Anybody into D2, D3, or NAIA football?

[catamount man]

I love all college football, even I-A, but I just feel that the smaller levels are "true to form" college football. I've been roaming a lot of D2-NAIA boards lately, and I can't help but want to get to a smaller than I-AA game the last weekend of August, since I-A and I-AA will mostly start 9/1-9/3. Just wondering if any of you got into the smaller levels. GO CATAMOUNTS!!!

[ngineer]

Absolutely. We have some excellent D-III schools here in eastern PA: Widener, Moravian, Muhlenberg, Delaware Valley. .. I usually catch one or two Moravian or Muhlenberg games a year if I can't get to a Lehigh away game. Watch a good game and listen to the Mountain Hawks with my headset. :)

[yomama]

Not too many games at that level in August.

If you live within driving distance of Newport News, Rowan at Christopher Newport (Sept 3) is the game you want.

http://www.cnu.edu/sprtinfo/Sports/Football/fb030705.htm

[Marcus Garvey]

DIII fan here. I follow 4 leagues, in decending order: Middle Atlantic, Centennial, Empire 8 and Liberty League (nee Upstate Athletic).

Never followed DII much. I've never lived near any schools playing NAIA, so I'm totally unfamiliar with them.

[Tod]

I've gotten into the NAIA somewhat since Carroll College is the three-time reigning champion. Kind of a long trip for you, though. :(

[catamount man]

Actually, NAIA UVA-Wise will be playing D2 North Greenville College on August 27 here in upstate South Carolina, so I may make that one. I'd also thought about riding over to Greeneville, TN to watch Tusculum play Concord(WV) College that same day as well. I had a friend who played 2 years at Tusculum who always told me how I needed to catch a game over there. GO CATAMOUNTS!!!

[BlackSaturday]

I follow the aforementioned Concord University. I practically lived on that campus growing up and my sister is an alumnus. Go Mountain Lions!

[mlbowl]

I follow Carroll College in NAIA.

[MR. CHICKEN]

DOVER, DELAWARE'S.........D-III.....WESLEY COLLEGE...........DUH "WOLVERINES".....HAVE MADE DA PLAY-OFFS A FEW TIMES IN LATE '90'S/EARLY 'OO'S...:nod:...AWK!

[Ivytalk]

I follow the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC), a D-III conference including high-quality Southern and Midwestern liberal arts colleges like Sewanee (where my son played), Rhodes, Millsaps, Centre, DePauw, Rose-Hulman and Trinity.

[D1B]

Saw St. Johns (minnesota) beat Redlands (Calif) in the DIII quarterfinals a couple years ago.

Also a big fan of the WIACC (Wisconsin DIII conf) - UW Whitewater, Platteville, River Falls, LaCross - some of the best in all sports at the D3 level.

[Tribe4SF]

Not too many games at that level in August.

If you live within driving distance of Newport News, Rowan at Christopher Newport (Sept 3) is the game you want.

http://www.cnu.edu/sprtinfo/Sports/Football/fb030705.htm

Right you are, Mama! CNU football is a great story. Three year program with three trips to the playoffs. Led by former W&M Asst. Head Coach Matt Kelchner. Terrific D-III stadium.

[Fordham]

My cousin plays for DIII King's College (PA), so I try to catch as many games as possible when I'm not at a Fordham matchup and tend to follow the MAC in general as well.

In every game I've ever seen there are some real studs on both sides that could suit up for any of our teams, imo. Tells you how difficult recruiting can be where a kid with a lot of hype won't be nearly as good for your team as a kid with a ton of heart who is tough as nails, but maybe is a step slower or an inch or two shorter than the bigger prospect. Great games to watch.

[MR. CHICKEN]

GOTTA LOVE ROWAN.......FO' KC's ACCOMPLISHMENTS!....:nod:............AWK!

[Marcus Garvey]

My cousin plays for DIII King's College (PA), so I try to catch as many games as possible when I'm not at a Fordham matchup and tend to follow the MAC in general as well.

In every game I've ever seen there are some real studs on both sides that could suit up for any of our teams, imo. Tells you how difficult recruiting can be where a kid with a lot of hype won't be nearly as good for your team as a kid with a ton of heart who is tough as nails, but maybe is a step slower or an inch or two shorter than the bigger prospect. Great games to watch.

Amen! What's great about DIII and DII is all the opportunities it gives guys to continue playing football. In Arizona, there a ton of kids who aren't good enough to play I-A and therefore are overlooked. There's a dearth of I-AA programs west of the Rockies, so many of them don't play college ball. Tim Murphy at Harvard has realized the wealth of talent in Arizona. Virtually every year, I read in the Arizona Republic (Phx) and Arizona Daily Star (Tucson) about kids who sign a letter of intent to play for Harvard.

[putter]

Actually my alma mater is Carroll College in Helena Montana. The 3 time defending NAIA football national champions so I am a proud follower of NAIA football. Also the frontier conference has 5 NAIA schools in Montana so it is big here.

http://www.carroll.edu/images/main/athletics/nelsonaction.jpg

[bonarae]

I follow St. Johns, Carroll (Montana), University of Chicago and MIT.

[bison95]

I still follow some DII, Live close to NWMSU and UNO. My wifes' younger brother is a senior at Capital (Ohio) and her cousion redshirted last year at Mount Union. Love the DIII game, they just need some fans who will stand up and cheer. My boys love to go drive to Ohio and watch their uncle play.

[blur2005]

Bridgewater College is five minutes from where I live. If you'll recall, they barely lost to Mount Union in the 2001 DIII National Championship by a score of 30-27. It's funny, because until about five years ago, Bridgewater had lost more games than any team in NCAA history, at any level, in football. Then Mike Clark's coaching finally took shape and BAM, they suddenly could play. ODAC champs four years in a row now.

[MR. CHICKEN]

BLURRY...........YA'LL DUH CLOCK OPERATOR?.........NUFFIN' LIKE UH 63 SECOND FINAL...3 SECONDS!......:eyebrow:....................AWK!