Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC)
2014 GLIAC Football Standings
Looking back: The 2014 season saw two teams; Ferris State and Ohio Dominican, advance to the NCAA Division II playoffs with double-digit wins. To the misfortune of many football fans that follow the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC), both aforementioned squads squared off in the second round of the playoffs, with the upstart Panthers pulling off the upset over the top-seeded Bulldogs in a 46-33 upset win. ODU then fell to eventual national champion Colorado State-Pueblo, 31-28, in the quarterfinals. A third team, Michigan Tech, fell to Angelo State in the first round of the playoffs, 42-41.
Looking ahead: The GLIAC is due for a major shakeup over the next several seasons, as six of its members have announced plans to leave for the fledgling Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC). Malone University will join the G-MAC in 2016-17, followed by Findlay, Hillsdale, Lake Erie, Ohio Dominican, and Walsh in 2017-18. These aforementioned departures will leave the GLIAC with nine football playing schools staying in the conference by the start of the 2017 season.
Predicted order of finish (2014 overall record in parentheses):
1. Ferris State (11-1): The Bulldogs must overcome the loss of 17 seniors, as well as depend on the contributions of Sporting News pre-season All-Americans Jason Vander Laan at quarterback, and Justin Zimmer at defensive end, in order to stay on top in the GLIAC this season.
2. Ohio Dominican (11-2): Head Coach Bill Conley and the Panthers will look to build on their 2014 success, with an October 17 re-match at Ferris State looming large.
3. Michigan Tech (9-2): The Huskies enter this fall looking to earn back-to-back NCAA Division II playoff appearances for the first-time ever.
4. Ashland (8-2): The Eagles will look to make a serious postseason push after being ranked 23rd by Lindy's Sports in its preseason poll.
5. Wayne State (Mich.)--(7-4): A four-game winning streak to end the 2014 season has the Warriors and their faithful cautiously optimistic for the 2015 season.
6. Grand Valley State (6-5): The Lakers will face Ferris State and Ohio Dominican on the road in back-to-back weeks to open GLIAC play.
7. Findlay (5-6): With the move to the G-MAC looming in 2017, the Oilers hope to move up in the GLIAC standings in 2015.
8. Northwood (5-6): The Timberwolves last winning season came in 2009, when they finished 7-3 overall.
9. Tiffin (5-6): A season-ending three-game losing streak deprived the Dragons of their first winning season since 2007, when they finished 9-2 overall.
10. Hillsdale (4-7): The Chargers face an uphill battle after a disappointing 2014 season.
11. Lake Erie (4-7): The upcoming move to the G-MAC in 2017 can't come soon enough for the Storm.
12. Walsh (4-7): Same thing goes for the Cavaliers.
13. Northern Michigan (2-8): Wins have been by hard to come by lately for the Wildcats, as they've won just five games over the last two years.
14. Saginaw Valley State (2-9): One year after advancing to the NCAA Division II playoffs (2013), the Cardinals will look to return to the top of the GLIAC after a dismal 2014 season.
15. Malone (1-10): The Pioneers will look to rebuild under sixth-year head coach Eric Hehman, as they begin their GLIAC swansong.
Follow RFC on Twitter @realfootball.
5 years ago
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