Mid Season Update

What a great season so far, kicking it off with a Ferris State over Cheyney 21-14 rematch in week 1. That's some NFL type of scheduling and it's exciting to think they could meet again in the playoffs. Northern Michigan returns to form with a signature win over Ferris State 52-45 and we will likely see a rematch in the Conference Championship.

Virginia State (coral_reefer) currently holds the #2 WIS ranking and has one tough game left versus Bowie State (vikesrule69) in a couple weeks. Currently 8-0 and with the 11th best core rating of 63.70, this team should go 13-0 before the CC game.

Have you noticed the rebuild Bloomsburg (#4 WIS) going on by head coach jms245? Currently they are sitting 8-0 and their team growth is exceptional only 8 games in. I can see this team making the playoffs in his second year and making a decent run next year.

When you visit Texas, you may think of TAMC, but it's actually Midwestern St. led by Linux_Box who is taking control of the RMAC. Currently they are 8-0 and have beat 3 human teams including W. Liberty State who beat Winona St. last season for the CC. They have a really good offense and currently have a WIS ranking of #6 so they may get a great seed for the playoffs.

The heat is on for Humboldt State who is 8-0 and has a chance for redemption tonight versus Central Washington University. This will be a staple must win game for this program to rebound from last year.

Who is Shepherd? Coach dawgnuts is looking to get past the 1st round this season with the #14 best team core ratings but currently WIS ranked #21. Featuring a really nice 1-2 punch at RB and a nice schedule the rest of the way, they should finish 12-1. They did suffer a close loss to Missouri-Rolla 20-17 who is currently 6-2. The good news is that Tusculum and Presbyterian will beat up on each other, meaning they have they should secure a playoff spot even with one more loss.

RPG RANKINGS as of Week 8

This is currently how I view the teams as of week 8 based on their record and performance. I gave teams that are undefeated a little more credit if they are fairly even in team strengths or if they beat a team that would be tied with them.

1. Northern Michigan (spthibodeau) - They are back in the driver seat and look like the best team with key victories over Saint Joseph's 33-22 Win and Ferris State 52-45. They host the strongest team core rating of 67.27. They still have to face Saginaw Valley State who lost to FSU, but should finish undefeated until the CC.

2. Texas A&M-Commerce (akua29) - Currently undefeated and should move up from the #9 seed as the season progresses. They have 1 more human game versus conference rival Angelo State. TAMC delivered a convincing win over N. Alabama 62-7 and has a current core rating of 66.6.

3. Ferris State (coachoatie) - They drop to #2 after losing to NMU in a close one. Key victories against a tough Cheyney team 21-14 and conference rival Saginaw Valley State 41-17. FSU is done with the heavy lifting of their schedule having 2 games left to play against Hillsdale and Findlay.

4. Cheyney (waregl72) - Tough loss to FSU 21-14 but they rebounded well versus N. Alabama in a 59-12 victory. They have Missouri-Rolla to face at the end of the season but will be a heavy favorite. This team has a very strong core rating of 67.13 and puts them 2nd strongest in D2.

5. Valdosta St (champ83) - They have yet to face a human opponent and we will have to wait until week 11 when they face a common opponent to TAMC and Cheyney versus N. Alabama. While the teams core rating is not quite as strong as the others listed above, champ83 has proven that he can take his team deep and they have an elite RB in Patrick Jenkins to put the load on.

6. West Chester (2000champou) - Put this team on your radar, they have enough of a team core rating 64.49 and beat all of the above teams. The question is going to be, can they move up from the #21 seed to get a nice playoff schedule? They beat Missouri-Rolla 55-24 who Cheyney still has to play and will face 2 more human teams before the CC. One of the teams is currently 8-0 and should provide a nice boost to their rankings. This is a good squad with a lot of senior and juniors to compete.

7. Saint Joseph's (tutank) - This team seems to burn me in my predictions each season and I'm trying my best to not fall into the hype. They played well really well against NMU in a 33-22 loss. However, it appears that NMU was playing their back-ups in the 2nd and 4th quarter, so we won't be able to predict the real outcome. Still, they have a strong core rating of 64.13, a really good RB in Patrick Moody and senior heavy secondary that will spell trouble for passing teams. I like them to get a great playoff seed and they should increase their chances to go deep.

8. Winona State (kwheeler) - I hyped this team up big last season and they lost the CC and exited 1st round in the playoffs. This season, they feature the #4 best core rated team at 65.63 and feature 20 seniors! If they are going to make a run, this is the year to do it. This team is very solid from top to bottom and has nearly a starting senior offense and defense. They beat North Carolina Central 20-7 who has a core of 61.69 and NCC lost to North Alabama 47-34. I'm putting them on about the same level as North Alabama for now until they turn up their offense.

9. North Alabama (Fazbear05) - Fazbear05 made a move and joined N. Alabama, taking on one of the strongest SOS's in the country. He made it through at 6-2 playing 5 human opponents and not just easy teams, but some of the best. Victories over NCC 47-34, Tusculum 50-16 and Presbyterian 37-27 were really impressive. Losses to TAMC 62-7 and Cheyney 59-12 brought them back down to earth. Very dangerous team to face, but not sure if they are ready to compete with the top 6 teams.

10. Presbyterian (rposborne) - Always one of my favorite teams, but they seem to have issues producing points. Really a fantastic defense, but their wins against human opponents are 37-27 vs North Alabama, 20-10 vs Tarleton State, 88-3 vs Lenoir-Rhyne, 41-3 vs W. Virginia Tech. The better teams, they struggle to push the 40 pt barrier and will need to do better if they want to make a solid playoff run. The big game to watch will be versus Tusculum in week 12.