NLA: Zim on Mason's return, SDSU & USD nat'l title contention, possible quarterfinal meeting, Gronowski beating Iowa

A pair of 9-4 teams who at times looked lost and unworthy of playoff consideration now look like FCS national contenders.    That is what Sioux Falls Live's Matt Zimmer thinks of both the resurgent Jackrabbits and the surging Coyotes after both South Dakota squads' dominating wins in Saturday's FCS playoffs first round.   In the latest edition of Zim's weekly "Nobody's Listening Anyway" podcast with Happy Hour host John Gaskins, the two deep dive into how one player — Chase Mason, who had the best game of his eight-game starting career against New Hampshire after missing five games with an injury — makes all the difference for SDSU, while the Coyotes' emergence has been more of a multi-layered development.   In fact, Zim voted for USD's Travis Johansen as Missouri Valley Football Conference Coach of the Year over NDSU's Tim Polasek. Hear why the first-year Coyote boss got the nod, and how Zim also voted for the league's Player of the Year and what he makes of the accolades in totality.   And, we can't help but skip ahead: Who would win Round 2 between the Jacks and Yotes should they square off in the quarterfinals in the DakotaDome, which is exactly what will happen if both teams score road wins on Saturday?    Former SDSU quarterback Mark Gronowski and his Iowa Hawkeyes lit up Nebraska on Black Friday. How do we now see the Gronowski "Million Dollar Man" season at Iowa (8-4) now that it is almost complete, with just a bowl game left?    Finally, we land the plane — well, crash and burn it into a wild inferno — with the latest layer to the Minnesota Vikings' vortex of doom season: The Max Brosmer game. Ouch. Who is to blame most for this mess?