RFC Summer Semester: New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Preview (NCAA Division III)

New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Preview (NCAA Division III)

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2013 Final Standings

Looking back: Rowan advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division III playoffs in 2013, shutting out Endicott, 24-0, before being blasted by Mary Hardin-Baylor, 59-8.  The only other team from the NJAC to advance to postseason play was now former member Brockport, as the Golden Eagles ended last season on a seven-game winning streak, thanks to a dramatic 19-12 win over Waynesburg in the ECAC Northwest Bowl.

Looking ahead: Expect many changes--both on and off the field--for the NJAC in 2014 and 2015. Brockport departs for the Empire 8 this season, while both Cortland State and Morrisville State will follow suit in time for next season. In response, the NJAC adds Southern Virginia as an associate member this season, while Cortland State, Frostburg State, Salisbury, and Wesley will enter the fold by next season.


Predicted order of finish (2013 overall record in parentheses):

1. Rowan (9-3):  The Profs will gear up for the tough NJAC schedule ahead with back-to-back road games against 2013 D-III playoff participants Framingham State and future NJAC foe Wesley in consecutive weeks: September 13 and 20.  Oh, and they'll open league play at home against soon-to-be former associate member Cortland State after a bye week, on October 4.

2. Cortland State (6-5):  The Red Dragons look to bounce back after a rare down year in 2013. They lost three of their five games by eight points or less.  

3. College of New Jersey (5-5):  The Lions also had their ups-and-downs in close games last year, going 4-2 in games decided by eight points or less. They even won four straight games that were decided by five points or less. 

4. Montclair State (4-6):  The Red Hawks look to get back to their usual winning ways after suffering one of their worst seasons in recent memory, finishing a mediocre 3-4 in NJAC play last season. 

5. Morrisville State (3-7):  A season-ending five-game skid put a damper to the 2013 season for the Mustangs. They hope to go into 2014 with hopes of having a much happier ending, which would include the program's first-ever winning season.

6. William Paterson (3-7):  Pioneers have a tough row to hoe in trying to climb out of the NJAC lower division this season. 

7. Kean (2-8):  The Cougars fortunes took a turn for the worse since their 2011 playoff appearance, going from 10 to five to just two wins over the last three years.  It's a situation that their fans hope will be reversed in 2014.

8. Southern Virginia (8-2):  It appears that the Knights might find themselves in for a rough maiden voyage in the NJAC for 2014.  Not only that, they'll also have a new head coach in Jason Walker.

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