Sep 23, 1999
By Eric Sieger
Alma SID
When Defiance announced last spring that it would jump ship from the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association to join the Heartland Collegiate Athletics Conference, an immediate question was raised -- how would the MIAA retain its automatic bid?
The answer to that question is still unsolved, along with many others. The fact remains, however, that Defiance's move will affect both leagues for some time.
At Defiance the football program is perhaps the most highly impacted by this move. With nearly one-third of their roster hailing from Michigan, head coach Greg Psconda knows that the recruiting efforts will need to be refocused. "I'm from Michigan, and we've geared our program towards Michigan. Now we're going to have to do a complete 360 in our philosophy in recruiting."
Psconda, a 1986 graduate of Adrian, was also part of the Albion staff that captured four straight MIAA titles and a national championship. "It's going to take a toll on us until we're stabilized into Indiana and Ohio." This might not be the case with other sports, such as men's or women's basketball, as those programs have recruited mainly out of Ohio.
But for Defiance football, the move is not entirely negative. The HCAC is usually considered not as tough as the MIAA, and they will have an automatic bid, while the MIAA won't. "Our biggest advantage is a chance for the AQ. Our kids realize that -- it's incentive to stay," related Psconda.
Also, with the HCAC not regarded to be as strong as the MIAA traditionally, Defiance may have a chance to compete for a conference title from the get-go. With their 2-1 start this year and an upcoming game against cellar-dweller Olivet this weekend, it seems already Psconda has the Yellow Jackets pointed in the right direction.
Newly appointed athletic director, Dr. Dick Kaiser (formerly of MIAA school Olivet), also realizes that the implications of this relocation is huge on Psconda's program. "We will continue to recruit in Michigan, but not as much. It will change our demographic somewhat. But the HCAC is a tremendous opportunity to be more competitive. We should have success at a quicker pace. That's why we made the move, besides the obvious reasons -- we will be more competitive in all sports versus one or two."
Kaiser is also very excited about Defiance's upcoming association with the Heartland. "They have outstanding people, a strong tradition, and are in an expansion mode."
As for the MIAA, they will enjoy but one season with the automatic qualifier unless they can find a seventh football-playing school. This issue, of course, does not affect the other seven MIAA sports that rely on the automatic qualifier to gain a spot in the NCAA Championships because Calvin plays all sports offered by the MIAA except football. And while talk exists at the Grand Rapids school about starting up football, most close to the situation think that day is a long way off.
Expansion is always a possibility, but as Kaiser pointed out, no football-playing independent school exists near the remaining MIAA schools. That would mean that an institution must be willing to leave its current conference for the MIAA.
While life without an automatic bid frightens some football people with the MIAA, commissioner Sheila Wallace-Kovalchik is comfortable with the current situation. "Generally, we've adopted the attitude that if we have team good enough to be a national title contender, they'll get in to the playoffs."
She did not rule out expansion in the future, but said that the MIAA is not looking at the current time. "Actively, no we're not (looking). We're in a situation where we have to see what happens. Somewhere down the road, maybe."
Big games this weekend
The bulk of conference play gets underway in many of the region's conferences. This week's highlight game is Ohio Northern at Mount Union, as both teams enter at 2-0 overall, 1-0 in the OAC. The Polar Bears have been waiting almost a year for this rematch, as they fell to the Purple Raiders 42-37 in Ada. Mount Union holds a 14-game winning streak in the series heading into this weekend's showdown, but ONU, ranked 16th in the latest AFCA poll, has been pointing to this game for a year. It will be close, but look for Mount Union's defense to shine and extend the Purple Raiders winning streak to 45 games.
In the NCAC, two surprise teams clash in a key league game. Allegheny (1-2, 1-0 NCAC) and Ohio Wesleyan (2-0, 1-0 NCAC) meet in a big match-up for both teams. The Gators will look to win their second in a row after starting the season 0-2, while the Bishops hope to keep the momentum going after last week's win over Wooster. If Ohio Wesleyan can shut down Allegheny tailback Wyatt Jones, look for the Bishops to grab the win.
In one of the more intriguing matchups outside of conference play, Alma and Franklin figure to score about 50 points each as throw the ball 60 times in their game at Faught Stadium in Franklin. Franklin is ranked second in pass offense in the latest NCAA statistical rankings at 420 yards/game, while Alma is third at 399.5 yards a contest. Alma trails only Mount Union in total offense at 588 yards a game, while Franklin is sixth at 546.5 yards per game. The two teams rank fourth and sixth in scoring (Franklin, 4th, 46.5 pts/g; Alma, 6th, 46.0). The difference might be Alma's defense, which ranks eighth in turnover margin at plus-3.00 per game.
Jottings: Who would have thought that the MIAA would be 2-9 out of conference after two weeks of play? With Albion and Hope at 0-2, the MIAA obviously will receive just one bid ... Defiance's Mike Groll is on a roll. He needs to average just three catches and 91 yards a game over the next three league contests to break the conference mark for both categories. A receiver hasn't won the MIAA MVP since Adrian's Joe Bacani did so in 1978, but Groll may break that tradition this year. He is simply the most dominating player in the league ... Many schools in the region seem to be stressing the passing game over the run game, at least according to the most recent NCAA statistical rankings. The quarterback rankings feature eight QB's ranked in the Top 20, led by Mount Union's Gary Smeck with a 238.9 rating, while just three running backs from the region rank in the top 20 ... I've received some emails regarding my previous comments I made regarding the NCAC possibly receiving just one bid this season. With only four "other" bids available to teams within a conference with an AQ, I still feel that the NCAC is on the bubble. Make sure to pop over to Post Patterns and make your case, NCAC fans!
Alma SID
When Defiance announced last spring that it would jump ship from the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association to join the Heartland Collegiate Athletics Conference, an immediate question was raised -- how would the MIAA retain its automatic bid?
The answer to that question is still unsolved, along with many others. The fact remains, however, that Defiance's move will affect both leagues for some time.
At Defiance the football program is perhaps the most highly impacted by this move. With nearly one-third of their roster hailing from Michigan, head coach Greg Psconda knows that the recruiting efforts will need to be refocused. "I'm from Michigan, and we've geared our program towards Michigan. Now we're going to have to do a complete 360 in our philosophy in recruiting."
Psconda, a 1986 graduate of Adrian, was also part of the Albion staff that captured four straight MIAA titles and a national championship. "It's going to take a toll on us until we're stabilized into Indiana and Ohio." This might not be the case with other sports, such as men's or women's basketball, as those programs have recruited mainly out of Ohio.
But for Defiance football, the move is not entirely negative. The HCAC is usually considered not as tough as the MIAA, and they will have an automatic bid, while the MIAA won't. "Our biggest advantage is a chance for the AQ. Our kids realize that -- it's incentive to stay," related Psconda.
Also, with the HCAC not regarded to be as strong as the MIAA traditionally, Defiance may have a chance to compete for a conference title from the get-go. With their 2-1 start this year and an upcoming game against cellar-dweller Olivet this weekend, it seems already Psconda has the Yellow Jackets pointed in the right direction.
Newly appointed athletic director, Dr. Dick Kaiser (formerly of MIAA school Olivet), also realizes that the implications of this relocation is huge on Psconda's program. "We will continue to recruit in Michigan, but not as much. It will change our demographic somewhat. But the HCAC is a tremendous opportunity to be more competitive. We should have success at a quicker pace. That's why we made the move, besides the obvious reasons -- we will be more competitive in all sports versus one or two."
Kaiser is also very excited about Defiance's upcoming association with the Heartland. "They have outstanding people, a strong tradition, and are in an expansion mode."
As for the MIAA, they will enjoy but one season with the automatic qualifier unless they can find a seventh football-playing school. This issue, of course, does not affect the other seven MIAA sports that rely on the automatic qualifier to gain a spot in the NCAA Championships because Calvin plays all sports offered by the MIAA except football. And while talk exists at the Grand Rapids school about starting up football, most close to the situation think that day is a long way off.
Expansion is always a possibility, but as Kaiser pointed out, no football-playing independent school exists near the remaining MIAA schools. That would mean that an institution must be willing to leave its current conference for the MIAA.
While life without an automatic bid frightens some football people with the MIAA, commissioner Sheila Wallace-Kovalchik is comfortable with the current situation. "Generally, we've adopted the attitude that if we have team good enough to be a national title contender, they'll get in to the playoffs."
She did not rule out expansion in the future, but said that the MIAA is not looking at the current time. "Actively, no we're not (looking). We're in a situation where we have to see what happens. Somewhere down the road, maybe."
Big games this weekend
The bulk of conference play gets underway in many of the region's conferences. This week's highlight game is Ohio Northern at Mount Union, as both teams enter at 2-0 overall, 1-0 in the OAC. The Polar Bears have been waiting almost a year for this rematch, as they fell to the Purple Raiders 42-37 in Ada. Mount Union holds a 14-game winning streak in the series heading into this weekend's showdown, but ONU, ranked 16th in the latest AFCA poll, has been pointing to this game for a year. It will be close, but look for Mount Union's defense to shine and extend the Purple Raiders winning streak to 45 games.
In the NCAC, two surprise teams clash in a key league game. Allegheny (1-2, 1-0 NCAC) and Ohio Wesleyan (2-0, 1-0 NCAC) meet in a big match-up for both teams. The Gators will look to win their second in a row after starting the season 0-2, while the Bishops hope to keep the momentum going after last week's win over Wooster. If Ohio Wesleyan can shut down Allegheny tailback Wyatt Jones, look for the Bishops to grab the win.
In one of the more intriguing matchups outside of conference play, Alma and Franklin figure to score about 50 points each as throw the ball 60 times in their game at Faught Stadium in Franklin. Franklin is ranked second in pass offense in the latest NCAA statistical rankings at 420 yards/game, while Alma is third at 399.5 yards a contest. Alma trails only Mount Union in total offense at 588 yards a game, while Franklin is sixth at 546.5 yards per game. The two teams rank fourth and sixth in scoring (Franklin, 4th, 46.5 pts/g; Alma, 6th, 46.0). The difference might be Alma's defense, which ranks eighth in turnover margin at plus-3.00 per game.
Jottings: Who would have thought that the MIAA would be 2-9 out of conference after two weeks of play? With Albion and Hope at 0-2, the MIAA obviously will receive just one bid ... Defiance's Mike Groll is on a roll. He needs to average just three catches and 91 yards a game over the next three league contests to break the conference mark for both categories. A receiver hasn't won the MIAA MVP since Adrian's Joe Bacani did so in 1978, but Groll may break that tradition this year. He is simply the most dominating player in the league ... Many schools in the region seem to be stressing the passing game over the run game, at least according to the most recent NCAA statistical rankings. The quarterback rankings feature eight QB's ranked in the Top 20, led by Mount Union's Gary Smeck with a 238.9 rating, while just three running backs from the region rank in the top 20 ... I've received some emails regarding my previous comments I made regarding the NCAC possibly receiving just one bid this season. With only four "other" bids available to teams within a conference with an AQ, I still feel that the NCAC is on the bubble. Make sure to pop over to Post Patterns and make your case, NCAC fans!
