Column: How do playoff changes affect MIAA?

By Jon Dykstra | August 6, 2025 |

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Changes to NCAA Division-II have felt long overdue for a while with the dominance of the GLIAC, MIAA and GAC in Super Region 3, and the Super Region 3 bracket providing more entertaining matchups than the final four and championship game most years.

Those changes have come for 2025. The first and simplest is the expansion of the playoff field with 32 total teams instead of 28 — giving each super region eight playoff teams and eliminating the first-round bye for the top seed.

The other change comes with the addition of a new conference, the Conference of the Carolinas. That brings Division-II from 15 conferences to 16.

That means each super region has four conferences.

The traditionally weakest Super Region 1, in the northeast, is now made up of the PSAC, CIAA, Northeast 10 and MEC. The only change for SR1 is switching out the GMAC for the CIAA.

Super Region 2 is the southeast region and is made up of the Gulf South, Conference of the Carolinas, SAC and SIAC. The change for SR2 is adding Conference of the Carolinas and getting rid of the CIAA.

Super Region 1 and Super Region 2 have been the weaker brackets in the past and are likely to remain that way with the top conferences in Division-II widely considered to be the MIAA, GLIAC, Northern Sun, RMAC, GAC and Lone Star.

Super Region 3 remains the home of the GLIAC — led by Ferris State and Grand Valley State — but loses a lot of its depth. The GLIAC and GLVC remain in Super Region 3, but the MIAA and GAC are gone while the Northern Sun and GMAC are added.

The GLIAC and Northern Sun should be the powers in the new region, and the redistribution opens up good possibilities for each conference to get three teams in the playoffs.

Meanwhile, Super Region 4 becomes the new toughest region to make the playoffs with four of the power conferences in Division-II in the same bracket with the MIAA, RMAC, GAC and Lone Star all lumped together.

The region instantly becomes the toughest to make the playoffs in nationally with it being unlikely for any of those leagues to secure three playoff spots without a dominant non-conference season. But once teams make the playoffs, the playoff field should be more balanced with Michigan schools separated. Until it’s proven differently, the favorites to make the championship game will be the winners of Super Region 4 and Super Region 3, which will make for a fun matchup.

With the difficulty of Super Region 4 that makes non-conference success a premium in order to put individual teams and conferences in the best spots for the playoffs.

The MIAA has held up its end of the bargain with each team putting together a very difficult non-conference schedule. For the best chance at three playoff teams, MIAA fans should be cheering for their rivals to win as many games as they can.

Here’s a ranking of which teams have the toughest non-conference schedules in the MIAA.

1. Pittsburg State

at Ferris St.; v. Grand Valley St.

The Gorillas put the Division-II world on notice last season with a 19-3 domination of Ferris State at The Jungle in Week 0.

This season, they upped the ante even further by adding another GLIAC power with Grand Valley State. Both the Lakers and Bulldogs will be top-5 teams when they face Pittsburg State.

The Gorillas play in the toughest league in the country and scheduled the two toughest opponents possible in the non-conference. This might be the toughest schedule in D-II history.

2. Fort Hays State

v. Angelo State; at Colorado State-Pueblo

Fort Hays State is the team to watch in the non-conference if you are a fan of another MIAA team.

The Tigers were picked third in the MIAA and are taking on Lone Star favorite Angelo State and RMAC co-favorite Colorado State-Pueblo.

If Hays is able to run the table in those two games, it will be hard to deny that the MIAA deserves three playoff teams, regardless of how Hays does the remainder of the season.

3. Northwest

at Minnesota State; v. Texas A&M-Kingsville

The Bearcats began a series last season with the powerhouse to the north — Minnesota State. The Mavericks won Super Region 4 last season and handled the Bearcats easily in Week 0. It is a tough first game for the John McMenamin era.

With another open date this season, the Bearcats attempted to renew their rivalry with Truman State, but when that fell though, they added another playoff opponent from years gone by with Texas A&M-Kingsville. Kingsville was picked fourth in the Lone Star, but had a first-place vote.

4. Central Missouri

at Delta State; v. Colorado State-Pueblo

The Mules have a couple recent playoff squads on the schedule. Colorado State-Pueblo is the co-favorite in the RMAC and that will be another key head-to-head for the conference come playoff time.

Delta State was picked fourth in the 4-team Gulf South Conference, but that league is the best in Super Region 2 despite having only four teams. It is a long trip for the Mules in Week 0.

5. Emporia State

v. Minot State; at Angelo State

The Hornets get the other non-conference matchup with Lone Star favorite Angelo State. Plus they have a sneaky-good matchup with Minot State, a flexbone team from the Northern Sun, in Week 0.

6. Washburn

v. Truman State; at Colorado School of Mines

Washburn nearly pulled a stunner last season against the RMAC powerhouse that is the Colorado School of Mines. This year, that matchup is on the road. Truman State is picked second in the GLVC.

7. Missouri Western

at Augustana; v. Missouri S&T

Nobody upgraded their non-conference schedule as much as Missouri Western did this year. Augustana lost a lot from last year’s playoff team, but a trip up I-29 is no joke. In Week 2, they get an easier matchup with S&T picked sixth in the GLVC.

8. Central Oklahoma

at Texas-Permian Basin; v. Northeastern State

The Bronchos are a bit handcuffed in the non-conference with maintaining their rivalry with Northeastern State. They stepped up their second game in a big way though, going from Langston to the third-place pick in the Lone Star with UT-Permian Basin on the road.

9. Nebraska-Kearney

at Wayne St.; v. Chadron St.

Wayne State isn’t what they have been in recent seasons, and Chadron State is picked in a tie for seventh in the RMAC, so this is far from a murders’ row, so I don’t love the matchups, but dang it do I respect it.

The D-II Nebraska teams are playing each other and that is good for football in the state of Nebraska.

10. Missouri Southern

v. Midwestern State; at Southwest Baptist

This is why I like non-conference games all the way around. Missouri Southern is picked last in the MIAA and could use some competitive games to prepare them for the MIAA gauntlet.

Midwestern State is picked seventh in the Lone Star and was a good game last season. Southwest Baptist is picked eighth in the GLVC and Southern should be favored in that one.