All Things 2024 College Football D2 and D3 Thread

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Coaches poll for Division II is out. NSIC teams in bold, Minnesota teams in italics.
  1. Harding (25)
  2. Central Missouri
  3. Ferris State (1)
  4. Grand Valley State (1)
  5. Colorado School of Mines
  6. Pittsburg State
  7. Valdosta State
  8. Central Washington
  9. Lenoir-Rhyne
  10. Kutztown
  11. Slippery Rock
  12. West Florida
  13. Minnesota State-Mankato
  14. Augustana
  15. Western Colorado
  16. Indianapolis
  17. Minnesota-Duluth
  18. Delta State
  19. Ouachita Baptist
  20. Virginia Union
  21. Texas-Permian Basin
  22. Northwest Missouri State
  23. Charleston
  24. Angelo State
  25. Bemidji State
Others Receiving Votes
Benedict, Henderson State, Virginia State, Tiffin, Southern Arkansas, Ashland, Davenport, Wingate, Emporia State, Colorado State-Pueblo, Albany State, Findlay, Texas A&M-Kingsville, California (PA), Oklahoma Baptist, Shepherd, New Haven, Fort Hays State, Wayne State (NE), East Stroudsburg, Truman State, Fort Valley State, Indiana (PA)
 

IceBoxGopher said:
Coaches poll for Division II is out. NSIC teams in bold, Minnesota teams in italics.
  1. Harding (25)
  2. Central Missouri
  3. Ferris State (1)
  4. Grand Valley State (1)
  5. Colorado School of Mines
  6. Pittsburg State
  7. Valdosta State
  8. Central Washington
  9. Lenoir-Rhyne
  10. Kutztown
  11. Slippery Rock
  12. West Florida
  13. Minnesota State-Mankato
  14. Augustana
  15. Western Colorado
  16. Indianapolis
  17. Minnesota-Duluth
  18. Delta State
  19. Ouachita Baptist
  20. Virginia Union
  21. Texas-Permian Basin
  22. Northwest Missouri State
  23. Charleston
  24. Angelo State
  25. Bemidji State
Others Receiving Votes
Benedict, Henderson State, Virginia State, Tiffin, Southern Arkansas, Ashland, Davenport, Wingate, Emporia State, Colorado State-Pueblo, Albany State, Findlay, Texas A&M-Kingsville, California (PA), Oklahoma Baptist, Shepherd, New Haven, Fort Hays State, Wayne State (NE), East Stroudsburg, Truman State, Fort Valley State, Indiana (PA)
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Thanks for posting. Should be a fun season. I have a feeling MN State will be a factor.
 


a few D2 & D3 notes courtesy of the MN Strib:

(changes in D3 playoffs)
An expansion of the D-III playoff field this season from 32 to 40 teams will add more at-large teams to go with the 28 automatic berths. In addition to adding eight teams to the D-III playoff field, the Division III Management Council also approved the use of the NCAA Power Index (NPI) for the selection of the at-large berths. NPI is a combination of winning percentage, strength of schedule, home-away multiplier, quality win bonus and overtime results.

(upcoming MIAC schedule changes)
This will be the fourth and final season of divisions in MIAC football. The MIAC split into two five-team divisions (Northwoods and Skyline) beginning in 2021. In 2025 and ’26, MIAC teams will play an eight-game schedule, with the final game coming as part of a championship week. Beginning in 2027, the MIAC will return to a nine-game conference schedule with one nonconference game.

pre-season rankings:
D3
#1 North Central (ill)
#2 Cortland
#3 UW Whitewater
#4 Wartburg
#5 Mount Union
#6 UW-LaCrosse
#14 St. John's
#17 UW-River Falls
others receiving votes - Bethel UW-Platteville, UW-Oshkosh

D2:
#1 Harding
#2 Central Missouri
#3 Ferris State
#4 Pittsburg State
#5 Grand Valley State
#11 MSU-Mankato
#20 Bemidji State
#21 Augustana
#25 UM-Duluth

Some NSIC schools open up the season on Thursday, Aug 29, including UMD at Northern Michigan, MSU-Mankato at NW Missouri State, Michigan Tech at Bemidji State and U of Sioux Falls at St. Thomas

MIAC football opens up in 2 weeks. Augsburg jumps the gun by playing on Friday, Sept 6 hosting Valley City State of ND. other schools open on Sat, Sept 7. first week of conference games on Sat, Sept 28
 

short ornery norwegian said:
a few D2 & D3 notes courtesy of the MN Strib:

(changes in D3 playoffs)
An expansion of the D-III playoff field this season from 32 to 40 teams will add more at-large teams to go with the 28 automatic berths. In addition to adding eight teams to the D-III playoff field, the Division III Management Council also approved the use of the NCAA Power Index (NPI) for the selection of the at-large berths. NPI is a combination of winning percentage, strength of schedule, home-away multiplier, quality win bonus and overtime results.

(upcoming MIAC schedule changes)
This will be the fourth and final season of divisions in MIAC football. The MIAC split into two five-team divisions (Northwoods and Skyline) beginning in 2021. In 2025 and ’26, MIAC teams will play an eight-game schedule, with the final game coming as part of a championship week. Beginning in 2027, the MIAC will return to a nine-game conference schedule with one nonconference game.

pre-season rankings:
D3
#1 North Central (ill)
#2 Cortland
#3 UW Whitewater
#4 Wartburg
#5 Mount Union
#6 UW-LaCrosse
#14 St. John's
#17 UW-River Falls
others receiving votes - Bethel UW-Platteville, UW-Oshkosh

D2:
#1 Harding
#2 Central Missouri
#3 Ferris State
#4 Pittsburg State
#5 Grand Valley State
#11 MSU-Mankato
#20 Bemidji State
#21 Augustana
#25 UM-Duluth

Some NSIC schools open up the season on Thursday, Aug 29, including UMD at Northern Michigan, MSU-Mankato at NW Missouri State, Michigan Tech at Bemidji State and U of Sioux Falls at St. Thomas

MIAC football opens up in 2 weeks. Augsburg jumps the gun by playing on Friday, Sept 6 hosting Valley City State of ND. other schools open on Sat, Sept 7. first week of conference games on Sat, Sept 28
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Yeah, what's weird is this season there are bye weeks, but because of how teams schedule, there are a few programs, Minnesota State Moorhead being one of them, that basically had to have week one be the bye week. So they don't kick off until Sept. 5.
 

Lacrosse is the preseason WIAC favorite. Several Minnesota kids on that roster.
wiacsports.com

2024 WIAC Football Preview

MADISON, Wis.--University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, the winner of two consecutive conference championships, has been tabbed to win the 2024 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) football title, according to a preseason poll conducted by the league’s head coaches and sports...
wiacsports.com wiacsports.com
 

St. Thomas football, picked high again, gets big test at home vs. Northern Iowa on Sept. 7​

Since Glenn Caruso became the St. Thomas football coach in 2008, the Tommies have been consistently good.

They have not lost more than three games in a season in his 15 seasons and have continued their consistency since they moved from Division III to Division I in 2021.

Since joining the FCS Pioneer Football League, the Tommies are 25-7 overall and 21-3 in conference games. Both of those records are the best among the 11 conference teams. The Tommies, who are 12-0 in conference home games, have not finished lower than third in the league.

“It starts with longevity,” Caruso said. “You have to know who you are as a team. That can change a little bit every year. But the foundational premise of the program hasn’t changed.”

The Tommies, who were Pioneer League runners-up last season, are expected to be solid again this year. They were picked second behind defending conference champion Drake in the league’s preseason poll.

“We appreciate the acknowledgment from the league’s coaches,” Caruso said, “It’s nice, but we just have to focus on what we can control.”

For the Tommies, that means focusing on the regular season, as they again are ineligible for the 16-team FCS tournament. The NCAA mandated a five-year moratorium on postseason play when St. Thomas received a waiver to jump from D-III to D-I, meaning the Tommies’ first year of eligibility comes in 2026.

The Tommies were the Pioneer League champion in 2022 and had only one conference loss last season, 52-21 to Drake in Des Moines. This season, the teams play on Nov. 9 in St. Paul.

www.startribune.com

St. Thomas football, picked high again, gets big test at home vs. Northern Iowa on Sept. 7

The Tommies return several key pieces from a team that finished second in the Pioneer Football League last season.
www.startribune.com www.startribune.com

Go Gophers!!
 



Schnauzer said:
I’m assuming it will annually be St. John’s, Gustavus, and Bethel… with some Augsburg possibilities thrown in.
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St. Johns' coach got boosters to pay NIL money to have a 24 year old graduated QB return for the season. He is 1-3 in the playoffs in his career and has a torn up throwing shoulder. He had 4 INT against Wartburg two years ago. They recruited a 25 year old married running back. So much for the John Gag's winning methods. Big Red is Dead
 

Tommyboy said:
St. Johns' coach got boosters to pay NIL money to have a 24 year old graduated QB return for the season. He is 1-3 in the playoffs in his career and has a torn up throwing shoulder. He had 4 INT against Wartburg two years ago. They recruited a 25 year old married running back. So much for the John Gag's winning methods. Big Red is Dead
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Is your kid still on the team?
 


NSIC team Sioux Falls defeated St. Thomas last night, and it wasn't close. The Cougars won 34-13. I think it's a pretty big win for USF. They had a top tier program before entering DII. Since joining the NSIC, they've been pretty consistently good, but haven't quite reached the heights of Mankato or Duluth, so last night was a statement.

It was a great night for the whole league, too, in a bunch of non-conference games:
  • UMD defeated Northern Michigan
  • Minnesota St. Mankato defeated Northwest Missouri St.
  • Bemidji St. defeated Michigan Tech
  • Wayne St. defeated Missouri S&T
  • Minot St. defeated Valley City St (NAIA)
  • Mary defeated Jamestown (NAIA)
The only loss for the league was Northern State getting blown out by South Dakota, but that was tough match-up in general.
 
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I believe USF was 3-8 last year. They've been ok in the NSIC. The reality is that while Pioneer League is FCS football, its a garbage league. Once in a while their auto-bid team will win a first round playoff game but for the most part Pioneer teams are cannon fodder. Last year's conference champ, Drake, obliterated St Thomas but was in turn obliterated by scholarship FCS schools and even lost to NAIA Northwestern (IA). The Pioneer is probably the right place for UST, but fans of the program can forget about playing meaningful football games ever again.
IceBoxGopher said:
NSIC team Sioux Falls defeated St. Thomas last night, and it wasn't close. The Cougars won 34-13. I think it's a pretty big win for USF. They had a top tier program before entering DII. Since joining the NSIC, they've been pretty consistently good, but haven't quite reached the heights of Mankato or Duluth, so last night was a statement.
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IceBoxGopher said:
NSIC team Sioux Falls defeated St. Thomas last night, and it wasn't close. The Cougars won 34-13. I think it's a pretty big win for USF. They had a top tier program before entering DII. Since joining the NSIC, they've been pretty consistently good, but haven't quite reached the heights of Mankato or Duluth, so last night was a statement.

It was a great night for the whole league, too, in a bunch of non-conference games:
  • UMD defeated Northern Michigan
  • Minnesota St. Mankato defeated Northwest Missouri St.
  • Bemidji St. defeated Michigan Tech
  • Wayne St. defeated Missouri S&T
  • Minot St. defeated Valley City St (NAIA)
  • Mary defeated Jamestown (NAIA)
The only loss for the league was Northern State getting blown out by South Dakota, but that was tough match-up in general.
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Nice win for Sioux Falls. I'm a bit surprised the Tommies even took the game. FCS was 50-10 against D2 the past couple years. Even though Pioneer league isn't real FCS, it's still a feather in Sioux Falls' cap.
 

swede2 said:
I believe USF was 3-8 last year. They've been ok in the NSIC. The reality is that while Pioneer League is FCS football, its a garbage league. Once in a while their auto-bid team will win a first round playoff game but for the most part Pioneer teams are cannon fodder. Last year's conference champ, Drake, obliterated St Thomas but was in turn obliterated by scholarship FCS schools and even lost to NAIA Northwestern (IA). The Pioneer is probably the right place for UST, but fans of the program can forget about playing meaningful football games ever again.
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Well said.. Pioneer Football is bad..
 

IceBoxGopher said:
The only loss for the league was Northern State getting blown out by South Dakota, but that was tough match-up in general.
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USD is a highly ranked FCS school that lost a fair bit of talent on the defensive side (including Myles Harden, drafted by CLE) but returns a lot of talent on the offensive side of the ball and is very experienced. I assume USD called off the dogs early in that one and assume that's why the spread wasn't bigger. NSU actually drove deep into USD territory on its first possession but settled for a field goal. It was all down hill after that. USD returned the ensuing kickoff for a TD and also had a punt return for a TD in the first half. The 12th game this year for FCS teams created some interesting opportunities for old DII foes - SDSU hosts Augustana in a couple of weeks. SDSU had an FCS opponent buyout a contract last winter and was able to add Augie. The game sold out all 19,003 seats before single game tickets went on sale to the public. SDSU and Augie had a great rivalry in the old NCC days.
 

Caruso had better teams back in the early 2010s. He’s a quirky SOB kinda like PJ and may have a ceiling as far as how far he can take that program as they evolve over time. I can’t imagine ultimately they want to stay in the Pioneer.
 

Gopherchase said:
Caruso had better teams back in the early 2010s. He’s a quirky SOB kinda like PJ and may have a ceiling as far as how far he can take that program as they evolve over time. I can’t imagine ultimately they want to stay in the Pioneer.
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Not that it can't be done but the investment to get to MVFC support will be huge. I believe, for instance, that South Dakota State spends just under $5,000,000 per season on football alone. Scholarships, full cost of attendance, Alston. Where does the revenue come from to fund that? And then there's the issue of facilities. I would guess that it would cost $100,000,000 to build a stadium considering land acquisition, infrastructure, etc. Practice facility? Another $50,000,000. That's a lot of dough. Why move to scholarship football to be the next Western Illinois or Indiana State?
 

swede2 said:
Not that it can't be done but the investment to get to MVFC support will be huge. I believe, for instance, that South Dakota State spends just under $5,000,000 per season on football alone. Scholarships, full cost of attendance, Alston. Where does the revenue come from to fund that? And then there's the issue of facilities. I would guess that it would cost $100,000,000 to build a stadium considering land acquisition, infrastructure, etc. Practice facility? Another $50,000,000. That's a lot of dough. Why move to scholarship football to be the next Western Illinois or Indiana State?
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Had those same conversations with my son just the other day. A natural fit would be the soccer stadium just down the road but logistically I’m not sure that anybody is motivated to make that work.
 

swede2 said:
Not that it can't be done but the investment to get to MVFC support will be huge. I believe, for instance, that South Dakota State spends just under $5,000,000 per season on football alone. Scholarships, full cost of attendance, Alston. Where does the revenue come from to fund that? And then there's the issue of facilities. I would guess that it would cost $100,000,000 to build a stadium considering land acquisition, infrastructure, etc. Practice facility? Another $50,000,000. That's a lot of dough. Why move to scholarship football to be the next Western Illinois or Indiana State?
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Beat me to it. I don't see where the money comes from to go scholarship FCS. I think if not for the tradition of football there, they might have dropped it altogether since they seem to be all in on growing hoops as their brand.
 

Gopherchase said:
Had those same conversations with my son just the other day. A natural fit would be the soccer stadium just down the road but logistically I’m not sure that anybody is motivated to make that work.
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MN United would never, ever allow that. They were apparently very unhappy with the conditions after the Tommie-Johnnie game that one time. I don't think we'll see college football at Allianz again.
 

Looks like Big Red is dead and Caruso, should have joined the Wisconsin conference. They highlight of their careers were the final games they played against each other in those large Venues. The SJU only coaching experience before he was the defaulted head coach after the coach from EP declined the job was as a HS basketball and football coach for Cathedral HS. He was fired from that job, and the old SJU coach brought him to as a recruiter for 18 years. This year he brought in a 25 year old married guy, despite have like 10 RB's in Div III.
 

disco said:
MN United would never, ever allow that. They were apparently very unhappy with the conditions after the Tommie-Johnnie game that one time. I don't think we'll see college football at Allianz again.
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I assume they control the stadium and the StJ/StT game was their promotion, or at the very least, agreed to by them. Easy not to offer the promo again.
 

Tommyboy said:
Looks like Big Red is dead and Caruso, should have joined the Wisconsin conference. They highlight of their careers were the final games they played against each other in those large Venues. The SJU only coaching experience before he was the defaulted head coach after the coach from EP declined the job was as a HS basketball and football coach for Cathedral HS. He was fired from that job, and the old SJU coach brought him to as a recruiter for 18 years. This year he brought in a 25 year old married guy, despite have like 10 RB's in Div III.
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What?
 

swede2 said:
I assume they control the stadium and the StJ/StT game was their promotion, or at the very least, agreed to by them. Easy not to offer the promo again.
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They don't just control it. They own it. Though there were some tax breaks, the stadium was privately financed. They don't have to let anyone use it.
 


MIAC Football Schedule ---

Friday, Sept 6
-- Valley City State U (ND) at Augsburg - 8pm

Sat, Sept 7
--Whitworth U. at Gustavus - 1pm
--Carthage College at St. John's - 1pm
--UW-Eau Claire at Concordia** - 1pm
--Crown College at Hamline - 6pm
--U of MN-Morris at Macalester - 6pm

**note: due to the continued construction of the new track surface, the Concordia FB game vs UW-Eau Claire will be played on Scheels Field at Nemzek Stadium on the campus of MSU-Moorhead. The Cobbers will debut their new FieldTurf surface and track on Sat, Sept 28 for the Homecoming game vs St. Scholastica. Cobbers play at Pacific Lutheran next Saturday, and then have a bye on the 21st.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
MIAC Football Schedule ---

Friday, Sept 6
-- Valley City State U (ND) at Augsburg - 8pm

Sat, Sept 7
--Whitworth U. at Gustavus - 1pm
--Carthage College at St. John's - 1pm
--UW-Eau Claire at Concordia** - 1pm
--Crown College at Hamline - 6pm
--U of MN-Morris at Macalester - 6pm

**note: due to the continued construction of the new track surface, the Concordia FB game vs UW-Eau Claire will be played on Scheels Field at Nemzek Stadium on the campus of MSU-Moorhead. The Cobbers will debut their new FieldTurf surface and track on Sat, Sept 28 for the Homecoming game vs St. Scholastica. Cobbers play at Pacific Lutheran next Saturday, and then have a bye on the 21st.
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Back in the day, the Cobbers playing someone other than the Dragons on that field would be considered sacrilege. My, how times have changed.
 

Panthadad2 said:
Back in the day, the Cobbers playing someone other than the Dragons on that field would be considered sacrilege. My, how times have changed.
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I was thinking the same thing. I would have thought maybe they'd play at the high school or something before this.
 

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