D2 The Fringe
This next group of teams are ones that are at that fringe level of being a playoff team or could see themselves on the outside looking in come playoff time. All of these teams are in various stages of development, some could be poised to make a leap into the middle of the pack, others are a bit stagnated and seem to hover around this area.
Kentucky State coached by goforitjim. The coach is in the second year of the program at Kentucky State. Recruiting has been in the 50’s range his two seasons at the helm, so there is an opportunity to add a bit more talent to get into the next level. It’s difficult playing in the SIAC when you have St. Joseph’s looming and another talented team in Tuskegee that you must play every season. The roster does have some assets and could be dangerous in many matchups this season.
Delta State coached by newguy_97. Delta State is a consistent playoff team, but has not gotten out of the first round, so there is room for improvement. The GSC is pretty full, so there are going to be many matchups with human coaches to boost the SOS. The roster talent level has been consistently in the 20’s in the GUESS rankings so there is some talent there. The team could be at a crossroads as there are teams that are building within the conference and could potentially push Delta State down a level.
Indianapolis coached by alphaflight. This team is more likely a middle of the pack team than a fringe team. Alphaflight takes over a roster that was well managed by horndog2s and could be poised to challenge in the GLIAC, especially considering the coaches ability to win hardware. The real test for the Greyhounds will be week 7, when they have Northwood coming in to visit. If he can push or beat the Timberwolves then a nice seed and potential to advance a bit deeper in the playoffs is possible.
Western Oregon coached by enforcer84. This is a team that seems to be consistently hovering around the fringe of the playoffs, more often than not on the bad side of the bubble. Being in a conference with perennial superpower South Dakota does not help and division foe Humboldt State may be on the verge of breaking through into the elite level in D2 Wilkinson. The recruiting is spotty and inconsistent, so it looks as if the playoffs/no playoffs seem to reflect that inconsistency in recruiting.
Glenville coached by janeway. This team appears to be on the upswing as two solid recruiting classes have been hauled in by janeway. The Pioneers are in the same division as West Virginia Wesleyan, so that is one strong challenge every season. The roster is a mix of youth and experience and next season coach janeway has an opportunity to haul in several more players to fit into his program.
Virginia Union coached by adbfl. VU looked poised to possibly be that team in the CIAA that could become the division power under crab_simmons. New coach abdfl has moved around with mixed results, so this could be a team that sees a drop off. It’s up to abdfl to stay the course at Long Island and see if he can recruit some assets to keep the momentum going. A recruit class at 65 does not hurt the future for the Pioneers as there are some assets in the class but with some playoff money and a coach focused on the program it could be an opportunity to develop.
