MCLA Division II Preseason Top 20
1. St. Thomas
2. Grand Valley State
3. Westminster
4. North Dakota State
5. Dayton
6. St. John’s
7. SCAD
8. Briarcliffe
9. Concordia (Calif.)
10. Indiana Tech
11. Western Oregon
12. Elon
13. St. Mary’s (Calif.)
14. Kennesaw State
15. Washington (Mo.)
16. Coast Guard
17. Missouri Baptist
18. Cal State Fullerton
19. Sam Houston State
20. Liberty
With the Top 20 out I thought it’d be a little fun to see which teams are my underdogs in the top 20. Now I’m not going with teams that have never been in the Top 20 before, I’m going with teams that I believe to be teams that have the best chance to shake things up in their conferences and on a national stage.
This is something the MCLA is known for the underdog team and what they can do in a season. Last year the underdogs were Washington (Mo.) and Indiana Tech. The year before the biggest underdog was NDSU.
My first pick for underdog would have to be Liberty. Liberty is a good young program, that has only gotten better since the teams inception three years ago. This team has an extremely powerful offense that will definitely be able to handle most defenses. Also with a strong schedule the Flames will be able to climb the ladder with a few upsets.
My next pick would have to be the Cadets up at the U.S. Coast Guard. The Bears have been second banana to Briarcliffe the last few years. I think with the strong defense that the Bears will have this season, that they will be able to get themselves through most games this season.
In the MCLA, teams are more readily able to go above and beyond their potential. The league is such a melting pot that upsets and Cinderella stories come around almost every year. This year it will be even more true, with the uptick in player ability and dedication from more teams. This will be a year that you won’t want to miss.
