The Division II playoff field is set. The NCAA revealed its 32-team bracket Sunday night. The field includes automatic qualifiers from 15 conferences, and the NCAA Power Index (NPI) was used for the first time to select the 17 at-large teams. All 16 first-round games are on campus November 21, 1 p.m. local time unless otherwise approved.
Everybody is chasing Ferris State.
Tony Annese’s Bulldogs (11-0) open at home in Big Rapids against GLVC champ Truman State (7-4) and are carrying an NCAA Division II record win streak of 41 games into that matchup.
The Bulldogs’ last loss came August 31, 2024, at Pittsburg State - who just parted ways with head coach Tom Anthony earlier today.
Ferris State beat Harding 42-21 in McKinney last December for its fourth national title, adding to championships in 2021, 2022 and 2024. Annese has run the program since 2012. A third straight title would give the Bulldogs five, one behind Northwest Missouri State’s six for the most in Division II history.
Ferris State was #1 in the November 8 NPI release, but Super Region Three won’t be a cakewalk. Northwood (#4 NPI) and Minnesota State (#6) sat right behind the Bulldogs in that release, and Northwood finished unbeaten after a 17-14 grinder against Walsh. Michigan Tech blanked Wayne State 38-0 and Findlay handled Tiffin 30-7.
Davenport could be in for a long night. The Panthers dropped a 35-28 decision to Grand Valley State in the finale, and that’s a tough loss to carry into a crowded region.
Slippery Rock, #2 in the November 8 NPI, rolled #10 East Stroudsburg 44-14 in a PSAC game between two top-10 teams in the FloCollege Top 25. Harding, last year’s runner-up, buried Arkansas Tech 70-10. CSU Pueblo held off Western Colorado 24-17 in a top-five RMAC matchup.
Super Region Two got scrambled on the final weekend. Benedict outlasted Kentucky State 52-45 in overtime, knocking off the team that led the region in the November 8 NPI.
This is also the first postseason since the Gulf South Conference lost its automatic qualifier, after the NCAA Division II Championship Committee denied the league’s waiver request. Valdosta State, which beat Delta State 25-20 on Saturday, needs an at-large spot. The Blazers were seventh in Super Region Two in the November 8 NPI, and the program has already announced it will leave the GSC after the 2026-27 season to play as a Division II independent.
Super Region One
The PSAC put four teams in the field and three of them host. Slippery Rock finished unbeaten after beating #10 East Stroudsburg 44-14 in the regular season finale, a FloCollege Top 25 matchup.
Super Region Two
The SIAC landed four bids. Benedict and Kentucky State both got in after Benedict won their finale 52-45 in overtime.
Valdosta State got in despite this being the first year since the Gulf South Conference lost automatic qualification status for the NCAA Division II football championship after a request for a waiver for the requirement was denied by the NCAA Division II Championship Committee. The 8-1 Blazers earned an at-large bid and host Edward Waters. Valdosta State has already announced it will depart the Gulf South Conference after the 2026–27 season, becoming a Division II independent.
Super Region Three
Three Michigan programs host first-round games, and a fourth is on the road. Grand Valley State beat Davenport 35-28 in the finale, which got the Lakers in and left the Panthers out of the field. GVSU now goes to Midland to face unbeaten Northwood, which finished the regular season with a 17-14 win over Walsh.
Minnesota State was #6 in the November 8 NPI release and still has to go to Houghton in the first round. Three of the top six teams in that release ended up in this super region. Somebody very good is going home early.
Super Region Four
Western Colorado has to go on the road at 10-1. The Mountaineers’ only loss was a 24-17 decision at CSU Pueblo on the final weekend. Harding, last year’s runner-up, enters unbeaten after a 70-10 win over Arkansas Tech.
From here, the second round is November 28, the quarterfinals are December 5 and the semifinals are December 12. The national championship is Saturday, December 19, at McKinney ISD Stadium in McKinney, Texas.
The bracket is built on geography, so two top-10 teams can meet as early as the second round. With three of the top six NPI teams living in Super Region Three, somebody very good is going home early.
Stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.