RFC Small College Preview: Northeast 10 Conference (NE10)

Northeast 10 Conference (NE10)

2015 Football Standings - Northeast 10 Conference

Looking back: The Assumption College Greyhounds had their best season ever on the football field in 2015, not only winning their first-ever Northeast 10 Conference (NE10) title, but also advancing to the NCAA Division II playoffs for the first time ever. They beat Bowie State in the first round, before losing a hard fought contest to Slippery Rock, 41-39, in the second round. The Greyhounds were the only NE10 team to finish the season with double-digit wins. In fact, no other team won more than seven games overall last fall.

Looking ahead: Don't be surprised if Assumption is the presumed favorite to win the Northeast 10 Conference championship in 2016.

Predicted order of finish (2015 overall record in parentheses):

1. Assumption (11-2):  Can the Greyhounds repeat last year's success this year? If they can get quality contributions from players such as Rookie Of The Year Deonte Harris, as well as many other players, they could go deeper into NCAA postseason play this fall.

2. New Haven (7-4): After finishing second in the NE10 at 7-2 last season, don't sleep on the Chargers this season either.

3. LIU Post (7-4): While the Pioneers will shoot for their fourth straight winning season, they'll try to take aim at an elusive NCAA Division II playoff berth.

4. Stonehill (7-4): As this post was being produced, the Skyhawks have suddenly found themselves in the market for a new head coach, as Robert Talley stepped down in late April after nine years at the helm.

5. Merrimack (6-5): The Warriors overcame an 0-3 start to finish 6-3 in NE10 play last season, good enough for third place in the conference. It'll be interesting to see if they can make a move up in the standings this season. All five of their losses in 2015 came by seven points or less.

6. Bentley (5-6): The Falcons also had their ups and downs in 2015, finishing in a three-way tie for fourth in league play at 5-4.

7. American International (4-7): Points were hard to come by for the Yellow Jackets last season, as they were held to seven points or less in five of the seven games they lost in 2015.

8. Southern Connecticut State (4-7): The Owls will look to bounce back after a disappointing 2015 campaign that saw them finish 3-6 in NE10 games.

9. Saint Anselm (3-8): The Hawks have turned to former Syracuse assistant coach Joe Adam to lead their long-struggling program.

10. Pace (1-10): The Setters face yet another uphill battle after going winless at 0-9 in NE10 play last year.

Follow RFC on Twitter @realfootball.