PIONEER
Butler: @ Youngstown State, @ Taylor (Low), vs. Princeton.
A road game to a Missouri Valley team is daunting. Playing a road game against a Lower class opponent is very rare. In fact, this is the only incident of it happening in 2018.
Davidson: vs. Brevard (Low), vs. Chowan (Low), vs. Guilford (Low).
So what do you do when you’re having a hard time filling your non-conference games against FCS teams? You can fill every one of them with a lower class opponent. Interesting.
Dayton: vs. Robert Morris, @ Southeast Missouri State, @ Duquesne.
A home and away game with Northeast Conference teams begin and finish the non-con slate. A roadie with the OVC’s SEMO is the meat of this sandwich.
Drake: vs. William Jewell (Low), @ Montana, vs. Missouri S&T (Low).
Two lower class opponents surround a road game in debatably the biggest, craziest stadium in Montana. That’s a pretty long trip too for a non-scholarship team.
Jacksonville: vs. St. Augustine’s (Low), @ Mercer, vs. Walsh (Low).
Another schedule with two lower class schools and a middle game on the road with an FCS major conference opponent.
Marist: vs. Georgetown, @ Bryant, @ Columbia.
Finally, a Pioneer team who does not dip into Division II for a game. Georgetown is a traditional game and a game with the Ivy’s Columbia is typical also.
Morehead State: @ Eastern Kentucky, vs. Mount St. Joseph (Low), vs. Austin Peay.
A couple of instate, Ohio Valley teams bracket this non-conference slate. A lower class game falls in the middle.
San Diego: vs. Western New Mexico (Low), @ UC-Davis, @ Harvard.
Now this is how a team earns frequent flyer miles. A home game against a lower class team opens the year. A bus ride up the coast to Cal Poly precedes a cross country flight to Harvard.
Stetson: vs. Point (Low), vs. Waldorf (Low), @ Presbyterian.
Two lower class opponents, again. The road game is against a team who will be a conference foe in a couple of years…getting associated early.
Valparaiso: @ Duquesne, @ Youngstown State, vs. Truman State (Low).
Two road games to the east before finishing at home with a lower class team.
Pioneer Opponent Breakdown
2 vs. Big Sky
1 vs. Big South
3 vs. Ivy
2 vs. Missouri Valley
4 vs. Northeast
3 vs. Ohio Valley
1 vs. Patriot
1 vs. Southern
13 vs. Lower Class Opponents(Div-II, Div-III or NAIA)
Like most years, the Pioneer League is playing a large chunk of their non-conference schedule against lower class teams. On the good, it will help earn wins; on the bad, it doesn’t prepare you for the games you do play against major competition. Even as a non-scholarship league, San Diego has won a first round playoff game the last two years. The champion is going to start earning more respect if they would just schedule a little bit tougher.
