D2 Playoff Bracket
With the growth of Wilkinson, the talent among the coaches is very strong. Division DIA and D1AA have been established, and the work of many to promote the world and to provide additional content has benefitted D2 as I see it. Top coaches are at the D2 level, some old, some new, some with intentions of going higher, but have developed some strong programs on their way up. If you are in D2 Wilkinson and in the playoffs, you're going to get tested, just like the teams at D1A and D1AA. Where a coach could maybe coast into the semis, they could be getting a challenge in the second round.
Thirteen games in the books, but only the best get to play six more. I'd say that there are three regions set up that are fairly well balanced, possible two teams that could reach the final four in each of these three regions. The fourth is by far the most difficult region to navigate.
North Region:
Strong bracket, with two teams I would consider to be co-favorites, (1) Saint Joseph's and (2) West Virginia Wesleyan. WVWU surpassed the 10,000 yard mark on offense through the air, while St. Joe's was a more balanced offense with about a 60/40 split on production through the air vs on the ground.
The dark horse in the region is (3) Livingstone. Livingstone just won their first CC in the history on Wilkinson. The coach is accomplished and could give WVWU some trouble in round two.
While this would be considered an upset in terms of seeding, I think (5) Humboldt State will advance out of the first round over (4) Lock Haven.
South Region:
In the coaches poll, opinions varied widely on (1) Stonehill, some coaches had them in the top 5, while others had them outside the preseason top 15. Coach mikesy took control of the Northeast-10 conference to earn the one seed in this region. (2) Truman State is my favorite to come out of this region, tigerpark135 has played a strong non-conference schedule, going 3-1 against 4 teams that are in the top 5 seeds in their respective playoff regions.
The opening round offers some challenges to the top seeds in the region, as I think only Truman State is completely safe against (7) Delta State. (8) West Virginia State could pull an upset in the first round. The matchups between (4) Valdosta State and (5) Southern Connecticut State is a coin flip. I like (3) Winona State to beat (6) West Chester but an upset wouldn't shock me.
East Region:
(1) Henderson State is the top seed. They came in at number 5 in the preseason coaches poll, and I really like this team a lot and they are championship caliber so they are my favorites to come out of this region.
I was very impressed by (3) Augustana's performance in the CC game against South Dakota. Though they came up short, that was a very good game against a better team. They were trounced by HSU in non-conference play and statistically were beaten soundly by SD, but kept it close with some ball-hawking defense. Still, (7) Tarleton State can pull the upset.
(2) Northwood is the clear number two seed in the region. They played a very strong non conference schedule, preparing for the challenges that come in the playoffs. The Timberwolves could be the representative that comes out of the east.
Coach bigkeithdog brings his (5) Tuskegee squad to the playoffs for the first time against (4) Texas A&M-Kingsville.
South Region:
The south region is stacked. Some potential very good matchups in the second round, as two favorites clash in the second round. (1) South Dakota could play (4) Colorado-Mines. I only say could, because Mines could be tested by (5) Millersville, but I would bet on this Titanic clash in round 2.
On the bottom half of the bracket, two teams appear to be on a collision course (2) Slippery Rock and (3) West Liberty State. WLSC was a final four team last season and went through a challenging non-con again.
I think the winner of SD/Mines ultimately comes out of the South region, with an edge to South Dakota.
