Division II Football

ALLENDALE, MI—Grand Valley State University, the most successful college football program of the last decade, completed its search for a new head football coach Tuesday.  GVSU's defensive coordinator, Matt Mitchell, was selected as the seventh football coach in the history of Grand Valley.

Mitchell has been with Grand Valley since his predecessor, Chuck Martin, hired him in 2004 as an assistant.  Mitchell is just the latest of internal football coaching hires for GVSU.  Brian Kelly was hired from Tom Beck's staff when Beck left to take the offensive coordinator position under Lou Holtz at Notre Dame.  Martin was Kelly's defensive coordinator at GVSU, and Mitchell was Martin's defensive coordinator.

GVSU president Thomas Haas spoke about Mitchell continuing the Grand Valley tradition of excellence.  "I want to get the best person for the job, and that person could be from outside [the university] or from inside, and in this case, I think we got the right person for the job to continue a tradition of excellent and leadership." 

Haas also linked the success on the field to the success of the student-athletes at GVSU.  "I think that success needs to be a value we want in our graduates - that's job one."  GVSU athletic director Tim Selgo echoed those sentiments.  "We evaluate our coaches based on several criteria, and the first one is support of the student-athlete and making sure they are progressing towards their degree."

Mitchell understands the act he's following, and is aware of the expectations at GVSU.  "I understand the expectation levels of this football program.  I don't shy away from that, and my personal expectation levels are very, very high," he said. 

Mitchell is aware of Grand Valley's fans notoriety for extreme aversion to losses, but doesn't feel that adds any pressure to him or his staff.  "There won't be any added pressure.  There's more internal pressure to do things the right way than there is external pressure to win."  He continued, "We've got some great fans.  I've rolled down that hill at the National Championship and we've had people packed on both sides of that hill.  With a lot of passion, you're going to get [the high expectations].  I understand that.  I'm not scared of the expectations."

Mitchell expects the transition to be seamless.  With only one exception, GVSU's coaching staff under Mitchell will remain unchanged from the Martin era.  "The coaches understand our kids, they understand our system, they understand recruiting in the state of Michigan," Mitchell said of his coaching staff.  "There's not going to be a big adjustment period with kids adjusting to coaches or coaches adjusting to the other coaches.  Everyone knows the system, and we all know what needs to be done.  We're going to hit the ground running on Monday."

Mitchell's staff did not attend the press conference, as they were all out of town on recruiting assignments.  In terms of recruiting, Mitchell commented, "You've got to take care of your home state.  You don't want people coming into your back yard and taking players.  However, we're going to continue to actively recruit Chicago, northern Indiana, and north-west Ohio."

One noticeable departure from the past at GVSU will be Michell's utilization of an offensive coordinator.  Both Kelly and Martin acted as their own offensive coordinators, despite Martin coming from the defensive coordinator position.  "I'm staying on defense," Mitchell said quickly when asked if he'll be calling the plays.  "I know Grand Valley has been known for its offensive prowess, but if you look back at how things have worked, a lot of the success we've had is because we've been able to play good defense.  You can't have a porous defense and win conference and national championships, so I'm going to stay there [on defense]," he said. 

Current quarterback's coach Eric Koehler will be Mitchell's offensive coordinator, working closely Jack Ginn, the wide receiver's coach.

Mitchell plans on keeping Grand Valley's offense the same as it has been for years, even though a lot of players will be replaced.  "We have to replace a lot of touches.  Between Brad Iciek, P.T. Gates, Blake Smolen, and Jimmy Berezik, I shudder to think what percentage of our offense went through those four," Mitchell said smiling. 

Jimmy Berezkik, a junior running back and all-time leading rusher at GVSU, was suspended by Chuck Martin for team rule violations, and has been dismissed from the team.  Mitchell stated that Berezik's association with the Lakers is done.

In comparing himself to Chuck Martin, Mitchell said he has no current plans to break out a sweater vest and lead the student section in cheers with a megaphone.  "I'm not Chuck.  He was very good at that, but that's not me.  I'm more reserved.  There's a lot of things I want to copy about Chuck, but wearing a sweater vest isn't one of them."

Brian Kelly was a big act to follow for Chuck Martin.  Chuck Martin's 74-7 is a big act to follow for Matt Mitchell.  Guiding a team with more wins in the 2000s than any other college football program in scholarship college football into a new era is a daunting task.  Mitchell seems ready, if not eager to tackle the challenge in front of him.

NOTE: I'd like to personally thank head coach Matt Mitchell, athletic director Tim Selgo, and president Dr. Thomas Haas for taking the time to speak with me for this column.

Over the past six years, no coach has achieved more success on any level then Chuck Martin of Grand Valley State University. Since taking the helm of GVSU, Martin has guided the Lakers to a 74-7 record, including two national championships in two championship game appearances.

Martin, who succeeded Brian Kelly at GVSU, became even more successful than his predecessor. Kelly amassed an impressive 118-35-2 record in 13 years as head coach at GVSU before moving on to Central Michigan and Cincinnati.

Kelly, now the head coach at Notre Dame, has tapped Martin to be the new defensive backs coach for the Irish, the same job Kelly hired Martin for at GVSU is 2000. Martin, a catholic from the south side of Chicago, jumped at the opportunity to coach in South Bend. The tandem of Kelly and Martin will attempt to do in South Bend what they did in Allendale: win national championships.

Martin is expected to be announced as the new D-backs coach as soon as Jan. 4th.  Phone calls to both Grand Valley State and Notre Dame athletic offices went unanswered as both departments are closed for the holidays until Jan. 4th.

What made Kelly and Martin such a success at GVSU was their ability to accentuate each other's positives, while relying on each other to compensate for weaknesses. While Kelly certainly has the offensive genius to put points on the board in staggering numbers, one critique of his Cincinnati teams was a lack of defense.

In contrast, Martin has engineered some great defensive teams, including GVSU's 2003 stingy national championship team under Brian Kelly as defensive coordinator for the Lakers.

Irish fans and the entire nation, will see a coach in tandem unrivaled and the FBS.

The question for GVSU becomes, "Can we catch a lightning in a bottle for a third straight time?" Grand Valley has had a string of successful coaches. Kelly's predecessor at GVSU, Tom Beck, was inducted into the College Football Hall Of Fame in 2004.

It was Beck who gave Kelly his first coaching job as a graduate assistant at GVSU. After leaving GVSU, Beck became offensive coordinator at you guessed it, the University of Notre Dame.

Martin's possible replacement at Grand Valley is his own defensive coordinator, Matt Mitchell. This year was Mitchell's second season as the Lakers' defensive coordinator under Chuck Martin. Mitchell joined Martin's staff in 2004 as linebackers coach.

In 2005, the Lakers' defensive charge led the nation in pass efficiency defense (83.6), ranked third in scoring defense (12.2), fifth in total defense (254.6) and seventh in rushing defense (88.3). GVSU held its opponents off the scoreboard in 25-of-52 quarters played during the 2005 season and seven-of-13 opponents scored 10 points or less.

In addition, nine-of-13 foes failed to reach the 100-yard rushing mark. The Grand Valley defense yielded 15 TDs in 13 games in 2005, with six of those 15 TDs coming in the fourth quarter against defensive reserves. The Lakers held three opponents out of the endzone for over 11 quarters to start the season.

In 2006, the Laker defense held its opponents to seven points or less five times, including a shutout in the season-opener at the University of Findlay (Ohio). GVSU led the nation in QB sacks per game (3.53), while ranking fifth in turnovers gained (37). The Lakers held 8-of-15 foes under 100 yards rushing.

Mitchell's 2007 Laker linebacking unit was the focal point of a GVSU defense that led the GLIAC and ranked nationally in scoring defense (14.5), total defense (303.6), pass efficiency defense (95.6) and QB sacks (42), while ranking second in pass defense (154.7) and rush defense (148.9). Grand Valley held 9-of-13 opponents under 14 points and only one scored more than 21 points.

The 2008 Laker defense led the GLIAC in six different categories and ranked in the top 10 nationally in scoring defense (fourth/12.6), QB sacks (second/4.17) and tackles for loss (sixth/9.17). GVSU also ranked 17th in total defense (278.9), tallied two shutouts, and limited seven opponents to 10 points or less on the year with Mitchell at the helm.

Mitchell's previous coaching experience includes four years as an assistant at Wartburg College (Iowa), including two as defensive coordinator. Wartburg was 21-3 during Mitchell's two years a DC advancing to the NCAA Division III quarterfinals each year.

The only possible drawback to Mitchell as head coach at GVSU is the fact that he is married to the daughter of GVSU Athletic Director Tim Selgo. Selgo may choose to avoid any appearance of impropriety as well as avoiding any possible future conflicts of interest by performing a nationwide search for the next Laker head coach.

Regardless of who replaces Martin at GVSU, it is clear he will have enormous shoes to fill. Grand Valley fans have become notoriously intolerant of losses. Staying on top in Division II while succeeding the two previous coaching greats, (with nearly 200 wins between then, while averaging only one loss per season since 2001) will require a Herculean effort and a thick skin.

Whether that person is Matt Mitchell, or someone yet to be named, it is likely the Laker Nation will continue to cheer on a football team residing in the top echelons of Division II.

PITTSBURG, KS - When the program with the second most wins (457) among all active Division II programs replaces a coach after 20 seasons, it makes the news. When it comes on the heels of his first losing season (5-6) and an arrest for DUI, it's something of a minor sensation.

When Pittsburg State head coach Chuck Broyles was arrested for DUI on November 23, it capped a season most in Pittsburg, Kansas would like to forget. Broyles had announced his intention to stay on as head football coach on Nov. 5, but announced his retirement at a PSU press conference less than a month later on Dec. 2 (Broyles is also the Athletic Director at PSU, but has been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of his DUI case).

Broyles' offensive coordinator, Tim Beck, was announced as his replacement on December 9 Beck, who has 22 years of experience as an assistant coach at Pittsburg State had been named acting head football coach when Broyles retired a week earlier.

"I want everyone here to know that I am very passionate about PSU football," Beck said at the press conference introducing him at the new Gorilla head man. "I believe the formula for success is a very simple one: hard work. Every single player and coach on our football team will have great work ethic, and if they don’t have it we will help them obtain it.

"I understand that our team will be measured by wins and losses but our goal is this: improve every day. Improve as a student, improve as a citizen, improve as a teammate, improve as a family member and improve as a player. There are still a lot of improvements to be made after a win," Beck added.

Worthy of noting is PSU's lack of a national coaching search. When a tradition-rich and historic football program like Pittsburg State goes looking for a new coach, one might expect to see a long, exhaustive search for the best possible candidate. Apparently, PSU President Steve Scott felt that the best candidate for the job was already working in the PSU family.

A few other programs have done similar things when it comes to hiring new coaches. Grand Valley State hasn't hired outside of its football family since Tom Beck (no relation to Tim Beck) in 1985 (Tom Beck's assistant Brian Kelly was the next head coach, and Kelly's assistant Chuck Martin is the current head coach).

Regardless of PSU's methods at finding their new coach, the hiring of Tim Beck is a statement in favor of Gorilla status quo. Broyles led his team to 19 winning seasons over 20 years, including a Division II National Championship in 1991 (in only his second season), and championship game appearances in 1992, 1995, and 2004 while amassing a 188-47-2 (.797) record. Beck's job seems clear: keep the winning tradition alive at Pittsburg State.

FLORENCE, AL—For four years, the Northwest Missouri State Bearcats have been the team that almost was.  For four consecutive years, Northwest Missouri reached the NCAA Division II football championship game, only to lose all four games by a combined 19 points.  Even worse, all of those loses came after the team held a lead in the fourth quarter.

The jokes were everywhere.  Hearkening back to the Buffalo Bills' four straight Super Bowl losses in the early 1990s, the team was dubbed the "Billcats."  Head coach Mel Tjeerdsma was jokingly called Marv (Levy, Buffalo head coach) by his friends.  Other teams and their fans dubbed the team's football stadium "the Ralph" after Buffalo's Ralph Wilson Stadium.

The monkey, or buffalo, is finally off the Bearcats' collective back.

Just as it seemed as if they might just let another championship lead slip away, Blake Bolles found Jake Soy in the corner of the end zone to put the Bearcats up 30-20 in the fourth quarter.

Northwest Missouri led Grand Valley State 21-0 at halftime, only to see the Lakers cut the seemingly safe lead to three points at the beginning of the fourth quarter.  With Grand Vally State energized, trailing 23-20, and facing a 4th-and-4 deep in Laker territory, Coach Tjeerdsma knew his kicking game wasn't up to snuff. 

The Bearcats suffered through a woefully bad kicking game all season so he put the game in the hands of his junior quarterback, who checked to the fade to Soy.

The touchdown put the game nearly out of reach for the Lakers, who never seemed to go away until a failed 4th-and-15 pass by senior QB Brad Iciek fell incomplete with under a minute left in the game.

When the Bearcats exhaled, the final score showed 30-23.  It was time to celebrate...finally.

"They did a great job coming back," Tjeerdsma said of Grand Valley.  "They took all the momentum [in the second half]."

"It was a total team effort," Tjeerdsma said of his Bearcats. "That's what this football team is about.  I'm thrilled for these guys and for the Bearcats.  We worked so hard for this."

"Our common theme this year is we are a different team that those [past Bearcats] teams were," said Soy.

In the end, they were different—one more win, and a National Championship Trophy to take back to Maryville, Missouri.

It was fitting that these two teams would meet in the National Championship game to end the decade.  By far, Northwest Missouri and Grand Valley have been the top two programs since 2000.  Grand Valley was making its sixth title game appearance this decade, and Northwest Missouri its fifth. 

Grand Valley has four title game wins (including two over Northwest Missouri), and Northwest Missouri now has a championship win of their own over the Lakers.  They are also one-two in terms of overall records this decade, respectively.

Years from now, it may be Grand Valley who historians write up as the team of the decade, but it's Northwest Missouri who had the last word—and trophy—of the decade after a very impressive five-year span of championship runs.

The final NCAA Division II Football National Championship game of this decade will feature two well known programs.  Both Grand Valley State University and Northwest Missouri State University are very familiar with the championship game in Florence, AL.

No one can argue that this game pits the two best teams of the current decade of against one another.  GVSU is making its sixth championship game appearance this decade, and NWMSU is making its fifth-straight trip to Florence.  And if familiarity breeds contempt, there should be plenty of contempt to go around this Saturday in Florence. 

These two teams met in Florence in 2005 and 2006, with GVSU winning both contests.  Grand Valley and Northwest Missouri tangled again in 2007 in the national semifinal game in Missouri.  NWMSU lost that year's championship to Valdosta State. 

In 2008, GVSU was ousted from the playoffs by Minnesota-Duluth, who went on to beat, you guessed it, Northwest Missouri in the championship.

Both teams enter Saturday's contest with a record of 13-1.  Both teams were the second seed in their respective playoff regions, and Northwest Missouri finished the year ranked second in the polls with Grand Valley ranked third. 

The similarities don't stop there.  The two coaches' meeting in this game are unquestionably the two top coaches of the decade.  Grand Valley's Chuck Martin is an impressive 74-6 (.925) with two National Championships (2005 & 2006) as coach of the Lakers since taking over the reigns from Brian Kelly (now of Cincinnati Bearcats fame) in 2004.

Northwest's Mel Tjeerdsma is 112-21 (.842) since 2000 but is lacking a national title, despite a Division II record five-straight trips to the championship game in Florence.

"We're very excited to have the opportunity to be one of two [teams left]," Martin said in the post-game press conference after the Lakers' semi-final victory of Carson-Newman (TN).  "We're going to approach it like we've approached every other week this year.  We've got an opportunity and we're going to see how good of a football team we can be next Saturday."

"Well, we still know how to win semi-final games," Bearcat head coach Tjeerdsma said after routing California (PA) in the other semi-final game on Saturday.  "We're not done.  It's really kind of an empty feeling right now to be real truthful," he said about the Bearcats' 0-4 record in the title game in recent years. 

"It makes it even more special to play in a championship game against Grand Valley.  We feel like we've both earned the reputation as the top two programs of the past ten to twelve years."

While NWMSU enters the title game nearly intact, GVSU is faced with the prospect of having one-third of their season-opening starters not dressing for the game.  The Lakers have suffered injuries throughout the 2009 campaign, and the woes continued last week when four players, including GVSU's all-time leading rusher and starting RB James Berezik, were suspended for violation of team rules. 

Berezik was suspended during the 2008 playoffs shortly before GVSU's quarterfinal loss to eventual champion Minnesota-Duluth after a run-in with police.  All four players remain suspended for the National Championship game, and will not travel with the team to Alabama. 

Berezik's future is uncertain, although many believe he is likely to be dismissed from the team, missing his senior season with the Lakers.

"We've had a lot of holes to fill this year," Martin said.  Nowhere is this more obvious than with GVSU's special teams.  The Lakers have yielded a kickoff return for a touchdown in two consecutive games - keeping their opponents in otherwise one-sided contests.  Such errors could spell disaster against a team as complete and talented as Northwest Missouri.

Regardless of Saturday's outcome, the nation will be able to see the top two programs in Division II battle it out of the ultimate goal.  the game is set for a 1 PM (EST) kickoff, and will be televised live of ESPN2.

In today's world of college football, there seems to be a preoccupation with numbers.  Statistics and streaks are simply part of the charm of college football, and it's what fans love to talk about.

One team in Division II has had bragging rights on many amazing stats and streaks this past decade.  Longest winning streak in Division II history.  Most number of appearances as No. 1 in the coaches poll.  Coach with the highest win percentage among all active coaches in the NCAA (regardless of division).  Four national titles.  Six Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference titles.

Grand Valley State University has been the dominant program in Division II since their rise to the top starting in 2001.  GVSU has racked up an impressive list of accomplishments during that time, and the Lakers probably aren't finished adding to their list of accolades.  But when a team who hasn't lost a conference game in five years loses, it's news.  Actually, it's big news.  Here are a couple of numbers that might pique your interest.

GVSU went 1,813 days without losing a GLIAC game, which included 48 GLIAC games.

The team that handed GVSU their defeat on Saturday, Hillsdale College, hadn't beaten the Lakers in 5,474 days.  The last team to beat the Lakers in a GLIAC contest was Northwood, on October 23, 2004.

During that time, GVSU strung together a NCAA Division II record 40 consecutive wins—an impressive number considering playoffs are involved.

GVSU's head coach, Chuck Martin, in his sixth year at the helm, is 67-6 (.918) overall, and 51-3 (.944) in GLIAC games.

Those are some numbers.  Any program, at any level, in any sport would love to have numbers like those.  When a team like GVSU loses a game, it affects more than the GLIAC standings.  It affects all of Division II.

Heading into last weekend's game against Hillsdale College, GVSU was ranked No. 1 in the nation, and No. 2 in the NCAA's Super Region three rankings.  GVSU dropped to No. 8 in the coaches poll, and dropped to an astonishing No. 9 in the Regional Rankings—which means GVSU would not make the playoffs, if they began today.

The next few weeks are critical for GVSU, and they host Findlay in a matchup of two of the remaining three one-loss GLIAC teams.  After a trip to Ashland, Ohio on Oct. 24, the Lakers finish their regular season with games against one-loss Northern Michigan (Oct. 31 at GVSU), and two-loss Wayne State (MI) on Nov. 7 (also at GVSU).  While GVSU needs a little help to climb high enough to host a playoff game or two come November, GVSU does have its playoff destiny in its own hands.

Both Wayne State (MI) and Findlay are ranked above GVSU in the region (No. 6 and No. 7, respectively).  GVSU will also receive a boost in their strength of schedule rating, as all remaining opponents have winning records.  Only one team, Minnesota State, is unbeaten (7-0).  Should GVSU survive the rest of their schedule, they are sure to be a lock for a post-season berth.

Finally, a curious phenomenon takes place with the GVSU faithful when GVSU loses a game.  There are calls for the head coach to be fired (keep in mind, he has a .918 win percentage).  There are doomsday predictions (as if not winning the National Championship is the end of the world).  There is the foretelling of the "end of an era."  But take heart, Laker Nation.  I don't believe GVSU is on the verge of falling off a cliff.  I don't believe GVSU will even miss the playoffs this year.  Will GVSU win a title this year?  No one can say.  But as a token of solace, remember this Laker fans: GVSU has won four national titles with two of them coming with one loss during the season.

We all love numbers, statistics, streaks, and everything they entail.  6-1 is just another set of numbers that GVSU now has to live with for now—just like the rest of the nation was forced to live with GVSU's 40-0 mark, or the way the GLIAC lived with GVSU's 48-0 mark over the past five years.  Tomorrow, the sun will rise.  And next Saturday, the Lakers will take the field as a new team, with new goals, and a new determination.

With the Division II football season officially past its half way points, the weekly AFCA poll isn't the only number in which fans take stock. After week six, the NCAA releases its first Regional Rankings—the real numbers that matter.

The NCAA's Regional Rankings are the numbers used for playoff seedings come November. What irks many fans is the seeming lack of common sense these numbers display. A closer look, however, reveals a little more.

While there is a statistical formula used to determine which team is ranked where (unlike much-maligned older brother, the BCS), many fans have a hard time grasping just what these numbers mean.

“How can the No. 1 team in the nation, Grand Valley, be ranked No. 2 in their own region?” “How does 4-2 Saginaw Valley get ranked No. 6, while 4-1 Northern Michigan who just beat them on the road not get ranked at all?” All valid questions. The simple answer is that there is no simple answer. It is, in fact, very complex.

It sounds so cliché, but in Division II, it really is very true: It will all be decided on the field. The NCAA actually does a disservice to fans by releasing a Regional Ranking so early in the season. While Grand Valley State is the No. 1 team in the AFCA Poll, they also were the top ranked preseason team in the poll, and by virtue of a 6-0 record, retain that spot.

They did, however, open the season against then-No. 11 West Texas A&M, who proceeded to go 1-5 to start the year. So, unfortunately for fans of the Lakers, the dreaded “Strength-of-Schedule” took a big hit. WTAMU definitely did not live up to its pre-season No. 11 hype, as they were out of the polls entirely withing a couple of weeks.

Take heart, Laker faithful, as the meat of Grand Valley State's schedule remains ahead with games against the aforementioned Northern Michigan Wildcats, as well as tilts against Findlay and Wayne State (MI)—both currently appearing in the Regional Rankings.

Victories against these teams will certainly boost Grand Valley State's stock with the NCAA number-crunchers.

But what about poor Northern Michigan? They just beat then-No. 16 Saginaw Valley State in Saginaw to improve to 4-1, while Saginaw Valley State dropped to 4-2. Why should Northern Michigan be left out in the cold? While it is unquestionably cold in Marquette, Michigan (where NMU is located), the locale has little to do with the chilly ranking of NMU.

Northern Michigan's lone loss was to Northwood (MI), a team showing up at No. 9 in the region with a 3-2 record. But more telling is NMU's list of victories. Against teams with winning records, NMU is 1-1. Besides Saginaw Valley State, NMU has tallied wins against 0-6 Tiffin, 1-5 Ferris State, and 1-4 Michigan Tech.

This does not bode well for NMU's Strength-of-Schedule. Like Lakers fans, the Wildcat faithful should take heart. NMU's upcoming schedule will provide much-needed SOS points with games against Wayne State, Findlay, and Grand Valley State. Victories over teams with winning records will thaw even the frostiest nights on Lake Superior.

To be sure, Super Region Three is not the only region in which arguments can be made for a reworking of the rankings. In Super Region Four, unbeaten Texas A&M-Kingsville is ranked No. 6—the last spot which would earn a playoff berth—behind three other teams which have lost a game at this point in the season.

How can a team go unbeaten through half the season and still have a shot at moving up when they're behind teams who have already lost, and may not lose another game? Again, Strength-of-Schedule. Northwest Missouri State (5-1, No. 3 in the region) has completed the bulk of its tough games, with wins over Pittsburgh State, Nebraska-Omaha, Missouri Western State, and Southwest Baptist.

NWMSU's SOS will probably suffer to some degree with games upcoming versus Emporia State and Missouri Southern State. TAMUK, by comparison, has a potentially SOS-exploding game remaining against regional top team Abilene Christian. Should TAMUK march through the rest of their schedule unscathed, the yellow flags of Kingsville will be flying high come playoff time.

Perhaps the NCAA should consider not releasing a Regional Ranking until after week seven, or even week eight. When so many teams are only two or three games into their conference schedule, week six is far too early to be worrying about playoff positions.

Grand Valley State has to worry about a road contest against feisty Hillsdale, while TAMUK can't look past rival Texas A&M-Commerce. Let the rankings fall where they may: in five weeks time, the records will sort themselves out.

The Top 25 after Week Six

1. Grand Valley (24) 6-0

2. Abilene Christian 6-0

3. North Alabama (1) 6-0

4. Central Washington 6-0

5. Bloomsburg 6-0

6. Northwest Missouri 5-1

7. Minnesota St.-Mankato 6-0

8. Minnesota-Duluth 5-1

9. Texas A&M-Kingsville 6-0

10. Albany State 5-0

11. Charleston 6-0

12. Washburn 5-1

13. Edinboro 5-1

14. Wayne State (NE) 5-1

15. Tarleton State 5-1

16. Central Missouri 5-1

17. Missouri Western St. 5-1

18. Midwestern State 5-1

19. Wayne State (MI) 5-1

20. Ouachita Baptist 4-1

21. Nebraska-Kearney 5-1

22. Delta State 3-2

23. Angelo State 5-1

24. Tuskegee 4-2

25. UNC-Pembroke 5-1

Others receiving votes: Findlay, West Liberty, California (PA), Wingate, Saginaw Valley St., Carson-Newman, Northern Michigan, Shaw, Colorado School of Mines, Winona State, Catawba, Bentley, East Stroudsburg

(Full poll available at www.afca.com)

A warm, fall on Saturday evening found me where I can typically be found on such days— Lubbers Stadium on the campus of Grand Valley State University. GVSU, one of the largest NCAA Division II institutions in the nation with just over 24,000 students, was preparing for the first home game of the 2009 football season. 

The visitors, rival Saginaw Valley State (a school I typically call simply "That Other Valley School") arrived at Lubbers with their students and new marching band to settle in for a matchup between two top-25 programs (GVSU was No.1 and That Other Valley School was No.16). 

As the crowd began pouring into their seats, I looked around the stadium and noticed that not only was the student section full; it was still an hour before kick off.  Additionally, the stands on the opposite side of the field were also full—as were the standing room areas to either side of the seating area. There were a lot of people here;  a lot.

Lubbers Stadium's official seating capacity is nothing special, even at the Division II level—8,550. 

But GVSU's attendance figures frequently surpass that mark. In fact, in 2008, GVSU averaged nearly 11,000 fans per regular-season home game. The number of people who attended this particular "Battle of the Valleys" game in '09: nearly 16,500—a GVSU record for a home game. 

That's right—there were as many people standing as sitting. Was it the warm, almost summer-like night?  Was it the fact that it was the first home game of the year?  Was it because of the bitter rivalry between the Valleys? Perhaps.

But these teams have met before, even with the rankings being closer (No. 1 vs No. 4 for example). I think there was another force at work.

GVSU, and the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in general benefits from a few extras that many Division II schools do not enjoy—a complete lack of Division I-FCS. 

In the state of Michigan, there is not even one single FCS (I-AA) institution. Granted, there are five FBS (I-A) institutions (and two non-football Division I schools, sometimes called Division I-AAA). Because of the FCS absence in Michigan, schools like GVSU are able to attract athletes from much higher in the state's talent pool of high school athletes than schools in, say, Ohio or Georgia. 

In those states, D-II plays third-string behind D-I FBS and D-I FCS. In Michigan, D-II is running right behind FBS schools without having to worry about "the best of the rest" running for a FCS program. 

Plus, there have been recruiting geniuses like Brian Kelly (now of Cincinnati fame) and current GVSU head man Chuck Martin who have successfully played the "play D-II and play now and win National Titles or play in the MAC and ride the bench and maybe if you're lucky play in a bowl game that no one goes to and no one watches" card. This entire, albeit somewhat involved recipe makes for very entertaining, talented football in Division II.

GVSU's run of recent success began in 2001, when the team reached the NCAA National Championship game for the first time. Since 2001, GVSU is 107-7, and has been ranked No. 1 by the AFCA in 78 of its weekly polls over that time. 

Not even USC, Ohio State, or Florida can say that. In fact, GVSU holds the AFCA record for most consecutive weeks as a No. 1 team at 37 (during GVSU's NCAA Division II record 41-game winning streak from 2004 to 2007). That includes four national titles (2002, 2003, 2005, 2006).

Since the initial (near) championship run in 2001, GVSU's attendance has steadily grown.  New facilities have been added (including a full, indoor practice field), attracting even better recruits. GVSU has become a program in Division II much like the Yankees in baseball, the Red Wings in hockey, and USC in Division I; Success begets success.  With the addition of Division I transfers, GVSU is able to put a pretty attractive product on the field.

GVSU's Athletic Director, Tim Selgo, made perhaps the biggest PR coup for GVSU, though, when he decided that night games were the way to go. Poof! 

Attendance went up. Way up. 

No longer did GVSU fight for fans with Michigan, Michigan State, or Notre Dame. Now, fans could watch their favorite D-I team in the afternoon and then drive out to Allendale to watch the Lakers at 7:00 pm.  GVSU further marketed these night games as "Saturday Nights—Under the Lights" in 2009.

Tying all of these facets together was no small feat, and the staff at GVSU should be proud of itself.  But inevitably the nay-sayers chimed in. 

"GVSU should 'move-up' to Division I," and "GVSU's too big to be a Division II school," and "You shouldn't be satisfied with being a big fish is a little pond," and "It's still just Division II." 

It should be noted that most of these moronic comments come from people who never played a collegiate sport (or even attended a university). Why, pray tell, does Division II have to simply be a stop over on a school's journey to Division I mediocrity? 

The large, successful in Division II schools that have made the leap to D-I don't achieve very much once they're there. How well is North Dakota State feared on the field of competition in Division I?

They were the big dog in D-II. 

Now they're an also ran in Division I. And why does getting the game score on ESPN's Bottom Line matter (although it should be noted that this year ESPN has been listing Division II football scores)? Why is Division II "not good enough" in some (uninformed) peoples' minds?

I truly believe that Division II can be a destination. 

Division II embodies what a university athletics program should be. After all, we call them student-athletes. The student part comes first, as it should. The vast, vast majority of student-athletes at the Division II level receive only a fraction of a full scholarship. 

The D-II limit for a football team is 36 scholarships. Tim Tebow doesn't pay a single cent to attend classes. There aren't more than a handful (probably less than 20) Division II players in the entire nation that can say the same thing. 

Tim Tebow doesn't really have to worry if he graduates or not. In Division II, only a handful of players each year reach the pros. The goal at the Division II level isn't fame, glory, or draft position.

It's an education and a degree. 

GVSU has a defensive lineman who is burning up stat sheets with sacks, tackles, and TFLs. His chosen career isn't the NFL, though,  His 3.96 GPA is good enough to earn him a spot in med school. That's right. The guy who spent four years trying to kill opposing quarterbacks on the field will spend the rest of his life saving lives.

To me, that's better than any career in the NFL.

As GVSU prepares to welcome it's one-millionth fan to Lubbers Stadium on Oct. 3rd in a GLIAC game against Tiffin University (OH), it should be noted that those one million fans, and the millions of other fans around the US (and now Canada) who attend NCAA Division II events are watching the truest sense of "student-athletes." And I, for one, hope its popularity continues to grow.

In the words of the NCAA: "I Choose Division II."  One million Laker fans, and millions of fans across the continent can't be wrong.

Well three weeks into the Division II football season and nothing has changed at the top with Grand Valley State proving why it is the best.

Washburn (Kansas) at No. 22, Midwestern State (Texas) at No. 24, and Augustana (South Dakota) at No. 25 all enter the poll this week. All three teams have a 3-0 record haeding into the fourth week of play.

Winona St. (Minn.) (20), West Chester (Pa.) (21),and  Central Oklahoma (24t) all dropped out of this week's poll with loses.

The top 10 in the latest  poll looks like this:

Big games for the week are :

 8. Minnesota-Duluth Sept 19 vs N0. 25 Augustana (S.D) 

11. Pittsburg State Sept 19 @ No. 12 Central Missouri