skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Website
2012 Final Standings
Looking back: Adrian advanced to postseason play for the first time since 1988, as they finished Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) action undefeated at 6-0. But the Bulldogs run in the 2012 NCAA Division III playoffs was cut short, as Franklin finished off their season with a 42-10 rout in round one.
Looking ahead: Can Adrian make it back-to-back MIAA championships in 2013? Or will some other team step up, and dethrone the Bulldogs?
Predicted order of finish (2012 overall record in parentheses)
1. Adrian (9-2): The Bulldogs will try to build on the 17-4 combined record they've compiled over the last two years?
2. Trine (7-3): Thunder will try to make it seven straight winning seasons in 2013.
3. Albion (6-4): A tough schedule awaits the Britons in 2013, as they must face seven teams that won five or more games in 2012.
4. Hope (5-5): The Flying Dutch look to move up in the MIAA standings after finishing 4-2 in conference play last year. Head Coach Dean Kreps (94-82 overall) is just six wins away from becoming yet another member of the 100-win club.
5. Kalamazoo (5-5): The Hornets must face seven teams that finished at .500 or better last season.
6. Alma (1-9): 2013 slate includes games against 2012 D-III playoff participants Heidelberg and Wisconsin-Oshkosh.
7. Olivet (0-10): Comets have won just two games dating back to the 2008 season. Their last winning season came in 2007, when they finished 6-5 (6-1 in the MIAA) and advanced to the NCAA Division III playoffs.
Follow RFC on Twitter @realfootball.
Website
2012 Final Standings (click the links below)
Mideast League
Midwest League
Looking back: Here's something out of the "believe it or not" department: Three teams finishing in a three-way tie for first place in both divisions at the end of the regular season. That's what happened in the Mid-States Football Association at the close of 2012, as Marian, St. Francis (Ind.), and St. Xavier shared the Mideast League title, while Grand View, St. Ambrose, and William Penn all grabbed a piece of the Midwest League crown. The Knights would go on to win their first-ever NAIA national championship in football, defeating Morningside, 30-27, in overtime.
Looking ahead: Expect the title races in both divisions to be very intense in 2013.
Predicted order of finish (2012 overall record in parentheses)
East Division
1. Marian (12-1): Knights will try to accomplish the rarest of all feats in football, or any sport, for that matter: win back-to-back national championships in 2013. Still, they have a couple of tough early season contests against the likes of St. Xavier and NCAA Division III playoff participant Wisconsin-Oshkosh.
2. St. Xavier (11-2): Don't be surprised if the Cougars mount a serious challenge to the Knights in the Mideast League.
3. St. Francis (Ind.)--(9-3): Another pack of Cougars, the ones from Fort Wayne, Indiana, will play four of their first six games on the road to open 2013.
4. Siena Heights (4-6): Saints will face six teams that finishing with winning records last year, including NCAA Division II St. Joseph's. Ouch!
5. Taylor (4-6): Trojans will try to improve on last year's 1-4 mark in conference games from a year ago.
6. Concordia (Mich.)--(0-9): The Cardinals will to try to win their first-ever game on the football field after losing 20 straight games over the last two years.
West Division
1. St. Ambrose (9-2): Bees look to make a deep postseason run after losing to Southern Oregon in the first round of the NAIA playoffs last year.
2. William Penn (9-3): The Statesmen hope to get back to the playoffs as well, after advancing to the quarterfinals, only to fall to St. Xavier in round one last year.
3. Grand View (8-3): A heartbreaking loss to William Penn on the last day of the regular season cost the Vikings a playoff berth. It's a goal they hope to achieve in 2013.
4. St. Francis (Ill.)--(6-5): The Fighting Saints will open the 2013 campaign with three straight road games, before finally facing St. Xavier in their home opener on September 28.
5. Trinity International (4-7): Trojans lost five games by 10 or more points in 2012.
6. Waldorf (3-8): Warriors face a tough road to the top in second-year head coach Kent Anderson.
7. Olivet Nazarene (3-8): Talk about your tough schedules! The Tigers must face five teams that were nationally ranked in the 2013 NAIA spring poll.
8. Robert Morris (Ill.)--(8-3): Eagles will try to avoid the "sophomore jinx" in their second season of football.
Follow RFC on Twitter @realfootball.
Website
2012 Final Standings
Looking back: Three teams from the Mid-South Conference were selected to the 2012 NAIA playoffs. Bethel (Tenn.) upset No. 1 and previously undefeated Georgetown (Ky.), 45-44, in the first round. The Wildcats lost to Missouri Valley, 10-7, in the quarterfinals. The third team, Cumberlands (Ky.), advanced to the quarterfinals as well, losing to St. Xavier, 35-21.
Looking ahead: With the departure of Virginia-Wise to the newly-formed NCAA Division II Mountain East Conference, the NAIA Mid-South Conference will play with just five teams in the East Division, and seven teams in the West Division, in 2013.
Predicted order of finish (2012 overall record in parentheses)
East Division
1. Georgetown (Ky.)--(10-1): The Tigers hope to use the sting of last year's playoff loss as motivation for this year.
2. Cumberlands (Ky.)--(10-2): The Patriots hope to land another postseason under head coach John Bland, who enters his eighth season with the program, compiling an overall record of 57-25 since 2006.
3. Kentucky Christian (7-4): The Knights hope to continue their upward climb under new head coach Gene Peterson.
4. Union (Ky.)--(4-7): The Bulldogs have had just two winning seasons dating back to 1996. However, they did end the 2012 season on a winning note, as they edged rival Pikeville in a thriller, 60-59, on November 10.
5. Pikeville (3-8): The Bears will play all but two games within the state of Kentucky in 2013, with five of those contests being played at home.
West Division
1. Bethel (Tenn.)--(9-4): The Wildcats might be hard pressed to match last year's success.
2. Cumberland (Tenn.)--(8-3): Bulldogs face a tough road to the top, literally, as they must play six of their 11 games of 2013 on the road.
3. Faulkner (6-5): The Eagles finished conference play at 4-2 last season, good enough to finish in a three-way tie for second place in the West Division.
4. Belhaven (6-5): If the Blazers hope to move up in the standings this season, they must learn how to win the close games that eluded them last season, as they lost three of their five games by six points or less. By the way, the Blazers also overcame an 0-3 start to finish with a winning record.
5. Campbellsville (3-8): Fighting Tigers look to bounce back after a dismal 2012 season.
6. Lindsey Wilson (3-8): The Blue Raiders also had their share of close losses last season, losing four games by seven points or less.
7. Bluefield (0-11): Rams hope to get on the winning track under new head coach Ordell Walker.
Follow RFC on Twitter @realfootball.
Editor's Note: For the first time in the seven-year history of the Real Football Central blog, we'll cover the so-called "Group of Five" conferences that make up the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS).
They're known as the American Athletic Conference, Conference USA, Mid-American Conference, Mountain West Conference, and the Sun Belt Conference.
With that said, here we go! The websites for each conference are marked in BOLD type.
American Athletic Conference: Formed from the conference formerly known as the Big East, the University of Louisville will be in the AAC for just one season (2013), before jumping to the ACC next season (2014). By 2015, the AAC will have 12 member schools. Also, Rutgers is expected to join the Big 10 Conerence by 2014. Navy will join the AAC for football only by 2015 as well.
Conference USA: C-USA will 14 schools playing football in 2013, but will lose East Carolina to the AAC by 2014. Additionally, Tulsa will join the AAC in 2015. Also, Western Kentucky will join C-USA by 2014, while Old Dominion and Charlotte will join the conference for football by 2015.
Mid-American Conference: Perhaps the most stable of all of the "Group of Five" conferences, don't expect any current members of the MAC to leave anytime soon. Expect maybe, for current football associate member Massachusetts.
Mountain West Conference: Just last year, Boise State and San Diego State appeared poised to join to the conference that's now the AAC. But the most recent realignment frenzy forced both schools to reconsider, and rejoin the MWC, for now.
Sun Belt Conference: The SBC currently has 10 members, but will have 11 full members by 2014. By then, perennial FCS powers Appalachian State and Georgia Southern will be on board as full members, with Idaho State and New Mexico State joining as football-only members.
Follow RFC on Twitter @realfootball.
Website
2012 Final Standings
Looking back: Mount Union added yet another NCAA Division III national championship to its trophy case, their 11th title over the last 20 years. The Purple Raiders defeated St. Thomas, 28-10, to take home their most recent crown.
Looking ahead: For the first time in nearly three decades, Mount Union will have a new head coach roaming the sidelines. Longtime head coach Larry Kehres retired in June, handing the reins over to his son Vince.
Predicted order of finish (2012 overall record in parentheses)
1. Mount Union (15-0): Even with a new head coach, the Purple Raiders are still the team to beat in the OAC, as well as the rest of the nation. Of course, until another team proves otherwise.
2. Otterbein (8-2): One team that might put an end to the "purple reign" of Mount Union could be the Cardinals, who lost both games in blowout fashion last year.
3. Heidelberg (9-2): Coming off their most successful season in at least 40 years, which included an NCAA Division III playoff appearance last season, the Student Princes won't be sneaking up on anyone this season.
4. Baldwin Wallace (7-3): Yellow Jackets must pay visits to Mount Union and Otterbein during the 2013 season.
5. John Carroll (6-4): Blue Streaks will open the 2013 season against perennial Midwest Conference power St. Norbert on September 7, in suburban Chicago of all places.
6. Ohio Northern (4-6): Polar Bears look to bounce back after a disappointing 2012 season.
7. Capital (2-8): Crusaders look to rebuild under new head coach Craig Candeto.
8. Muskingum (3-7): Muskies must square off against six teams that finished above .500 last year.
9. Wilmington (1-9): The Quakers start a new era under new head coach Stacey Hairston.
10. Marietta (0-10): Winless Pioneers will also start fresh under a new head coach in Andy Waddle.
Follow RFC on Twitter @realfootball.
Website
2012 Final Standings
Looking back: While Wittenberg and Ohio Wesleyan both shared the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) championship (both teams finished league play at 6-1) in 2012, it was the Tigers that advanced to the NCAA Division III playoffs, advancing to the second round before bowing to Hobart on the road. On the other hand, the Battling Bishops found themselves sitting at home for the holidays instead of playing in the playoffs, despite a 9-1 regular season record.
Looking ahead: Expect the race for the 2013 NCAC title to be a toss-up between two, or three, or even four teams: Wabash, Wittenberg, and (maybe) Ohio Wesleyan or Kenyon. Making things even more suspenseful is the fact that every team in the conference will play each other this season, for a total of nine league contests apiece.
Predicted order of finish (2012 overall record in parentheses)
1. Wittenberg (10-2): Tigers look to have another banner year under head coach Joe Fincham, who carries a career record of 154-35 record into the 2013 season.
2. Wabash (8-2): Little Giants might have a say in who finishes on top in the NCAC, as head coach Eric Raeburn (104-35 overall) is 47-9 entering his sixth season in Crawfordsville.
3. Ohio Wesleyan (9-1): Had it not been for a late season shutout loss to the aforementioned Wabash, the Battling Bishops not only would have finished the regular season unbeaten, but also would have advanced to the D-III playoffs. If they're to get that elusive postseason berth, they must pay visits to Wabash and Wittenberg this season.
4. Kenyon (6-4): The Lords hope to crash the party, and make a big splash in the NCAC after finishing 5-2 in league play last season.
5. Allegheny (5-5): The Gators will face five teams that finished with winning records in 2012, with four of those games to be played within the first five weeks of 2013.
6. Denison (4-6): The Big Red will shoot for their first season of at least nine wins since 1986 (9-1 overall). But with a brutal schedule that includes back-to-back road trips to Wabash and Ohio Wesleyan in late September, as well as a visit to Wittenberg two weeks after that, accomplishing that task won't be easy.
7. Oberlin (4-6): Yeomen have a tough row to hoe in 2013.
8. DePauw (2-8): Tigers look to rebuild under new head coach Bill Lynch.
9. Wooster (2-8): The Scots are also starting over under new head coach Frank Colaprete.
10. Hiram (0-10): Put the Terriers in the "nowhere to go but up" category.
Follow RFC on Twitter @realfootball.
