The Great Lakes Men's DII Conference kicks off this weekend with a new look.

Some of the more southern teams have moved out - some in part because competing and traveling was tough, and others (Xavier of Cincinnati for example) because they couldn't find a good schedule. In the meantime, some stronger small colleges from the northern part of Michigan, such as Hope College and Calvin College, have joined. Bethel College did not join the Great Lakes, but there's a thought they might next year.

The addition of Bethel would have made the conference a group of seven teams, making for an automatic playoff spot. But it's likely the conference will get a play-in anyway, given that conference champs Grand Valley State did win a play-in over Northern Illinois last season.

This year, GVSU is certainly favored to repeat, but it won't be easy. Saginaw Valley is athletic and tough and structured and they are looking to make a charge. Hope is well-coached and tough and could will provide a stern test at home against GVSU in the opening weekend.

Calvin College could well win it, too. Australia Simon Bennett coaches the Calvin team, which finished 2nd in the Great Lakes last year. 

Several of the coaches in this league are, interestingly, good friends. GVSU Head Coach John Mullett liked it that way.

"We take very seriously the idea of building a solid, clean competition, and making friends along the way," said Mullett. "The Great Lakes Conference is very slowly improving in quality of play.  The DIII competition is already there; DII is still building."

Ferris State and Oakland have their moments, but need to be more consistent. As for GVSU, they graduated 12 players from their game day roster, and while some players have been groomed to step in, there remain some questions.

Mullett said he thinks his team will be improved, in part because the players remaining from last year see how close they came to ding something special.

They started the season with some holes in the pack, but out of the blue, Grand Valley State football defensive end Dylan Heyvaert showed up at practice - Hayvaert was the captain and No. 8 for Penn HS when they made the national HS final in 2012. He is an excellent player (so we at GRR remember) and a smart one, as well. Hayvaert brought along another GVSU football defensive end, who is learning the game well.

French flyhalf Louis Ricard is back, and will be there for a while; he is a very skilled rugby player and provides a central focus for the GVSU attack.

Captaining the team is junior openside flanker Cam Maher, also an excellent player. Freshman Jackson Amman, named the top prop in Michigan HS rugby each of the last two years, fills a gap in the front row. Mullett said, however, that his secret weapon is new assistant coach Lance Hohai, who played professional rugby league in New Zealand and England for 15 years. 

Now retired, he has moved to Grand Rapids (because that's what former rugby league players do), and he has been invaluable to the program.

"He has forgotten more about rugby than I have ever known," said Mullett. "Can you imagine my dumb luck?  We have felt the impact of Lance immediately. Tackling, strength and fitness, defensive scheme, better workout for the backline.  Lance is a Godsend."

At scrumhalf, there's plenty of competition, including Mullett's son, Sean. The story there is an interesting one as Sean has grown up around the game but was forbidden from playing it in high school by his lacrosse coach. Now free to play rugby, young Mullett is a fast, aggressive athlete and a fearless defender. However, he hasn't played a lot, and, like many players in this league, needs time.

This weekend will tell us much as the six teams face off. Calvin has high hopes and may well unseat a (sort of) rebuilding GVSU this year. But Grand Valley State's returners know something about winning, and can point to the close (24-3) loss to eventual national champs Minnesota-Duluth as evidence they can hang with the big boys.

Great Lakes 2016 fall schedule (not all dates confirmed - they may just be weekend placeholders)