Earlier this week, Hardin-Simmons announced its 2006 schedule, which includes the current defending national champion, Linfield. UW-Stevens Point remains on the schedule as well.

It’s as if someone finally gets it. This is the kind of game the automatic bid era was supposed to bring about from the get-go. The conference schedule is paramount, so why not test yourself out of conference and see what you’re made of? But games like this are still rather rare. Capital plays Wittenberg, Christopher Newport plays Rowan, Mary Hardin-Baylor has played Willamette the past two years, but non-conference games between two national contenders? There should be more of them.

How great would these games be? How about Ithaca and Rowan? Trinity (Texas) and either of the top two ASC teams? Washington and Jefferson against Mount Union?

Let’s step up and test ourselves. The access for at-large teams will never be better than it is right now. The field will likely never expand beyond 32 teams, and as more schools join Division III, it will only get harder to get into the playoffs in the future. Mount Union shouldn’t have to travel 500 miles to find a game.