The final DII football Power 10 rankings of the regular season

We thought Week 10 was the wildest of the DII football season, but then Week 11 happened. Three Power 10 teams fell. Valdosta State concluded its unreal run to the Gulf South Conference title, Johnson C. Smith made program history, newly anointed Power 10-er Findlay was upset, and a pair of former Power 10 schools in the NSIC failed to stake their claim.

Follow the tournament from selection show to national championship game

When the dust settled, we had all 16 of the first automatic qualifiers in DII football championship history. They are:

• Super Region One: Bentley, Frostburg State, Johnson C. Smith Kutztown
• Super Region Two: Albany State (GA), Newberry, North Greenville, Valdosta State
• Super Region Three: Ferris State, Findlay, UIndy, Minnesota Duluth
• Super Region Four: Central Washington, CSU Pueblo, Harding, Pittsburg State

Be sure to join me on the DII football selection show right here on krikya18.com at 6 p.m. ET this evening (Sunday, Nov. 16). But first, the Power 10 rankings. There will be a hiatus on the DII football Power 10 rankings until after the tournament concludes on Dec. 20. Remember that these are my rankings, where I attempt to combine the selection metrics — like KPI, strength of schedule and common opponents, just to name a few — with what I see on the field for a ranking that falls somewhere between the national media polls and the regional rankings.

The DII football Power 10: Week 8

No. 1 Ferris State | Previous: 1. The Bulldogs finish the regular season undefeated once again. The Bulldogs have not looked as utterly dominant of late, allowing quite a bit of points to unexpecting teams; however, all that matters is that this team continues to find ways to win, and usually in dominant ways. They should be the No. 1 seed in Super Region Three with DII's top scoring offense.

No. 2 Harding | Previous: 2. The Bisons finish the regular season with the top scoring defense (6.3 points per game) and top rushing offense (460.2 yards per game) in all college football. They ran for more than 500 yards as a team for the fourth-straight game this past weekend, a feat even this record-setting flexbone offense had never accomplished before. Between the defense and the rushing attack, Harding will be one of the toughest outs in the tournament.

No. 3 Kutztown | Previous: 3. A threepeat for our No. 3 team. Kutztown played an exciting PSAC championship game against Indiana (PA), and in the end, that monster defense and efficient offense got the job done, winning their third-straight PSAC crown. That should lock up the Golden Bears' second-straight No. 1 seed in Super Region One. The second-ranked defense in DII is going to be tough to contend with this November.

No. 4 Central Washington | Previous: 5. The Wildcats move up after a thrilling win over Western Oregon to capture its first Lone Star Conference title.

THIS is how won the LSC outright and an auto bid to the playoffs. Kennedy McGill to Logan Brady on the FINAL play of the game. Incredible finish that had big implications in Super Region Four.

— Cory Hogue (@CoryHogueSports)

All in all, it was an impressive season for the Wildcats who left no doubt they are the rightful LSC champs with an undefeated run through its DII competition. Kennedy McGill doesn’t need the big numbers every week, because if the game is on the line, there are few quarterbacks you want the ball to be in their hands. He is a winner, and that will make things interesting in the bracket.

No. 5 Pittsburg State | Previous: 6. The Gorillas took care of business Saturday, winning the MIAA automatic bid by defeating Northwest Missouri State 27-14. That score was closer than it looked as the Gorillas jumped out to a 24-7 lead at the half. Pittsburg State enters the tournament on a nine-game winning streak, the last eight of which have been by at least two scores.

No. 6 CSU Pueblo | Previous: 9. Well, in the preview, I mentioned the key to Chadron State winning the RMAC was to keep quarterback Roman Fuller and wide receiver Reggie Retzlaff at bay. That wasn’t the case, as Fuller threw for 442 yards and three scores, with 166 yards and two touchdowns going to Retzlaff in the thrilling 30-27 double overtime victory. That gives CSU Pueblo its second-straight RMAC title and a guaranteed spot in the bracket.

No. 7 West Florida | Previous: 4. The Argos lost one of the best games of the weekend to GSC rival Valdosta State 47-44 in overtime. The loss snaps West Florida’s quest for its first-ever undefeated season and also the Gulf South crown. Despite not getting the automatic qualifier, West Florida should be solidly in the bracket. So, why are the Argos still this high? Don’t look at Valdosta State’s record and thinks it defines the Blazers. They had a new coaching staff and only one starter return. The Blazers swept through three nationally ranked teams to win the GSC over the last three weeks — a loss by a field goal in overtime is not that bad a loss, and in the big scheme of things, not as big an upset as the rankings suggest.

No. 8 Minnesota Duluth | Previous: 9. If you have been following , you know that there is a real possibility that these Bulldogs are the only NSIC team making this year’s tournament. Both Minnesota State and Augustana (SD) lost must-win games, but Minnesota Duluth won the NSIC with a 33-7 victory over Minot State. Kyle Walljasper was outstading again, throwing for 122 yards and one touchdown while rushing for 157 yards and three touchdowns.

No. 9 UIndy | Previous: First five out. The Greyhounds have one loss on the season, and that was to nationally ranked Findlay way back on Sept. 7. That result was separated by a field goal, and it is a rematch we may get to see with both teams in the tournament. UIndy won the GLVC for the fourth-straight time in a 28-21 victory over an Upper Iowa team that is likely tournament bound. The Greyhounds are rolling into the tournament on a nine-game winning streak in which their offense has been really clicking.

No. 10 Johnson C. Smith | Previous: First five out. Johnson C. Smith won its first CIAA title since 1969 and are heading to the DII football championship for the first time. So, how do the Golden Bulls make their historic debut in the Power 10? If I had Virginia Union in the “first five out” all season long, and Johnson C. Smith dominated the Panthers 45-21 to capture the CIAA title, well, that sounds like a top 10 team to me. Kelvin Durham should be a Harlon Hill Trophy candidate, especially after he threw for 285 yards and five touchdowns while rushing for one more. in arguably the Golden Bulls’ biggest game ever.

The first five (ish) out (in alphabetical order)

• Findlay: The Oilers lost a tough one to a very good Tiffin team, but that doesn’t take away from a 10-1 season with wins over Ashland and UIndy.
• Newberry: The SAC champs had off this week, which hopefully doesn’t ruin their momentum. The Wolves are one of the best turnarounds of 2025.
• Northwest Missouri State:The Bearcats are the first out after dropping that unofficial MIAA championship game. That means they opened the season with a loss to Minnesota State and closed the season with a loss to Pittsburg State. I would have liked to see a win, or at least those two games a bit more competitive, to keep the Bearcats in the top 10.
• Virginia Union: Curtis Allen still ran for 183 yards and two scores, and this Panthers’ team is still very strong. They should have a home seed in the first round of the tournament.
• Wingate: I continue to be higher on the Bulldogs than the national polls, but I love how they finished the season against some impressive metrics. They close the season 9-2 on a six-game winning streak. Their two losses came on back-to-back weekends in September to Carson-Newman by one score and Newberry by one point in overtime.

Player of the week

Offensive player of the week: Hunter Patterson, West Liberty. There were a lot of worthy players this week, including Patterson’s own quarterback Kohl Meisman who threw for 502 yards and four touchdowns in West Liberty’s thrilling 68-67 win over Wheeling. However, Patterson ran for 201 yards and five touchdowns, while securing three receptions for 74 yards and another touchdown for a huge day.

Defensive player of the week: Emmanuel Obinna, Southern Nazarene. Obinna played a huge role in helping secure Southern Nazarene's second win of the season. The linebacker recorded a season-high 13 tackles, which included three sacks for a total of 23 yards lost. He also forced two fumbles, tying the single-game high in DII this season. 

Freshman of the week: Noah Dobert, Northern Michigan and Cedonyae Lott, Midwestern State. Dobert had another monster day for the Wildcats, rushing for 406 yards and four touchdowns, his second four-touchdown week in a row. His 406 yards rushing were the most in a single game in DII this season, and the most in program history. Per the Midwestern State record book, Lott set the Midwestern State single-game record with 284 yards receiving and four touchdowns. It was also the top single-game performance in DII this year. The season closed with a big day for freshmen, as multi-time freshman of the week Jeffery Jones broke the New Mexico Highlands single-season rushing record with 1,722 yards and 15 touchdowns.