My apologies for the format. I needed an act of god practically to cut and paste into here for some reason...
ASC – Texas Lutheran (blapo21) is five years removed from the national title game and hot off a title in the mosh PIT last season. This year, it’s the ASC title that is in the crosshairs. As always, Hardin-Simmons will stand as a test.
Capital – Hood simmed its way to a 21-7 record last season. This year it brings a roster of 7 seniors and 3 juniors into Rupp, making it the odds-on favorite to take the Capital.
Centennial – Ursinus (barjaz) has spoiled fans so much that the question around campus isn’t whether or not they’ll win the league, but rather whether or not the head coach will extend his streak of 25+ win seasons to eight straight and can Ursinus get back to at least the Sweet 16 this season.
CUNY – Hunter could be another superclass Simmy power this season. After 22-7 a year ago, Hunter returns seven seniors and four juniors, so this better be the year to get stuff done around campus.
CCIW – Northland (raucous) looks solid as the favorite entering this season after a 20-10 campaign a year ago. While that’s almost considered a “down”year, the real grumbling on campus is from Northland hard core fans asking when are we going to see a W in the tournament again?
Coast – Coast….Wentworth…chewchad…rinse, repeat. Every. Single. Year. Last year’s 21 wins were the program’s fewest since Season 58. This year should be a rebound as Wentworth brings the No. 12 preseason ranking into the campaign.
Commonwealth – Usually a two-team horse race between last season’s Elite Eighters Penn St. Altoona and Susquehanna, this season’s round appears poised to go to PSA and frankgrimes1. Frank’s been in the Elite Eight or better in 7 of the last 8 seasons. That’s a hoop dynasty!
Empire – Vassar (theriddler) is again the call here after back-to-back 26-win seasons. There’s no preseason ranking in front of the school’s name, but I have to think that’s a mistaken oversight on the part of the pollsters.
Freedom – Scranton, with 10 juniors and seniors on the roster, appears a whisker better than Delaware Valley. Both are sims. Scranton was 20-10 last season.
GNE – Fresh off 33 wins and a national championship, Johnson & Wales (spasticity) is poised to duke it out with South Vermont for bragging rights in the GNE this season. That title didn’t earn much street cred though, J-Dub is ranked just 20th to open the year, leaving the longtime power with a unique chance to squawk about r-e-s-p-e-c-t.
Heartland – Defiance (nm1brownsfan) is the team to catch for another season. After a rare losing season, Defiance rebounded to form last season with 22 wins and looks to return to the national title game.
Iowa – This could be a fun race between Buena Vista (westcoast22) and Simpson (dshook30). I’ll call Buena Vista despite the two walk-ons in what could be a great battle.
Little East – Umass Dartmouth (pureh21) has a little more in the tank than the closest challengers in the LEAST. You are not hallucinating though – that really is Massachusetts Liberal Arts in a contender’s role this year. MLA has needed just two seasons to recover from the “reigny of terror” that held sway on campus for so long to move into position as a legitimate threat for a league title.
Michigan – Calvin (prc56) posted 27 wins a season ago and reached the Sweet 16. This seasons crew starts the year as No. 10 in the land and could be poised to be playing even longer. Kalamazoo should provide the challenge in the regular season.
Midwest – Rose Hulman (strang) hasn’t see the national tournament or 20 wins since the lost of hall of famer nachopuzzle, but this could be the year that all changes. RHIT appears like the favorites in the Midwest and success there should boost the team back into the postseason limelight.
Minnesota – Hamline (foofighter13) should be laughing all the way to the bank this season in league play. After a couple up and down seasons getting used to the new coach, Hamline has embraced foo’s style of play and is now looking for his 5th straight 20+ win season. It should come without much trouble as it looks like St. Paul has a budding dynasty growing in its midst.
NESCAC – Worchester St. (Sim) was 25-5 a season ago. With nine seniors in tow, this year has potential to be even better. Schedule Worchester now for Season 70 if you’re looking for a team to pummel the holy living snot out of next year.
New Jersey – Ramapo (pgj930) has a solid club and should cruise to the league title without too many nervous nights on the bench this season. This is a club that’s 57-4 over the last two seasons and starts the year No. 13. Hard to build on a 30-1 campaign, but let’s see what pgj has up his sleeve.
N. Atlantic – Husson (Sim AI) has a roster of nine seniors and three juniors. If this isn’t the year to break a postseason drought stretching back to Season 57, then I don’t know when the time will look any brighter on campus.
NCAC – Wooster (pseudochamp) is the class of this league, and my alma mater isn’t even paying me to write that phrase (but they should!). There will be challenges from the usual band of shady characters, but this looks like a season to throw on your kilt and break out the bagpipes for the Fightin’ Scots.
Northwest – Willamette (bullman17) has six consecutive 20+ win seasons and a No. 23 ranking coming into this year. Could be a good year on the hardwood out in Salem, Ore.
Ohio – I’m usually hesitant about picking first-year coaches to win conferences. But when that new face is a hall of famer with 1,300+ victories and an HD career winning percentage of nearly 74%, well…that makes things a little easier. The fact he moves in at a program that was simmed to 23-5 last year also helps. So welcome to both the Rupp world and to Capital (xatomsmasher) and expect a run on season ticket sales to start up soon.
ODAC – Lynchburg (googs04) has gone 58-4 over the past two seasons and has a pair of second round NT appearances to show for it. Since tagging in for longtime ringmaster barney1974, all googs has done is run the ODAC table 16-0 twice. That unblemished streak could see some challenges this year, but a 48-0 arrival in the ODAC isn’t out of the question either.
Penn – Arcadia (luwuan3) won 24 games last season as a Sim and now has a human head coach who appears to be making his HD debut. Again, it’s hard to pick a first-time coach, but since my other two candidates are Sim teams, I’ll put my faith in humanity and say Arcadia goes back to the postseason this year.
Skyline – US Merchant Marine (lynchmob1414) failed to win 20 games a year ago for the first time since Season 56. That struggling will not become a streak as the team starts the year in the top 20 and clearly a notch above anything else that lurks in the league.
So. Cal. – It only makes sense that the favorite of the So. Cal. Is a team from the Rockies of Colorado (bdpoor). In fact, Colorado could be home to this year’s national champion as it looks like all the pieces are coming together nicely this season. At least that’s what I call a D3 squad that begins the year with a 580 team rating.
St. Louis – Webster (mschulte24) hasn’t lost a conference game going back more than five seasons, so there’s absolutely no sane reason to think they won’t finish standing atop the league. Keep an eye on Dominican, as they’ve got the best chance to stop The St. Louis Streak.
SUNY – SUNY Cortland (cuck) is the only team in this league to start the year with a rating over 500. That should enable cuck a relatively relaxing trip through league play and back into the postseason, where he’s still looking for his first tournament W with the program.
University – After back-to-back national championships, Emory (phalla) saw its run atop Rupp halted in the Elite Eight last season. This is what we call a down year. Phalla’s back in command in the super-stacked University and carries the preseason No. 1 ranking. They deserve it.
Upstate – New York Univ. (ajlillie) fans were elated when a new head coach rode into town and threw a 30-1 record onto the ledger in his first season. Now he’s brought a preseason top 10 ranking to campus and folks are wondering just how high NYU can fly.
USA South – This league was a death march last year, but failed to deliver the national title trophy. Don’t shed many tears though because things haven’t dropped a whole bunch. Palm Beach Atlantic (osgonlz) won 22 games and went two rounds deep into the tournament a year ago and appears to be in the driver’s seat with a hot chase shaping up behind him.
Wisconsin – Let’s go with LaCrosse (theaaskimo), now on his fourth season at the helm and winner of his first conference banner a season ago. Concordia and Superior might beg to differ, however.