There's a new No. 1 in DII football as wild upsets rock the Power 10 rankings

The Week 7 schedule was one for the ages with two Power 10 matchups and a slew of top-25 showdowns. The results? The outcomes of this week gave us the first truly wild week of DII football, and for the first time in a long time, we have a new No. 1.

Here is your weekly dose of the games of the week, the latest Power 10 rankings, and the krikya18.com players of the week.

WEEK 7 STATS AND SCORES: The complete scoreboard

Grand Valley State topples No. 1 Ferris State

It wasn't simply that the Lakers won — they are the only DII football team to beat the Bulldogs in the past three seasons, so we know they can. It was how the Lakers won — it was 35-0... with more than 12 minutes remaining in the second quarter. Grand Valley State came out hungry, looking to prove it is the team to beat in the tough Super Region 3 and it sure looked that way. Yes, Ferris State came storming back, but as soon as it got within a touchdown, Grand Valley State put it out of reach pretty quickly again. Here's hoping we see yet another GVSU/Ferris State postseason showdown.

West Alabama silences No. 6 West Florida's potent offense

Heading into this week, West Florida had scored no less than 35 points against DII football opponents this year. The Argos offense has looked like a steamroller, and while West Alabama had no answer for 2023 breakout star John Jiles (147 yards receiving for the Argos), the Tigers didn't allow a single Argos touchdown in the stunning 10-6 victory. In fact, this defense held the Argos to just 214 yards (again, Jiles was 69% of that) which is insane considering the Argos average more than 420 yards per game. Now West Florida has to recover quickly, on the road against undefeated Delta State.

Harding knocks off Ouachita Baptist in top-10 showdown

I, for one, always enjoy a Harding win when the Bisons complete zero passes. While the throwing game is never a focal point in their take on the triple option, to utterly dominate a top-10 defense without one completed pass is mind-boggling. This game was never really close as Harding led 10-3 at the half and then exploded for 31 points in the final two quarters. Braden Jay was so impressive — he explodes to the outside and if he can get downhill, watch out. He capped a 131-yard day with a 54-yard touchdown scamper in the final minute, his second score of the day. The Bison held a top-10 offense to just 10 points and 234 yards in a major statement to Super Region 3.

Northwest Missouri State upsets No. 21 Missouri Western

Northwest Missouri State pulling off an upset is a sentence I am pretty sure I have never written in my decade of covering DII football, but welcome to 2023. The Bearcats had another 100-yard day from star running back Jay Harris who, with his 105-yard day, has now gone over 100 yards on the ground in every game this season. Missouri Western made it exciting, outscoring the Bearcats 13-3 in the second half, but the Bearcats clamped down when they needed to and walked away with the win.

UIndy stakes claim in the GLVC with top-25 win over Truman

This was a huge game in the GLVC between two of the last remaining undefeated teams in DII football. UIndy remained perfect, and did so quite handily, defeating Truman State 38-17. The first half was exciting, as the two teams exchanged scoring blows with UIndy entering the half with a 21-14 lead. The second half was all Greyhounds as Jon Lewis and Anthony Crowell each scored touchdowns to put the game away. Should UIndy take down Quincy this coming week, it doesn't appear anything else will stand in its way of yet another conference title and a postseason berth. 

Southern Arkansas sneaks by No. 18 Henderson State

This was one of the big games of the week. Whichever team lost fell to a two-loss team, while the victor keeps pace with Harding and Ouachita atop the GAC. This game was between two evenly matched teams, and neither was able to pull away as the scoring went back and forth right down to the final score. OB Jones found Kamden Perry for a 31-yard strike with under five minutes left on the clock and it held as the game-winner. Southern Arkansas' big reward for the top-25 upset? They host Harding next week.

Elsewhere in DII football

Mercyhurst edged out Clarion in a PSAC thriller. The Lakers, who trailed 28-7 at one point, scored the potential game-tying touchdown with just five seconds left. Instead of kicking the extra point to tie it, the Lakers went for the two-point conversion and came away with the 36-35 win. If you like stats, MSU Moorhead's 53-40 victory over Sioux Falls was for you. The Cougars' Camden Dean threw for 463 yards (and rushed for 120 more!) and six touchdowns while Carter Slykhuis and Mark Leonard combined for 336 yards receiving and three touchdowns. Opposite them, Moorhead's Jack Strand threw for 426 yards and six scores with Ryan Bieberdorf and Gage Florence combining for 272 yards receiving and all six touchdowns. Texas-Permian Basin was a lot like Forrest Gump in its 52-29 victory over Eastern New Mexico — they were running. Kory Harris (159 yards), Nemier Herod (152 yards), and Kenny Hrncir (102) all eclipsed the century mark. Edward Waters upset Tuskegee on a last-second Hail Mary. Here's what it looked like:

HAIL MARY!!! LOST ‘EM IN THE SHADE

🎥:

— HBCU Gameday (@HBCUGameday)

The DII Football Power 10 Rankings: Week 7

No. 1 Colorado School of Mines| Previous: 2

This is a pretty simple pick. The Orediggers have played the 27th toughest schedule in DII football, have wins against two preseason top-10 teams and have won every one of their RMAC games by at least 23 points. John Matocha and his returning cohorts clearly want to get back to the national title game and I would hate to be any team standing in their way right now. 

No. 2 Grand Valley State | Previous: 3

This will draw the ire of Gorillas' fans, but I am okay with that. Why, you ask, is a one-loss team ahead of undefeated Pittsburg State? The Lakers' one loss was by a field goal as time expired to that team right above them at No. 1. Grand Valley State has played a top-25 strength of schedule (SOS) and utterly dominated Ferris State, something only they can say they have done the past two seasons. 

No. 3 Pittsburg State | Previous: 3 (tied)

Pitt State ran its MIAA winning streak to 19 games this past weekend, now the longest conference winning streak in DII football. Simply put this team is tough and with a top-50 SOS, what separates them from the No. 2 spot right now is so minuscule that a commanding victory of Northwest Missouri State this coming weekend could propel them upward.

No. 4 Ferris State | Previous: 1

The Bulldogs plummet to No. 4 and yes, I am being overly dramatic on plummeting three spots because that's just how good this program has been since pretty much 2018. Ferris State lost to Grand Valley State in last year's Anchor Bone Classic and like every Tony Annese team, it learned from it and made everyone else pay along the way. I would not want to be Michigan Tech next week, who will have to play an angry Bulldogs team. 

No. 5 Minnesota State | Previous: 5

The Mavs had little trouble improving to 7-0 in this rare non-conference midseason matchup, disposing of Western Oregon 45-14. Running back Shen Butler Lawson Jr. appeared to be human with only 66 yards rushing and a touchdown as Hayden Ekern threw for four touchdowns. A matchup with top-25 Augustana (SD) awaits and should be one of the best games of the year.

No. 6 Delta State | Previous: 7

Truth be told, the Statesmen actually struggled with this upstart North Greenville team, who has played GSC competition very tough this season. Every time the Statesmen scored, the Crusaders came firing back... until the fourth quarter when Patrick Shegog put the game away. The star quarterback posted another four-touchdown game in a tune-up for next week's battle with West Florida, which may very well be the GSC championship game. 

No. 7 Harding | Previous: 9

Just read the recap of the game above — the way Harding dominated Ouachita Baptist was remarkable and shows how tough this team is on both sides of the ball. The GAC has four teams that flirt with the national rankings, and the Bison have beaten both Henderson State and Ouachita by at least two scores and have 6-1 Southern Arkansas awaiting next week. They win that one, the GAC is all but theirs. 

NOTE: Teams Nos. 8-15 are so close that if you were to argue with me that they could be flip-flopped in several different ways, it would be hard to disagree. The upper echelon in DII football is arguably tougher than it has ever been. A single loss — or even a close game against inferior competition — would shake up the rankings pretty easily.

No. 8 Slippery Rock | Previous: 10

It took a little bit for the Rock to get rolling — Gannon actually exploded for two quick, very long touchdown runs to start the game 14-0 — but it was all Slippery Rock after that. Kyle Sheets erupted for 134 yards and three touchdowns. The Rock has a big matchup against Cal (Pa) coming up this week for first place in the PSAC West Division. 

No. 9 Bemidji State | Previous: First five out

The Beavers are quickly back in the Power 10 after falling out briefly with a three-point loss to Minnesota State. They came firing back with a big 33-23 win over Wayne State (Neb) which I had as No. 24 last week. Brandon Alt had a big day, throwing for 345 yards and three touchdowns. Concordia-St. Paul awaits.

No. 10 Benedict | Previous: First five out

The Tigers' strength of schedule is not among the best in DII football, but this defense can no longer be ignored. Now 7-0, Benedict has allowed more than one touchdown just once this whole season. This past week, the Tigers' defense held one of the top offenses in the SIAC to just six points and 233 yards of total offense. While Allen's offense has been explosive, I just don't see anyone remaining on Benedict's schedule to challenge it and stop the Tigers from finishing the regular season undefeated for the second year in a row.

First five out 

• No. 11 Ouachita Baptist: In a loaded Super Region Three, the Tigers now have to win out to have a playoff chance.
• No. 12 West Florida: The Argos are now in a must-win situation against Delta State this coming week. That won't be easy on the road.
• No. 13 Lenoir-Rhyne: The Bears are just pummeling the SAC on both sides of the ball with the conference's best scoring offense and defense. 
• No. 14 UIndy: A win against Quincy all but locks up the GLVC and the Greyhounds' spot in the top 15 for the remainder of the season. 
• No. 15 Western Colorado: The Mountaineers lost a ton of talent this year, so to be 7-0 against a relatively tough schedule tells you all you need to know about where this program is heading. 

Week 7 box score stuffers: The DII football five-stars

Before we get started, I need to give a shoutout to Jay Harris of Northwest Missouri State. He was accidentally left out of the DII football five stars last week behind an incredible 274-yard rushing, four-touchdown day. Harris, who I have written about several times this season, is having a remarkable year and has run for over 100 yards in every game thus far, so the oversight was not intentional. 

Now, typically, I like to give the player of the week to someone on the winning team, but if you read the Sioux Falls/MSU Moorhead recap above, Camden Dean's numbers were absolutely insane. The guy combined for 583 yards and six touchdowns. In a week of wild stats, there were plenty of options, but I'm giving the Week 7 honor to Camden Dean. Enjoy the Week 7 DII football five stars. 

• Week 1: Braden Gleason, Emporia State
• Week 2: Zach Zebrowski, Central Missouri 
• Week 3: Jordan Terrell, Barton
• Week 4: Patrick Shegog, Delta State
• Week 5: Shen Butler Lawson, Jr., Minnesota State; John Jiles, West Florida
• Week 6: Jada Byers, Virginia Union, Kymani Clarke, Virginia State
• Week 7: Camden Dean, Sioux Falls