2016 Frontier Conference Football Preview

For the last two Decembers, the Frontier Conference has been represented in the NAIA national championship game, with the Southern Oregon Raiders winning it all back in 2014.

And, for the last two years, the Frontier Conference has had the most NAIA All-Americans of any league in the country.

Now, with a new season in the Frontier about to begin, don't be surprised if none of that changes.

Three Frontier teams get their start Saturday, with the rest of the league's teams starting on Sept. 3. And, starting this weekend, it promises to be another amazing year in Frontier football.

For starters, the league is absolutely loaded with talented running backs, which will make offenses fun to watch. Conversely, there's some of the best defensive players in the country also on Frontier rosters this season, so that makes about every matchup intriguing.

Then you have SOU, which didn't even win the Frontier title, but, made it back to the national championship game last season anyway. The Raiders were picked to win the league title this season, but, the Montana Tech Orediggers are the defending champions, and they will have plenty to say about that.

There's also intriguing storylines such as, Carroll College trying to reassert its Frontier dominance after a rare losing season a year ago, as well as two new head coaches in the league in ex-Frontier stars Jason Petrino at Rocky Mountain College and Ryan Nourse at UM-Western. The likes of SOU and RMC will also test the Frontier's mettle against NCAA competition this season, with the Raiders playing at Big Sky Conference member UC Davis Sept. 10 and Rocky traveling to another Big Sky team in Northern Colorado next Saturday.

Those are just a few reasons why the 2016 Frontier season promises to be as exciting as any. But above all, the league will be exciting because it's really good, really deep and really talented.

And with tifve teams ranked in the NAIA Preseason Coaches Poll, that hasn't changed, it won't change anytime soon.

"It's really hard to win games in this conference," MSU-Northern head coach Aaron Christensen said. "There's so many good teams, there's talent on every roster. It's as deep a league as there is in the NAIA in my opinion."

Here's a team-by-team breakdown of the 2016 Frontier Conference in the predicted order of finish according the Frontier Preseason Coaches Poll.

Southern Oregon

Raiders

2015: 8-2, 11-3, 2nd in Frontier, NAIA Runner-up

Head Coach: Craig Howard (6th Season)

Location: Ashland, Ore.

Stadium: Raider Stadium

Outlook: The Raiders, ranked No. 2 in the NAIA Preseason Poll, were picked to win the league title a year ago after capturing the 2014 NAIA national title. They didn't win the Frontier in 2015, but, they did go all the way back to the national title game. And, they did it without Austin Dodge, perhaps the greatest QB to ever play in the NAIA. Now, with most of their high-powered offense back, including QB Tanner Trosin (6-0, 180), RB Melvin Mason (6-0, 200) and WR Matt Retzlaff (5-10, 190), as well as a defense led by stout linebackers and All-American safety Julius Rucker (6-2, 200), the Raiders are once again the league favorite. Of course, when you average over 48 points and 400 yards of offense over the last four seasons, it's no wonder you're heavily favored every year. And that's just what the Raiders have done under Craig Howard. This season will be more of the same offensively, and, if SOU can win a tough road game at Carroll early in the season, the Raiders will be set up to win the league title, as they only play Montana Tech once and it's in Ashland on the final day of the season.

Montana Tech

Orediggers

2015: 9-1, 10-2, Frontier Champions, lost in NAIA QF

Head Coach: Chuck Morrell (6th Season)

Location: Butte

Stadium: Alumni Coliseum

Outlook: Things are really good at Montana Tech right now. The Orediggers went from worst to first a season ago, winning a Frontier title along the way. They have boatloads of talent, are dominating the Montana recruiting wars, and they have one of the best stadiums in all of NAIA football. But, as great as things are, and as great as last season was, Tech feels it can do better – like NAIA national championship better. Spearheaded by the running of senior Nolan Saraceni (5-10, 200), an NAIA All-American a year ago, and a healthy Quinn McQueary (6-3, 195) at quarterback, Tech's offense should be as dynamic as any out there. The Orediggers do have question marks though. They have key receivers and linebackers to replace, but, if they can do that, and their defense, led by safety Gunnar Kayser (6-4, 215), holds up, they will be awfully tough to beat, especially if Saraceni duplicates last year's 1,600-yard season, or bests it. And especially if McQueary stays on the field for all 10 games this season. Of course, Tech will also need to win on the road to win the Frontier, and that includes stops in Helena for the opening game of the season, and possibly the de facto Frontier title game in Ashland against SOU for the second year in a row.

Carroll College

Fighting Saints

2015: 4-6, 4-6, T4 in Frontier

Head Coach: Mike Van Diest (18th Season)

Location: Helena

Stadium: Nelson Stadium

Outlook: The Fighting Saints don't have losing seasons often, and when they do, they usually bounce back in a big way. And that's what Carroll is trying to do this fall after suffering a rare losing season, which ended with back-to-back L's. However, Carroll is a very young team, and bouncing back to be the king of the Frontier won't be easy. The Saints are breaking in a new QB in senior J.T. Linder (6-2, 217), and they are still searching for answers at RB. They also lost a pair of All-American offensive linemen, and all three of their starting LB's, as well as All-American safety James Dowgin. Still, Carroll is Carroll, and young players like Major Ali and Ryan Walsh will try and shore up the running game, while a loaded receiver group, led by Kyle Griffith (5-11, 185), Troy Arnston (5-8, 170) and Connor Fohn (6-1, 195) should be a strength. On defense, Carroll is solid on the line, and defensive back Ryan Gregory (6-0, 185) should be the anchor on the back end. And while there's no denying CC has talent, Carroll will find out a lot about itself with a season-opening game against powerhouse Montana Tech. The Saints, ranked 22nd in the NAIA preseason Poll, also play favorite SOU just once, and it's at home, and they also only play Eastern Oregon once, and it's in Helena too. So, the schedule favors Carroll making a run at getting back to the top of the Frontier mountain.

Eastern Oregon

Mountaineers

2015: 4-7, 4-7, T4 in Frontier

Head Coach: Tim Camp (9th Season)

Location: LaGrande, Ore.

Stadium: Community Stadium

Outlook: The Mounties have been a talented, team on the rise every single year in the Frontier. But, something always seems to get in the way. Last year, it was injuries and head-scratching home losses that held veteran head coach Tim Camp's team back. And yet, optimism is again high as EOU enters a new season ranked No. 25 in the NAIA Preseason Coaches Poll. Of course, with talents on offense like WR Calvin Connors (5-9, 170) and QB Zach Bartlow (6-0, 195) returning at QB, as well as stout defenders like Kyle Lanoue (6-1, 270), the Mounties should be optimistic. They always have one of the top offenses in the league, and their defense has had its share of great moments too. But, in order to finally take the next step, and compete for a Frontier title, EOU must replace the production of graduated All-American Jase Billingsley, and, they must be more consistent. They must counter the huge road wins they always seem to come up with, by winning games at home, and especially games where they're favored. If EOU can do that this season, including knocking off rival SOU yet again, then, there is no reason to think the Mounties won't be in the hunt for at least, an NAIA playoff berth.

College of Idaho

Yotes

2015: 4-6, 4-7, T4 in Frontier

Head Coach: Mike Moroski (4th Season)

Location: Caldwell, Idaho

Stadium: Simplot Stadium

Outlook: If you're looking to start a college football program from the ground up, then you want to model what College of Idaho has done. In just two seasons in the Frontier, the Yotes have won nine games. Their rise has been fast and furious, and, with one of the biggest home fan bases in the Frontier, and a talented recruiting base, they won't slow down. So, it's easy to see why C of I was picked to finish near the top half of the Frontier this season. But, in order to get there, the Yotes have some offensive rebuilding to do. They lost QB TeeJay Gordon, and in all, their top three rushers. And, running the ball is what C of I does. Now, the lone returning star rusher the Yotes had last season, J.J. Hyde (6-2, 230), is moving to QB, so it will be interesting to see of the Yotes can continue to run their option offense the way they're used to. Beyond the running game, C of I is deep and talented. They have perhaps the best TE in the country in Marcus Lenhardt (6-4, 225), big offensive and defensive lines, a super-fast WR in Tyler Higby (6-0, 190), and one of the best DB's in the country in Nate Moore (5-9, 170). So, if C of I is still the tough offense to stop that it has been the last two seasons, then there's no reason to think the Yotes won't continue rising, and who knows, the sky may be the limit.

UM-Western

Bulldogs

2015: 7-3, 7-3, 3rd in Frontier

Head Coach: Ryan Nourse (1st Season)

Location: Dillon

Stadium: Vigilante Field

Outlook: Everyone loses key members of a good team now and again. But the Bulldogs lost head coach B.J. Robertson to Montana State this past offseason, after putting together a great 2015 campaign, that probably should have included an NAIA playoff berth. Behind one of the best defenses in the country last season, the Bulldogs were riding high, but after losing their head coach, two All-American linebackers and a star safety, question of defense probably kept UM-W from being picked higher in the Preseason Coaches Poll. Still, Nourse, who coached the Bulldogs before Robertson took over, and is the AD at Western, knows the cupboard is not bare. Western has stars all over its offense, led by senior RB Sam Rutherford (6-1, 215), and two returning sophomore QB's, both of whom started for the Dawgs last season. Add in TE Matt Lickfold (6-2, 220), and UM-W's power-based offense should be good, especially with Rutherford as the catalyst. Western also has one of the best DE's in the country back in senior Reno Ward (6-2, 255), who led the Frontier in sacks, and alongside tackle Tyrell Penner (6-3, 270), the line should still be good. But, returning LB TJ Benson (5-10, 185) lost his other three mates in the middle of one of the most productive units in Frontier history, so Western has big shoes to fill on defense. The Bulldogs also have to play SOU and EOU twice, and visit Montana Tech, so the schedule, which starts with a game against Dickinson State in Miles City, is a daunting one.

Rocky Mountain College

Battlin' Bears

2015: 4-6, 5-6, T4 in Frontier

Head Coach: Jason Petrino (1st Season)

Location: Billings

Stadium: Herb Klindt Field

Outlook: Rocky is another team that lost a head coach to Montana State. So, in comes former Carroll College great Jason Petrino to replace Brian Armstrong. Petrino, who was a defensive coordinator at FCS South Dakota, will bring a defensive presence to a Rocky team used to piling up numbers. And, with QB Chase White returning, and a star running back in Kodee Varner, the Bears will probably still pile up the numbers. But, with Petrino running the RMC defense, which is loaded with talent along its front seven, Rocky could certainly be the dark horse of the Frontier. The Bears have a revamped stadium, a lot of excitement coming into the new season, so, if they can find balance on both sides of the ball, and replace at least some of the production left behind by three-time All-American WR Andre McCullough, it's hard to see the Battlin' Bears finishing at the bottom of the Frontier, even in Petrino's first season at the helm.

MSU-Northern

Lights

2015: 0-10, 0-11, 8th in Frontier

Head Coach: Aaron Christensen (2nd Season)

Location: Havre

Stadium: Blue Pony Stadium

Outlook: Aaron Christensen was faced with a massive rebuilding job when he took over the Lights last year. And with just four seniors on his roster, the 2015 season was a difficult one for Northern, which failed to win a game, while averaging just 13 ppg on offense. In year two of Christensen's rebuilding project though, expect noticeable difference from the Lights. They have 17 seniors, among them super talents like RB Zach McKinley, DL Tyler Craig, Jordan Brusio and Pat Barnett, RB/WR Mario Gobbatto and WR Jake Messerly to name a few. Northern also has depth, with a re-tooled roster, mixed with young redshirts and talented transfers. So, while the Lights will still have an uphill battle in 2016, including a schedule that sees the Lights play Tech and Carroll twice, expectations are certainly higher, and with the talent the Lights have, mixed with the positive attitude the team has towards this season and the future, things will get brighter and brighter for the Lights.