MSU football can't find 11th opponent for next season
Mar. 25—Last week, the Minnesota State football schedule was released.
It's usually a time to celebrate. But as of now, there will be only 10 games next season, and coach Todd Hoffner wasn't feeling like celebrating.
"I feel bad for the student-athletes who work so hard and might not get an opportunity to play 11 games," Hoffner said. "We're still working on some things, and even at the 11th hour, something might work out, but it's disappointing."
Upper Iowa announced on Nov. 29 that it would be leaving the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference to compete in the Great Lakes Valley Conference, beginning next season.
That leaves the Northern Sun, which has played a conference-only schedule since 2012, with only 13 teams and an unbalanced schedule. The league decided to pursue a schedule that includes one nonconference game, with teams scheduling those at different weeks of the season.
The Mavericks, who play five home games and five on the road, have an open date in Week 7 (Oct. 14). According to sources, the Mavericks tried to work out something with Saginaw Valley State, Central Oklahoma and Roosevelt University, an NAIA program that is transitioning to Division II.
But those programs chose not to play a home-and-home with Minnesota State. Saginaw Valley chose to play Winona State on Aug. 31.
"We've talked to some programs, but teams don't seem to be chomping at the bit to play the Mavericks," Hoffner said.
From a regional and NCAA perspective, one less game could hurt Minnesota State when being compared with other programs. One of the criteria is wins against Division II programs, and the Mavericks would have one less opportunity to get that victory. An 8-2 record isn't as good as a 9-2 record.
However, a bye in Week 7 could help the Mavericks recover from injuries before the final month of the season.
"This bites pretty hard; it could affect our ability to compete for championships," Hoffner said. "With just 10 games, any slip-up during the season would be magnified."
Other NCAA teams have qualified for postseason play with just 10 games against Division II opponents, but Hoffner said he hasn't studied that enough to understand the consequences.
The Mavericks are scheduled to open the season Aug. 31 at Sioux Falls, where former Minnesota State defensive coordinator Jim Glogowski is a first-year head coach.
Minnesota State has home games with Wayne State (Sept. 9), Concordia-St. Paul (Sept. 23), Minnesota State-Moorhead (Oct. 7), Southwest Minnesota State (Oct. 28) and Minnesota Duluth (Nov. 11).
The Mavericks also play road games with Minot State (Sept. 16), Bemidji State (Sept. 30), Augustana (Oct. 21) and Winona State (Nov. 4).
Last season, the Mavericks went 10-3 and shared the Northern Sun championship. Minnesota State won its last five-regular season games and a home playoff game against Wayne State before losing to Colorado School of Mines in the second round of the NCAA tournament.
This scheduling issue will not be resolved in the 2024-25 season, after which the Northern Sun will have a different schedule.
"You're talking about losing 10% of your schedule," Hoffner said. "It's a big problem in our sport."
Follow Chad Courrier on Twitter @ChadCourrier.
