RFC Summer Semester: Frontier Conference Preview (NAIA)

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2012 Final Standings

Looking back:  For the first time in a long time, Carroll (Mont.) failed to advance to the NAIA playoffs.  Instead, Southern Oregon and Montana Tech represented in the Frontier Conference in postseason play, with the Raiders advancing to the quarterfinals before losing to Morningside, 47-44, in overtime.  As for the Orediggers, they lost back-to-back games to end the 2012 season, losing to SOU in the regular season finale, before being ousted in the first round of the NAIA playoffs by Morningside, 40-35.

Looking ahead:  Can Carroll return to the form that won them national championships (2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2010)?  Or can Montana Tech and Southern Oregon prove that they're here to stay as perennial contenders in the Frontier Conference?  Those are just two of the many questions that will be answered during the upcoming 2013 season.

Predicted order of finish (2012 overall record in parentheses)

1. Montana Tech (8-3):  With a preseason national ranking of No. 7 in the NAIA poll, the Orediggers hope that will be a banner year, and then some, in 2013.


2. Carroll (Mont.)--(7-4):  After a rare down season, the Saints hope to reclaim their position as one of the elite teams in the Frontier Conference, as well as the NAIA as a whole.

3. Southern Oregon (9-3):  Although they begin the 2013 season as the nation's No. 14 team during the preseason, the Raiders still have a lot to prove if they want to remain among the elite programs in the NAIA.

4.  Rocky Mountain (6-5):  The Bears will have their work cut out for them if they hope to be in the hunt for the Frontier Conference title in 2013.

5.  Eastern Oregon (4-6):  The Mountaineers look to improve after a disappointing 2012 season in which they lost five of their six games by 10 or more points.

6.  Montana State-Northern (3-7):  The Lights hope to see some light at the end of the tunnel in 2013.

7. Montana Western (4-6):  Bulldogs begin a new era under new head coach B.J. Robertson.

8. Dickinson State (1-9):  Blue Hawks face a tough task in 2013.

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