KANSAS CITY, Mo — Ahead of the 2022 NCAA Division II Football Championship selection show, there was a slight possibility only one team would represent the MIAA in the playoffs.
The league ended up earning two bids in Pittsburg State and Northwest Missouri State. Both lost in the second round of Super Region 3 play, which featured two top-five matchups in the eyes of the American Football Coaches Association DII Top 25.
The head to head matchups between the MIAA and GLIAC led to a partnership now represented by an alliance of seven Division II conferences.
“This is a grassroots leadership group focussed on improving Division II football,” MIAA Commissioner Mike Racy said during MIAA Football Media Day on Tuesday, July 25. “Everybody in the alliance, their presidents, their athletic directors, their commissioners, understand the type of investment being made by our schools in offering intercollegiate football.”
On three occasions since January, the alliance has met to discuss opportunities to grow Division II football.
The meeting included former Northwest Missouri State head coach Mel Tjeerdsma on behalf of the NCAA’s Coach’s Connection program.
“[Football] serves as the campus front door,” Racy said. “Football is how our campuses engage alumni, engage the campus student-body and offer special events like Family Day, Homecoming and Military Appreciation Day. Football is different in Division I. Football is different in Division II. That is what this football alliance is about.”
Come January, Division II will vote on an issue spanning from five of the alliance's members: creating week zero, which has grown in popularity at the Division I level since 2016.
Conferences backing the proposal include the MIAA, the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, the Gulf South Conference and the Lone Star Conference.
“The MIAA is excited about this proposal,” Racy said. “It is important for Division II football. It provides great scheduling flexibility for conferences. As I mentioned, the potential bye week will be important for the health and safety of our student-athletes.”
If the week zero proposal is approved, Division II football programs will have 12 weeks to play 11 games. The MIAA would plan to start playing in week zero with a bye week.
Come the 2024 season, the MIAA will have 11 active football teams due to the departure of Lincoln for the Great Lakes Valley Conference.
The exit will leave each MIAA member with a floating bye-week. Central Missouri’s bye is slated for Week 3, meaning the legislation passing would leave an open date for Aug. 29, 2024 or Aug. 31, 2024 and Sept 21, 2024.
“I believe this early start in the early season will open up more non-conference game opportunities for our MIAA schools,” Racy said.
Racy said the possibility of bringing the MIAA’s membership back to at least 12 football teams is on the table for the 2025 season.
In that situation, the league would be split into north and south divisions for all sports.
Joe Andrews can be reached at 660-747-8123.
