Week 0 preview: 5 DII football matchups to watch

The DII football season kicks off on Thursday, Aug. 29 with a slew of very interesting matchups. With the extra week, leagues like the MIAA and NSIC now have the opportunity for some huge non-conference matchups, which gives us a pair of top-25 showdowns right out of the gate.

Here’s a look at some of the games to watch this week.

Full DII football scoreboard for Week 0

The big ones

Minnesota State at Northwest Missouri State, Aug. 29. The first of our top-25 matchups of the opening weekend features a pair of DII football powerhouses playing a rare (for them) non-conference regular-season matchup. Northwest Missouri State is coming off its first season not in the tournament since 2003, while Minnesota State is looking to return to the bracket despite some big changes.

These two have met 17 times, but not once since 2012. Although the Mavericks have the slight series edge, 9-8, it has been all Bearcats in recent years, winning seven of the last eight, with the Mavericks winning that last 2012 showdown in the tournament. Both these teams lost two of the best running backs from last season as the Bearcats’ Jay Harris and Mavericks’ Shen Butler-Lawson have moved on. Both teams have a tough road ahead in two conferences that are absolutely stacked at the top this season.

The Vikings have fewer questions to answer, with quarterback Hayden Eckern back under center and preseason All-American Marshall Foerner blocking for him. Defensively, Maven Kretche is a beast and should be able to cause havoc in a new-look Bearcats’ backfield. The Bearcats' offense from 2023 is completely depleted as there will be a new quarterback, running back, and wide receivers; however, the defense — always a strong point for head coach Rich Wright — returns a bunch, including Jake Fisher who tied for the team lead with six sacks last season.

Ferris State at Pittsburg State, Aug. 31. This is a big one, as the Gorillas (No. 3) and Bulldogs (No. 4) were both top-5 teams in the preseason Power 10 rankings. The last time these two faced it was an all-out battle, as Ferris State walked away with a tightly contested 17-14 victory in the second round of the 2022 DII football championship. The Bulldogs, of course, wound up winning their second-straight title that season.

Speaking of two straight titles, the Gorillas are coming off their repeat as MIAA champions. There will be several new faces for Pitt State, including head coach Tom Anthony, who gets quite the draw in his Gorillas’ debut. Anthony was the former defensive coordinator, and his Gorillas led the MIAA in scoring defense a year ago. With seven back on D — including top tackler Jack Barkley, leading pickoff artist Jordan Rogers, and Alex Gaskill — this team is dangerous.

For the Bulldogs, well, let’s not kid ourselves. This is the ninth straight season Ferris State has entered the year as a top-5 team, so it doesn’t matter who takes the field. This team just wins. That said, there is plenty returning like receiver Tyrese Hunt-Thompson and quarterback Carson Gulker, who has 59 total touchdowns in his first two seasons. As always, the Bulldogs are built tough in the trenches and will have a strong offensive line with a pair of Lindy’s preseason All-Americans anchoring it.

DII FOOTBALL PRESEASON NEWS:

📊 Preseason Power 10
🏆 Potential Harlon Hill winners
🏈 Most championships in DII football history

3 that should be fun to watch

Angelo State at Fort Hays State, Aug. 29. The Rams come in at No. 24 in the preseason AFCA poll. Neither of these teams made the tournament last year, but both had winning records, with the Rams finishing 7-3 and the Tigers 7-4.

If you like experience, FHSU has some serious sleeper potential this year. The Tigers return 20 of their 22 starters from a year ago, including all key 11 from the offense. That also includes 16 of their 17 All-MIAA players from 2023. The Rams have a trio of players that landed on the D2Football.com Elite 100 Watchlist: cornerback Andrew Pitts, offensive lineman Noah Plsek, and placekicker Bradley Larson. There will be plenty of talent on the field, and this could sneak in as one of the best games of opening weekend.

Albany State (GA) at Valdosta State, Aug. 31. This opening series is the tradition for both teams. Albany State has not had much luck, as the Blazers hold an 8-1 edge since 2011. That said, the Golden Rams seem to always finish above .500 and are a good way to start for the Blazers.

Valdosta State enters the season at No. 5 in the preseason Power 10 and that’s in large part due to Slingin’ Sammy Edwards back under center. Both a preseason All-American and member of the DII football players to watch, Edwards is coming off a monster 40-touchdown season and can very easily improve on that. The top-3 in the Gulf South Conference should be very competitive, so it is important to come out of Week 0 with a win for the Blazers.

Virginia State at Benedict, Sept. 1. This should be a fun Sunday showdown on a long weekend of football. The Black College Football Hall of Fame Game will be live from Canton, OH on the NFL Network at 4 p.m. ET. .

Benedict has gone 22-0 in the SIAC the past two seasons and has made the DII tournament in each of those years. Virginia State — despite rival Virginia Union getting much of the love in the national polls — is the preseason No. 1 in the CIAA. The Tigers have a lot of new faces and will rely on defensive end Aaron Miller to lead what has been, statistically, one of the tougher defenses in DII the past few seasons. Virginia State finished 8-2 last season, but despite having a plethora of new faces as well, look to start off a memorable CIAA campaign with an early statement victory.