Another season is in the books in Crum, and the Ohio Conference was yet again a strong #2 in D3. We now have five programs that expect to be in the NT every season (and indeed were all there last season), and we're usually good for 2-3 teams making deep runs (this season, we had three in the Sweet Sixteen, two in the Elite Eight, and one in the Final Four).
It's already a competitive conference which consistently has a strong RPI and pulls plenty of bonus cash. But there is the opportunity to get better with the right additions. Six jobs are open, and they're all interesting (unusually interesting--usually at least 1-2 of the openings are terrible programs with few openings). None of the returning humans have full cash, so anyone taking on a rebuild will have the biggest budget in the country, west of Akron.
Partial rebuilds:
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Wilmington. A year removed from a top ten finish, Wilmington fell into the PIT last year and dropped to B+ prestige. Which still makes it one of the top openings in Crum D3, as far as prestige goes. They've been built by a very strong coach (muskies85) who had to downsize upon the birth of his third child, and they're definitely a threat to make the postseason with good coaching this year. And with four openings, you get to make your mark quickly.
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Ohio Northern. This team has some talent but have been undercoached. I know, it was my brother's team. He would get excited about HD during recruiting, show off his haul (which was usually at least NT-worthy, sometimes better) and then disappear for the season itself, letting a talented team drop out of the postseason. This team has C+ prestige and three openings, but with five seniors, they could definitely make the PIT with good coaching, and perhaps challenge for an NT spot, depending on how much potential those returners have (I know those practice plans haven't been optimized).
Full rebuilds:
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Capital. C prestige. 6 open scholarships. Plus three seniors. If you're looking to completely rebuild a team in three seasons (which is my style, personally), this is your place.
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Marietta. Or maybe this is your place. 8 open scholarships and three seniors. You can completely remake this roster in two seasons.
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Otterbein. Or this. 7 open scholarships will give you more than 20 grand in cash to work with in your first season. They run FB/FCP, if you're into that.
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Mount Union. With only 5 openings, Mount Union is the only full rebuild in the conference that won't start you with maximum cash, but with over $18,000 to work with this season, a good coach could do big things here.