After watching some really good football the first two weeks of the season—wins over Indianapolis and No. 6 Wayne State—fans at Jack Miller Stadium may have noticed a change in the talent level of Ashland’s competition. There’s a reason for that.

I don’t want to step on any toes or hurt any feelings, but facts are facts. Facts will tell you that the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference South Division is much worse at football than the North Division:

• In 24 games between the two sides of the conference this season, the South went 6-18 and was outscored 805-542. The average margin of victory in those games was just less than 11 points.

• Subtract the three games that Ashland (South) won over its non-divisional foes and the three that Northern Michigan (North) lost (including a 42-13 defeat at the hands of the Eagles), and the North is 18-1, with the North nearly doubling the South in points.

• Walsh, Malone, Lake Erie and Notre Dame (all South) were a combined 0-12 in games against teams from the North.

That last statistic is what really stands out. Those four teams, which make up half of the South Division, were playing in NAIA less than five years ago. Walsh, Malone and Notre Dame are in their first year as full-fledged Division II programs. Combined, they are 2-16 in GLIAC play this season, with Walsh’s one win coming over Malone.

That’s why I think, for the next five years, there should be no divisions in the GLIAC. Teams that are “traditional” GLIAC programs should play an equal number of games against the new guys. It will help the minnows get bigger, and it won’t hurt a really good team from the South, like Ashland, by making it play weaker teams down the stretch. Once Malone, Lake Erie and Walsh start knocking the big teams off on a week in, week out basis, then a division format makes sense.

Note: Part of the problem will be alleviated when Notre Dame splits next season for the new Mountain East conference, but what then? Whom will Ashland schedule for its last game of the season without messing up the schedules of the northern teams?

Don’t get mixed up in what I am trying to say here. I am all for the growth of the GLIAC. In fact, I believe that all four of the schools I just mentioned can and will have good football programs in the near future. Lake Erie beat Ashland just last year. But you can’t transform an NAIA football program into a Division II football program overnight.

I just think the GLIAC could have handled this better. I get why they did it the way they did. Putting all of the Ohio teams on one side and all of the Michigan teams on the other means shorter bus trips (or plane rides). Shorter trips mean higher road attendance and lower travel expenses—gas, food, hotel rooms, etc.—for programs, which in turn mean more money for the conference. I get that.

Except… judging by the road crowds I’ve seen at Jack Miller Stadium this year, these new schools don’t have very many fans that are willing to travel. Sure, it’s nice that Eagle Nation gets to travel to Fawcett Stadium—less than an hour from campus—to watch AU play Malone on Saturday, but… (OK, coach Owens and the football team, please read what is in italics and stop reading after that. The rest of you, skip the italics. Ready, break!)

It’s awesome that you guys get to play at Fawcett Stadium, where the Hall of Fame Game is played every year. Cherish the moment. It should be a heck of a game! Malone is a great football team with every bit of the talent and personnel you guys have. You had better come prepared for a fight.

…this isn’t even going to be a game. Walsh—the team Ashland destroyed Saturday—beat this team by 11 points. The Pioneers’ only win came in double overtime against Tiffin. Tiffin is 2-5 (Ashland travels there in two weeks). By all means, go support the Eagles. Cheer your heart out and continue to be an outstanding part of this historic season. Just don’t expect it to be a thriller.

Here’s where I think we can all agree: it would be way more fun if Ashland was preparing for a rematch with the team that derailed its season last year. Need a refresher? A Thursday night, nationally-televised game at Saginaw Valley State; a missed field goal, two blocked field goals, a mishandled punt, five total turnovers and Taylor Housewright leaving the game due to injury on the way to a heartbreaking 27-6 loss that began a 1-4 stretch to end the season.

Don’t you think that team coming to town would be more motivation for a 7-0 AU team than travelling down the road to take on a team that had four wins last year against NAIA competition? Not to mention that SVSU is currently ranked 15th after beating Wayne State 24-7 last Thursday to move to 6-1.

Just take a look at the list of teams in the GLIAC the Eagles don’t have to play this year: SVSU, Michigan Tech (5-1 GLIAC, 5-1 overall), Hillsdale (5-1, 5-2), Grand Valley State (4-2, 5-2) and Northwood (3-3, 4-3) all have winning records.

Not to take away from anything the Eagles have done or will accomplish the rest of the way. I don’t think anyone in the conference would argue that they are the class of the conference in football this year. The three big wins Ashland has (Indianapolis, Wayne State and at Ferris State) are more than enough to make that argument. But they happened in August and September.

Now, the North is beating up on itself while Ashland beats up on the South. Neither is a great scenario (just ask Grand Valley State), but the team(s) that make it through to the Division II playoffs from the North are going to be able to say they are truly battle-tested over the last seven weeks of the season. I’m not sure Ashland can say that.