By Jim Henry
jhenry@joplinglobe.com
Abilene Christian’s 19-14 season-opening victory over Northwest Missouri State back in August affected more than the Bearcats.
It cost the MIAA a second playoff team.
Three MIAA teams — Missouri Western, Central Missouri and Washburn — finished with 8-3 season records, the same record as Abilene Christian. But all three MIAA schools lost to Northwest Missouri, and ACU’s victory over the Bearcats was a big factor in determining the final spot for Super Regional Four.
“That common opponent thread was huge,” said Shawn Jones, associate athletics director for external operations and the national chair for the Division II football committee. “Every coach I know wants things decided on the field, and that was the case here.”
Entering the final weekend of the season, Missouri Western was fifth in the regional ranking and Central Missouri sixth. Either team secures a playoff spot by winning its final game, but Missouri Western lost to Nebraska-Omaha 30-21 — the Griffons’ second straight home loss — and the Mules lost 56-14 at Central Missouri.
Washburn was ninth in the region and decked Emporia State 56-35 in its final game, but two narrow road losses — 37-34 at Missouri Western on a 53-yard field goal after one-half second was put back on the clock and 22-19 in overtime to Northwest Missouri — kept the Ichabods out of the playoffs.
“The MIAA basically knocked each other out,” Jones said. “One team obviously was head and shoulders better than everyone. The rest of us, Western, Washburn and Central Missouri, had nice seasons, but at the end of the day, we beat each other up, and that hurt us.”
Midwestern State (9-2) edged Abilene Christian 15-13 to finish third in the region. Those teams collide again in a first-round game on Saturday.
Two more Lone Star Conference teams — fourth-seeded Texas A&M-Kingsville; and No. 5 Tarleton State — play in the other first-round contest.
Central Washington, 11-0 and the last unbeaten team in Division II, is the top seed in the region, and Northwest Missouri, 10-1, is seeded second. Both teams received a first-round bye and will host second-round playoff games on Nov. 21.
The Bearcats are in the national playoffs for the sixth straight time and the 12th time in the last 14 years.
Nebraska-Omaha and Missouri Western received the MIAA’s two bowl bids, it was announced Monday afternoon.
Nebraska-Omaha (7-4) meets West Texas A&M; (6-5) of the Lone Star Conference in the inaugural Kanza Bowl on Dec. 5 at Hummer Sports Park in Topeka on Dec. 5. Missouri Western plays Augustana of the Northern Sun Conference in the Mineral Water Bowl in Excelsior Springs, also on Dec. 5.
Nebraska-Omaha, which wasn’t in any discussion about the national playoffs, ironically ended up as the league’s top bowl team. The league’s tiebreaker scenarios for the bowl games are based strictly on conference play — nothing to do with playoff numbers.
UNO, Missouri Western, Central Missouri and Washburn finished in a four-way tie for second with 6-3 league records. Within those four teams UNO and Missouri Western had 2-1 records, and Washburn and Central Missouri were 1-2. As a result, UNO and Missouri Western are the two bowl teams, and UNO — by beating the Griffons — had first choice on the bowl game.
