The Lindenwood-Belleville Lynx are all on their own, but that's just fine.

Playing as an independent team in D1AA, the Lynx players are lucky because their head coach, Pat Clifton, likes to throw them into tough games. It wouldn't be that hard for Clifton to set up a relatively easy schedule for his varsity program and win games by massive margins. But that wouldn't make anyone better or, in the long run, happier.

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The Lynx host Indiana this Saturday and will play at Wisconsin (Sept. 16), Notre Dame (Sept. 20), and Davenport (Sept. 22) over the next couple of weeks. After a somewhat less demanding series against a still-strong Middle Tennessee State team (Sept. 30); Missouri (Oct. 7); Iowa Central CC (Oct. 11), another varsity team; and St. Louis (Oct. 20), Lindenwood-Belleville finishes off against Arkansas State on Oct. 28 and Lindenwood St. Charles on Nov. 4.

Even the Lynx's opener -- a 56-12 win over DII team Pittsburgh State -- was a tough game.

"Pitt State is very good," Clifton said. "They will do very well in the Gateway Conference. We did OK but we have some things to work on. We turned the ball over way too much. We had 17 turnovers, and so even though we had a lot of possession we didn't take care of the ball well."

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It's easy to forget that Lindenwood-Belleville hasn't been in action for very long. The Lynx started off in the fall of 2015 as a varsity program in DII, going deep into the national playoffs and only being eliminated by the eventual national champion Minnesota-Duluth Fighting Penguins. But the players in the Lindenwood-Belleville program have a lot to learn about being varsity athletes, and it's been a two-year effort to get the culture right.

"We've got a good culture and it took a while," Clifton said. "I think we've got a good team and good leadership, and we're going into every game looking to win."

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Flanker Alex Quinn is an excellent player and captains the side, while senior scrumhalf Jacob Gilliam is also hugely reliable. The Lynx had several front-row players get hit by injuries last year, but all are back now. The Lindenwood-Belleville tight five should be solid, and the team has made some snappy additions in Iowa Central CC transfer Evian Akers and Zimbabwean freshman Tinashe Muchena, a loose forward. 

Could it all come together this year? Maybe. In a D1AA season that is wide open, given that the champions from the last three seasons are now in D1A, the Lynx could put themselves in excellent position to challenge for a national title. If they do, then the players will have a massively tough schedule to thank.