Pair of undefeated teams set to face off for Division II natty, while one coach says he'd "rather play Notre Dame"

On Saturday, two elite Division II program who have been putting up some wild numbers will face off for the opportunity to raise the national title.

National power Ferris State - now universally known across college football as where Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss started out - led by coaching veteran Tony Annese started the season as the top team in the country and while they had some close calls and slow starts, they've maintained that top spot all season long and have hit another gear since entering the playoffs, as they typically have with Annese at the helm.

Since the start of postseason play, the Bulldogs have outscored their opponents 222-84, recently dismantling Newberry (D-II - SC) in the semifinals to the tune of 49-17.

Meanwhile, Paul Simmons and Harding enter the final game of their season with one of the most potent rushing attacks college football has ever seen, just 141 yards away from being the first team in college football history to hit 7,000 rushing yards.

Ferris State has brought three of the last four national titles back to their Big Rapids based campus, with the 2023 title won by Harding after the NCAA instituted an unprecedented punishment on Annese that led to the Dogs exiting the playoffs uncharacteristically early.

The two teams, and their respective leaders, are very familiar with each other. In fact, Annese (whose Bulldogs beat Harding last season 41-7) openly shared he's been rooting against the Bison all postseason.

As a sign of ultimate respect, Annese even joked he'd rather be playing Notre Dame for all the marbles this week over Harding.

The comment was the latest tongue-in-cheek remark by Annese, whose Bulldogs once again have had to battle mother nature with shovels in hand and giant frontloaders on their turf into December just to clear off the snow to get practices in since they lack an indoor facility.

For kickoff in the semifinal game against Newberry, the forecast in Big Rapids called for a high of 20 degrees and Annese appeared in front of cameras with two winter hats on top of each other, and a hoodie with a heated vest on over top of that followed by eight layers of jackets for practices earlier in the week.

“I am going to go on record here as saying we need an indoor,” Annese said during his Saturday press conference after beating Minnesota State a few weekends back. “We have played three teams now in the playoffs. All have indoors. Why does not Ferris State? (Minnesota State’s) coach said they were inside most of the week because it was so cold. It was cold here, and we have no choice. We need an indoor so somebody has to help.”

Nationally renowned for his creativity on offense, his ability to win everywhere he's been, and knack for attracting and developing talent on his roster of players as well as coaches, Annese half-joked about walking away if they couldn't find a way to fix the single biggest issue plaguing the program. 

“I’m going to probably tweet about it. I’m going to start like complaining more. I’m going to threaten to quit or whatever it takes. We need an indoor and there’s got to be somebody like those people that just gave money to Michigan State. We need somebody like that to give more money to Ferris State. We need an indoor.”

While indoor practice facilities are much more common at high schools in the south in states like Texas and Georgia, high school programs on the west side of the state like Jenison and Whitehall have had theirs for a few years, and East Kentwood recently broke ground on one as well. Division III program Adrian recently added one that came with an $11 million price tag, so it's crazy to think, with all the success and notoriety Annese has helped bring to Ferris that remains a roadblock they've yet to find a way to overcome.

On the flip side of the coin, Harding head coach Paul Simmons was equally as complimentary, saying he thinks the whole Ferris State offensive staff needs to leave for the Division I level. While the rushing prowess of his program gets a lot of the attention, the Bison feature recent FootballScoop Division II Coordinator of the Year award winner Roddy Mote leading the defense tasked with slowing down a dynamic and balanced Ferris State attack.

Ferris leads the all-time series between the two teams 2-1.

The two teams will face off at 4pm EST at McKinney Stadium ISD (TX), where the weather currently calls for 74 degrees and sunny. Catch the game on ESPN2.