No. 4 IUP Football uses aerial game, defensive pressure in 21-17 defeat of No. 15 Ashland - Indiana University of Pennsylvania Athletics

No. 4 IUP Football uses aerial game, defensive pressure in 21-17 defeat of No. 15 Ashland - Indiana University of Pennsylvania Athletics: ASHLAND, Ohio – Quarterback Lenny Williams Jr. and receiver Ricky Rogers connected for three touchdowns through the air as fourth-ranked IUP football defeated 15th-ranked Ashland 21-17 in a 2018 Thursday night season opener.



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THE RFC MYC: Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC)-(NCAA Division III)

2017 SCIAC Final Standings (Courtesy of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference)

Overview: In what was probably one of the most bizarre seasons in its history, the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) saw the Chapman University Panthers finish conference play undefeated despite going 0-2 in non-conference games. The Panthers fell to then-defending national champion turned eventual national runner-up Mary Hardin-Baylor in the first round of the NCAA Division III playoffs to finish the 2017 season at 6-3 overall.

But the oddities didn't stop there. The University of Redlands Bulldogs finished their 2017 campaign at 7-2 overall and 5-1 in the SCIAC. However, it was that lone loss in league play to Chapman on October 14 that not only cost the Bulldogs a conference championship but also a trip to postseason play. Don't be surprised to see Redlands use that loss as motivation for the 2018 season.

Still, perhaps the strangest-and maybe the saddest-development of the 2017 season in the SCIAC came in the form of the Occidental College Tigers. The Tigers abruptly canceled their campaign after playing just three games last fall, citing a lack of healthy players. Occidental was 0-3 overall when the decision was made to cut the rest of their season short. As of this writing, the Tigers are scheduled to play nine games in all for the 2018 season, starting with an exhibition game vs. CETYS Mexicali on September 1, followed by the regular season opener vs. Willamette at home on September 15.

Finally, as the team (s) to beat in the SCIAC, expect Chapman to be in the conversation once again, with Redlands and Cal Lutheran not far behind.

NOTE: If the link to the team's schedule is not highlighted, it means that the team has not submitted its schedule for the 2018 season. When the team's schedule is submitted, the link (s) will appear in each blog post. Also, please visit the RFC blog at realfootballcentral.blogspot.com for preseason previews, schedules, schedule updates, and much more.

Cal Lutheran

Chapman

Claremont-Mudd-Scripps

La Verne

Occidental

Pomona-Pitzer

Redlands

Whittier

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RFC Top Games: First Full Week of Action-Labor Day Weekend

Last Week: 3-4 (.429)

This Year: 3-4 (.429)

KEY: Projected winners marked in RED.

Featured games in BOLD type.

Saturday, September 1

FBS Group Of Five

Boise State at Troy

(Broncos head south into Alabama to take on the Trojans in the season opener for both teams!!! Kickoff is at 6 p.m. EDT on ESPNEWS!!!)

Marshall at Miami (Ohio)

(The Thundering Herd stampede their way west to Ohio to face the Redhawks!!! Kickoff is at 3:30 p.m. EDT on ESPN+!!!)

SMU at North Texas

(The Mean Green play host to the Mustangs in a match-up of bowl teams from Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex!!!)

Louisiana Tech at South Alabama

Old Dominion at Liberty

FCS

Thursday, August 30

New Hampshire at Maine


Saturday, September 1

Northern Iowa at Montana

(The Grizzlies of the Big Sky Conference play host to the Panthers of the Missouri Valley Football Conference in the season opener for both teams!!!)

Western Illinois at Montana State

Butler at Youngstown State

Southern Illinois at Murray State

NCAA Division II

Thursday, August 30

Carson-Newman at West Florida

(National runner-up Argonauts open the season at home against the Eagles!!!)

Indiana (Pa.) at Ashland

(The Crimson Hawks hit the road to do battle with the Eagles in a clash of 2017 playoff teams!!!)

Indianapolis at Grand Valley State

(The Lakers face off against the Greyhounds in the season opener for both squads!!!)

Central Missouri at Fort Hays State

(The Tigers begin defense of their Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association title against the visiting Mules!!!)

West Chester at Bentley

Arkansas Tech at Southern Arkansas

Saturday, September 1

Kutztown at Assumption

Catawba at West Georgia

Humboldt State at Midwestern State

NCAA Division III

Thursday, August 30

Randolph-Macon at Johns Hopkins

Wisconsin-Platteville at East Texas Baptist

Friday, August 31

Delaware Valley at Wesley

(Wolverines play host to the Aggies in a potential postseason preview!!!)

Saturday, September 1

Rose-Hulman at Mount Union

Westminster (Pa.) at Wittenberg

Wisconsin-LaCrosse at Luther

Wisconsin-Whitewater at Dubuque

Monmouth (Ill.) at Wheaton

Benedictine (Ill.) at Franklin

Adrian at Ohio Northern

Pacific (Ore.) at Chapman

George Fox at Redlands

NAIA

Saturday, September 1

Southern Oregon at Eastern Oregon (1-0)

(Raiders hit the road to face in-state rival Mountaineers in their season opener!!!)

Baker at William Penn (0-1)

(Wildcats square off against the Statesmen in the season opener for the visitors from Kansas!!!)

Montana Tech at College of Idaho

INTERDIVISIONAL GAMES

Thursday, August 30

Kennesaw State (FCS) at Georgia State (FBS Group Of Five)

(Panthers play host to 2017 FCS playoff participant Owls in the season opener for both teams!!!)

Saturday, September 1

Villanova (FCS) at Temple (FBS Group Of Five)

Central Washington (NCAA Division II) at Eastern Washington (FCS)

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University of West Florida Argonauts - UWF Ranked No. 2 in AFCA Preseason Top 25 Poll

University of West Florida Argonauts - UWF Ranked No. 2 in AFCA Preseason Top 25 Poll: WACO, Texas – The UWF football team will open the 2018 season as the No. 2 ranked team in the country according to the preseason top 25 poll that was announced by the American Football Coaches Association on Monday.



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THE RFC MYC: Northwest Conference (NWC)-(NCAA Division III)

2017 NWC Final Standings (Courtesy of the Northwest Conference)

Overview: Almost every college football season, any discussion regarding the Northwest Conference appears to begin and end with the Linfield College Wildcats, as they enter the 2018 season trying to extend their streak of 62 straight winning seasons dating back to 1956.

The 2017 season was no different for Linfield, with the Wildcats finishing undefeated in Northwest Conference play at 7-0 en route to another league title. In the NCAA Division III playoffs, Linfield knocked off Hardin-Simmons 27-13 in the first round, before falling to another team from Texas in then-defending national champion turned eventual national runner-up Mary Hardin-Baylor in the second round to finish at 9-2 overall.

The 2018 season will basically have the same expectations as the 2017 season: Linfield being the team in the NWC. However, teams like Whitworth (8-2 overall, 5-2 in the NWC in 2017) and George Fox (7-3, 5-2) just might give the Wildcats a run for their money. Also, don't count out the two "Pacifics", as in Pacific of Oregon, as well as Pacific Lutheran of Washington State. Both the Boxers and Lutes finished last fall at 4-4 overall, and 4-3 in conference play.

NOTE: If the link to the team's schedule is not highlighted, it means that the team has not submitted its schedule for the 2018 season. When the team's schedule is submitted, the link (s) will appear in each blog post. Also, please visit the RFC blog at realfootballcentral.blogspot.com for preseason previews, schedules, schedule updates, and much more.

George Fox

Lewis & Clark

Linfield

Pacific (Ore.)

Pacific Lutheran

Puget Sound

Whitworth

Willamette

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THE RFC MYC: Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC)-(NCAA Division II)

2017 GNAC Final Standings (Courtesy of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference)

Overview: The Central Washington University Wildcats were yet another team that cruised through the regular season undefeated in 2017, finishing at 11-0 in clinching the Great Northwest Athletic Conference championship. In GNAC games, CWU also finished conference play unbeaten at 8-0. However, once the NCAA Division II playoffs arrived, the Wildcats otherwise remarkable campaign came to a screeching halt, as eventual national champion Texas A&M-Commerce stunned CWU 34-31 in double overtime. Central Washington finished the season at 11-1 overall.

The 2018 offseason brought about some sad news to the GNAC, as Humboldt State University in Arcata, California announced in July that it would discontinue its football program after the upcoming season. That move means the GNAC will have just four teams: Azusa Pacific, Central Washington, Simon Fraser, and Western Oregon, playing football by the 2019 season. 

Even with the imminent loss of football at Humboldt State, whose Lumberjacks finished second in conference play at 6-1, as well as at 8-2 overall in 2017, expect Central Washington to not only be the favorites to win another GNAC crown but also try to advance farther in the D-II playoffs, and maybe go deep into December.

NOTE: If the link to the team's schedule is not highlighted, it means that the team has not submitted its schedule for the 2018 season. When the team's schedule is submitted, the link (s) will appear in each blog post. Also, please visit the RFC blog at realfootballcentral.blogspot.com for preseason previews, schedules, schedule updates, and much more.

Azusa Pacific

Central Washington

Humboldt State

Simon Fraser

Western Oregon

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THE RFC MYC: Frontier Conference (FC)-(NAIA)

2017 FC Final Standings (Courtesy of the Frontier Conference)

Overview: The Frontier Conference in 2017 was dominated by the Southern Oregon University Raiders, who cruised through the regular season undefeated at 10-0 en route to a final overall record of 12-1. No other team in the conference won more than six games overall last fall.

In the NAIA playoffs, the Raiders rolled past Dickinson State 55-24 in the first round, then shocked Lindsey Wilson on the road in Kentucky in the quarterfinals, before falling to eventual national runner-up Reinhardt in Georgia in a 37-34 double-overtime thriller in the semifinals. With a pre-season national ranking of No. 4 to open the 2018 season, don't be surprised if SOU soars above the rest of the Frontier Conference, and the rest of this nation this fall, as the Raiders seek to not only advance to postseason play for the fourth time in five years dating back to 2014 but also hope to win their first national championship since then.

NOTE: If the link to the team's schedule is not highlighted, it means that the team has not submitted its schedule for the 2018 season. When the team's schedule is submitted, the link (s) will appear in each blog post. Also, please visit the RFC blog at realfootballcentral.blogspot.com for preseason previews, schedules, schedule updates, and much more.

Carroll (Mont.)

College of Idaho

Eastern Oregon

Montana State-Northern

Montana Tech

Montana Western

Rocky Mountain

Southern Oregon

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RFC Top Games: THE 2018 DEBUT

Editor's Note: This is the first installment of "RFC Top Games", on Real Football Central. Each week during the 2018 season, we'll take a brief look at the top games in FBS (Group Of Five), FCS, and small college football (NCAA Division II, Division III, and NAIA), with predictions!

If you're wondering what the "Group Of Five" is, it consists of the American Athletic Conference, Conference USA, Mid-American, Mountain West, and Sun Belt Conferences.  Oh, and there no games involving any teams in the Power 5 Conferences. 
 
So, without further ado, let's get started!

KEY: Projected winners marked in RED.

Featured games in BOLD type.

Saturday, August 25

FBS Group Of Five

Wyoming at New Mexico State

(Cowboys hit the road to take on the Aggies in a battle of bowl winners from 2017!!! Wyoming won the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, while NMSU rallied to stun Utah State, and win the NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl!!!)

Hawaii at Colorado State

FCS

North Carolina A&T vs. Jacksonville State

(Guardian Credit Union FCS Kickoff Classic at Montgomery, Ala.: Gamecocks to face the Aggies, who were the lone unbeaten team in the FCS last season [12-0 in 2017].)

NAIA

St. Xavier at Marian

(Preseason No. 6 Cougars travel to Indianapolis to face preseason No. 15 Knights in a key early-season Mid-States Football Association clash!!!)

Faulkner at Campbellsville

(Preseason No. 19 Tigers play host to the No. 24 Eagles in the season opener for both teams!!!)

MidAmerica Nazarene at Midland

INTERDIVISIONAL GAME

Duquesne (FCS) at UMass (FBS Group Of Five)

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THE RFC MYC: Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC)-(NCAA Division II)

2017 RMAC Final Standings (Courtesy of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference)

2018 RMAC Preseason Football Poll (Courtesy of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference)

Overview: The Colorado Mesa University Mavericks (9-2 overall) and the Colorado State University-Pueblo Thunderwolves (9-3 overall) both shared the 2017 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) championship at 9-1 in conference play. However, one of the co-champions found themselves on the outside looking in when Selection Sunday arrived last fall, while the latter squad advanced to the NCAA Division II playoffs, only to lose in a first-round heartbreaker.

Despite suffering their lone losses of last season to CSU-Pueblo and Azusa Pacific, it was that loss to the latter team on the final week of the regular season that proved costly for CMU, as the Mavericks were left out of the NCAA Division II playoff field. On the other hand, a hard-fought 30-24 win over the Mavericks on September 30 that made the difference for the Thunderwolves, as they advanced to postseason play. CSU-Pueblo gave Minnesota State-Mankato all it could handle before losing 16-13 in overtime.

As the 2018 season starts, expect CSU-Pueblo and CMU to do battle for the RMAC championship once again, although Colorado Mines (7-4 overall) could have a say in the championship conversation before all is said and done in November.

NOTE: If the link to the team's schedule is not highlighted, it means that the team has not submitted its schedule for the 2018 season. When the team's schedule is submitted, the link (s) will appear in each blog post. Also, please visit the RFC blog at realfootballcentral.blogspot.com for preseason previews, schedules, schedule updates, and much more.

Adams State

Black Hills State

Chadron State

Colorado Mesa

Colorado Mines

Colorado State-Pueblo

Dixie State

Fort Lewis

New Mexico Highlands

South Dakota Mines

Western State

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THE RFC MYC: American Southwest Conference (ASC)-(NCAA Division III)

2017 ASC Final Standings (Courtesy of the American Southwest Conference)

2018 ASC Preseason Football Poll (Courtesy of the American Southwest Conference)

Overview: The 2017 season in the American Southwest Conference (ASC) was dominated by the two teams with the "Hardin" name in them, as the then-defending NCAA Division III national champion University of Mary Hardin-Baylor Crusaders (14-1 overall) and the Hardin-Simmons University Cowboys (9-2 overall) advanced to postseason play last fall, with UMHB advancing to its second straight Stagg Bowl, only to lose to Mount Union, while H-SU fell to Linfield in the second round.

As the 2018 season begins, if the pre-season poll listed above is any indication, expect both "Hardin's", in Mary Hardin-Baylor and Hardin-Simmons, respectively, to not only do battle for the ASC title but also make deep playoff runs this fall.

NOTE: If the link to the team's schedule is not highlighted, it means that the team has not submitted its schedule for the 2018 season. When the team's schedule is submitted, the link (s) will appear in each blog post. Also, please visit the RFC blog at realfootballcentral.blogspot.com for preseason previews, schedules, schedule updates, and much more.

Belhaven

East Texas Baptist

Hardin-Simmons

Howard Payne

Louisiana College

Mary Hardin-Baylor

McMurry

Southwestern (Tex.)

Sul Ross State

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