Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC)
2014 Standings
Looking back: After just seven seasons of play, the Colorado State University-Pueblo Thunderwolves reached the top of the NCAA Division II football summit, winning their program's first-ever national championship. They shut out Minnesota State-Mankato, 13-0, to claim the crown for claim the crown for 2014. But CSU-Pueblo wasn't the only team from the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) to get a taste of postseason play last fall, with the Colorado School of Mines Orediggers advancing to the D-II quarterfinals before being ousted by Ohio Dominican.
Looking ahead: CSU-Pueblo will enter the 2015 season trying to prove that its sudden rise to the top was no fluke.
Predicted order of finish (2014 overall record in parentheses):
1. Colorado State-Pueblo (14-1): With 16 starters coming back--including six on defense--expect the Thunderwolves to be the team to beat in the RMAC, as well as one of the nation's best teams, in 2015.
2. Colorado Mines (10-2): Coming off of a share of the RMAC title in 2014, the Orediggers hope to continue their winning ways under first-year head coach Gregg Brandon, who has won 44 games in a six-year career.
3. Chadron State (8-3): The Eagles must replace 14 seniors lost due to graduation if they're to find themselves in the RMAC title and postseason discussion this season.
4. Colorado Mesa (6-5): The Mavericks hope to build on achieving their first winning season since 2008, when they also finished 6-5 overall.
5. Western New Mexico (5-6): With a move to the Lone Star Conference looming in 2016, the Mustangs hope to go out of the RMAC with a winning record in 2015.
6. Western State (4-7): The Mountaineers hope to move up in the RMAC standings after finishing 3-6 in league play last season.
7. Adams State (4-7): Former Washington State quarterback Timm Rosenbach takes over a struggling Grizzlies gridiron program as their new head coach this season.
8. New Mexico Highlands (3-8): The Cowboys will also head into 2015 with a new head coach in Jeff Mills, who served as the defensive line coach at Indiana State.
9. Fort Lewis (3-8): A mid-season upset win over eventual national champion CSU-Pueblo was the major highlight of an otherwise disappointing 2014 season for the Skyhawks, who haven't had a winning season since 2006 (7-4 overall).
10. Black Hills State (3-8): The Yellow Jackets face a long, uphill battle to climb out of the RMAC basement after a 2-7 finish in conference play last year.
Follow RFC on Twitter @realfootball.
4 years ago
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