On the eve of Missouri Western’s next football game, it’s certainly time to move on from the events of last Saturday’s Griffon-Gorilla matchup at Spratt Stadium.

But I wanted to add one more note from my 30-minute conversation with Phil Laurie, the MIAA’s director of football officials. Laurie certainly didn’t have to talk to me at all, not to mention with the honesty and depth that he used. Laurie has been on the job for less than two months, but he already has a vision to transform the officiating process in the MIAA.

Laurie knows that becoming a league official in the past has been as much about who you know as how good you are. He intends to start an annual clinic for prospective officials — like an open tryout — each summer in conjunction with prep scrimmages to help judge talent and get more people into the profession who might not have had the opportunity in the past.

“This is completely different for Division II,” he told me. “In years past, it used to be, ‘Let’s grab the buddies, go work a game and then grab some beer on the way home.’ Those times have changed.”

I’ve often joked on this blog that the MIAA is the home of the 11-yard holding penalty, but Laurie’s honest assessment of his referees — with no qualms about admitting their mistakes — and his comprehensive plan for making them better gives me faith that the officiating in the MIAA only will improve.

With that, we’ll hope for a controversy-free Saturday. Here are the picks.

Missouri Southern at Emporia State — R.J.: Lions, 27-24; Rick: Lions 28-14

Missouri Western at Washburn — R.J.: Ichabods, 41-38; Rick: Ichabods, 34-31

Truman State at Fort Hays State — R.J.: Tigers, 14-10; Rick: Bulldogs, 24-21

Central Missouri at Pittsburg State — R.J.: Mules, 42-35; Rick: Gorillas, 41-38

Northwest Missouri State — R.J.: Mavericks, 45-31; Rick: Mavericks, 44-41

Last week — R.J.: 5-0, Rick: 3-2

Overall — R.J.: 23-5; Rick: 20-8