 by a combined 13 points.
4. Bethel (Minn.)--(7-3): With a preseason Top 20 ranking from d3football.com, don't count out the Royals either.
5. Gustavus Adolphus (6-4): The Golden Gusties go into 2015 looking to finish fourth place or higher finish in the MIAC since 2003, when they finished 4-4 in conference play, and 4-6 overall.
6. Hamline (4-6): The Pipers will face six teams with winning records for six weeks in a row in 2015, including 2014 playoff teams St. Thomas, St. John's, Macalester, and Bethel, as well as Concordia-Moorhead and Gustavus Adolphus.
7. Augsburg (4-6): The Auggies have had just four winning seasons since winning the MIAC title in 1997.
8. St. Olaf (1-9): The Oles look to rebuild after consecutive one-win seasons dating back to 2013.
9. Carleton (1-9): The Knights have had only one five-win season dating back to the start of the 2009 season.
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