By NICK McQUEEN

nmcqueen@dailynews.net

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The "best of the best" just got a lot better.

Year after year, the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Associations aims to prove its claim as the best NCAA Division II football conference in the nation. With the addition of national power University of Nebraska-Omaha to the 10-team league, the MIAA took another step toward claiming that right.

For the Fort Hays State University football team under fourth-year coach Kevin Verdugo, the 2008 campaign marks another opportunity for the Tigers to make a jump and demonstrate their worth as an MIAA competitor. At the MIAA Football Kickoff on Monday at Arrowhead Stadium, the Tigers were picked to finish ninth by the MIAA coaches, a position the Tigers have become familiar with in their previous two seasons in the powerhouse conference.

"We've had a great offseason -- great summer ¬ -- a lot of players making a huge commitment to our program," Verdugo said Monday. "We've taken steps the past two years of continuing to grow, and I just look forward to that happening again this year."

The Tigers report to camp Thursday, and will be on the field Friday.

After a 1-8 run through the MIAA in their first year, the Tigers improved to two wins in the conference and four wins overall to finish eighth in 2007. With the addition of UNO, which replaced Southwest Baptist (Mo.) University, everyone (with the exception of Northwest Missouri State University, last year's national runner-up) took a step down in the preseason picks. UNO (8-0 last season in the North Central Conference) was picked second behind Northwest Missouri State in Monday's poll.

"The MIAA is already tough, and we get another team in here that is a top 5 team,"¬ said Tiger senior defensive lineman Ty Brunswig, a WaKeeney native. "It's good to get them in there and play again with the best of the best."

Brunswig and senior offensive lineman Jordan Stricker were on hand Monday at Arrowhead, along with Verdugo.

The last two seasons have seen improvements in the Tiger program as Fort Hays looks to climb the MIAA ladder. The most notable improvement last season came on defense, which finished with the fourth-best scoring defense in the MIAA, allowing 21.4 points per game.

This year, the Tigers look for improvement from their offense, which was at or near the bottom in every MIAA category.

"We saw (that jump) defensively last year," Verdugo said. "You saw a group that could compete quite well with anyone in the conference.

"We've done enough things this year offensively with recruiting, that we can make some strides to catch up with our defense a little bit to balance that out," he added.

The Tigers added Mike Garrison, the quarterback from the junior college national champion Butler County Community College Grizzlies. Garrison looks to open up the Tigers' passing game, and keep defenses honest.

"Teams loaded the box up on us a lot," said Stricker, one of two returning starters on the offensive line. "They haven't been worried about us passing the ball. As an O-lineman, that's tough because you can't run down there and catch the ball, and you can't throw the ball.

"You have to have confidence in the guys you're playing with, and I think there will be a big turnaround there this year,"¬ the 6-foot-4, 285-pounder added.

The Tigers also have added new running backs and wide receivers with the goal of getting more explosive on offense. Last season, the Tigers were in the middle of the pack in time of possession, accomplished by short running plays and a fairly accurate passing game.

"Through spring ball, we got a lot better,"¬ Verdugo said. "We had to improve explosive plays. The style of passing game will be a little bit different than what you've seen from us in the past. It will be a little bit more vertical."

Last year's 2-7 run through the MIAA included wins over Emporia State University (picked No. 10) and Southwest Baptist (no longer in the conference). Of the Tigers seven losses, two were by one touchdown (to Northwest Missouri State 17-10 and Missouri Southern 6-0).

"We lost a few players, but we've got some good guys to fill in," Brunswig said. "We're all excited and feeling pretty confident."

Fort Hays' season opens Aug. 28 against New Mexico Highlands University at Lewis Field Stadium.

MIAA preseason poll

Team points

1. NW Missouri State (6) 76

2. Neb.-Omaha (3) 73

3. Pittsburg State (1) 64

4. Washburn 55

5. Missouri Western 33

6. Central Missouri 47

7. Missouri Southern 33

8. Truman State 22

9. Fort Hays 17

10. Emporia State 12

First-place votes in parentheses