Twelve weeks of thrilling football cumulated in the DII football championship selection show Sunday night. After weeks of contemplation, the 2025 bracket is set. So, who are the teams to watch in each super region?
Instead of trying to predict the chaos of the coming weeks, let's simply take a look at the teams to beat, some sleepers that could surprise, and first-round matchups that should be fun for any DII football fan.
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Super Region One
Team to beat: Johnson C. Smith. Kutztown is the easy pick here. The Golden Bears defense is one of the best in all college football, statistically speaking. But, I’ll be honest. I didn’t think Johnson C. Smith had a chance against Virginia Union in the CIAA championship game, but the Golden Bulls won big, 45-21. And while quarterback Kelvin Durham was other wordly as usual (285 yards passing, six total touchdowns), it was the defense that was impressive. They caused three turnovers and broke up five passes as they just swarmed one of the best offenses in DII all day. The Golden Bulls have made program history on a weekly basis and seem like a team of destiny. This could be the next big chapter in their 2025 story.
Deep sleeper: Assumption. Truth be told, I’m not sure there is a sleeper here. The top four seeds are in a league of their own compared to the unseeded teams. However, Assumption was pretty much a touchdown away from winning the NE10, and had the Greyhounds done that, they were likely a No. 4 seed. Frostburg State would be a great story here as well. The Bobcats are making their tournament debut and are the lone MEC representative. Improving from a 6-5 team in 2024 to MEC champs in 2025 is nice, and a tournament win would be icing on the cake. That’s a tall order against the Golden Bulls.
First-round matchup to watch: Assumption at Indiana (PA). I don't see many places for an upset in the first round in Super Region One (which typically means there will be four). Indiana (PA) is battle tested — the Crimson Hawks beat Cal (PA) earlier this year, and narrowly lost to Slippery Rock and Kutztown in the PSAC championship game, a game they had a real chance to win. Assumption hasn't played the toughest schedule and lost big to Kutztown on opening weekend. That said, two of the better quarterbacks in the super region will face off, which could take this one to the wire. Assumption's Jay Kastantin led the NE10 in passing with 1,974 yards and 19 touchdowns to just five interceptions while adding 530 yards on the ground and another five scores. The Crimson Hawks' Matthew Reuve led the PSAC in passing with 3,107 yards and 31 touchdowns while completing 71.3 percent of his passes. Fire away, this could be a thriller.
Super Region Two
Team to beat: West Florida. Albany State (GA) is a tough No. 1 seed, and very deserving. The Golden Rams are 10-1 with the third-best scoring defense in DII. But Valdosta State and Albany State have a long history, and the Blazers fare well against the Golden Rams. That’s why I’m sticking with my preseason pick to win Super Region Two. This offense puts up a lot of points, 38.7 per game to be exact. I think the Argos have the talent — wide receiver Corey Scott is one of the best in DII, Marcus Stokes has passed for the tenth-most touchdowns in DII (29) and TJ Lane and Jay Sharp are a capable duo out of the backfield — but they also have the experience as a program that the rest of their portion of the bracket lacks.
Deep sleeper: Valdosta State. The Blazers may not be as deep a sleeper as I think, but people may look at their record and be misled. The Gulf South Conference was a bit odd this year, with only four teams, but all four were in the national rankings at one point this year. Having to start the season out of conference, the Blazers — with an entire new coaching staff and ONE returning starter from their 2024 national runners up campaign — entered the final four weeks of the season sitting at 2-3 in DII play (2-4 overall with its loss to The Citadel). From there, the Blazers beat Conference Carolinas champion North Greenville, nationally ranked West Alabama, nationally ranked Delta State and then-undefeated, top 5 West Florida to win the Gulf South and return to the tournament. This team didn’t luck its way in; their tournament started four weeks ago and they are rolling with a ton of momentum.
First-round matchup to watch: Kentucky State at Newberry and Wingate at Benedict. These are two very intriguing matchups we get in the first round. We will finally get to see how Kentucky State fares against one of the super region’s best after last week’s Delta State matchup was canceled, and Newberry is one of the hottest teams in the tournament, coming in winners of seven in a row with wins over Lenoir-Rhyne, Wingate, Emory & Henry and Carson-Newman during that span. Benedict is a program back in the tournament for the third time in four years. The Tigers have been one-and-done in their previous two visits, and will want to try to reverse that trend here. The Tigers and Wingate are two tough defenses, with both allowing fewer than 20 points per game. Wingate has a sneaky tough team that could go far, so this will be a good first test.
Super Region Three
Team to beat: Ferris State. Ever watch DII football? Ferris State is one of three undefeated teams in DII, sitting at 11-0 overall (10-0 in DII play). The Bulldogs have won three of the last four national championships and five of the last six Super Region Three championships. This year, there is no Grand Valley State, Ouachita Baptist, Pittsburg State, Northwest Missouri State or Harding as off years and super region realignment shifted out some of the Bulldogs stiffest competition of late. This won't be a walk in a park, but the Bulldogs should be able to advance.
Are the Bulldogs beatable? The past few weeks, it looked like they may be… but in the end, they walked away victorious, sometimes by as many as three scores after trailing early. I don’t think there is a team in Super Region Three that can match their talent and balance in every facet of the game. As I said on the selection show, this team is built in the trenches, and with arguably their best offensive line yet, both Wyatt Bower and Chase Carter have time to play their game at quarterback, and the versatility of their offensive players sure make these Bulldogs look unbeatable.
Deep sleeper: Minnesota State. It's like déjà vu all over again. Head coach Todd Hoffner is a seasoned playoff veteran and we’ve seen this story before. The Mavericks entered a must-win final game last year sitting at 8-2 and lost, putting their playoff hopes in jeopardy. The Mavericks got in and went on a memorable tear, upsetting team after team, usually in the final seconds, to make it to the national semifinals. That's exactly how the Mavs season ended this year as well. Outside of Ferris State, this part of the bracket has plenty of question marks, so the Mavericks could find themselves in a position for another run, albeit this time it may not be as surprising.
First-round matchup to watch: Minnesota Duluth at Ashland. One of the best offensive players in DII takes on one of the best defensive players in DII. The Bulldogs quarterback Kyle Walljasper can beat you in so many different ways. Walljasper leads the Bulldogs in rushing, and he has four games rushing for more than 100 yards this season. He has also thrown for 19 touchdowns in the last six weeks. Putting the pressure on him will be Ashland’s defensive beast, Michael Shimek. Shimek leads DII with 16 sacks and has also added two forced fumbles. His presence has helped Ashland's front lead DII in sacks, and when offenses focus on him, it opens things up for Elisha Baldridge, who added 10 sacks of his own. This should be a good matchup.
Super Region Four
Team to beat: Harding. The Bisons are a national championship favorite, and have been since the preseason. They were locked in at No. 2 in August and never once came close to falling any lower in any of the national rankings this season. The way the Bisons utterly dominate both sides of the ball with college football’s best rushing offense (460.1 yards per game) and college football’s best scoring defense (6.4 points allowed per game) will make it very tough for any team in Super Region Four to take them down. Plus, they have quarterback Cole Keylon, running back Braden Jay and defensive back Ty Dugger who have all played significant roles in the 2023 national championship team and all the success that followed. This team is deep in talent and experience, making it quite possible that we finally see the Harding vs. Ferris State national championship game we all deserve.
Deep sleeper: Chadron State. This part of the bracket is brutal. Harding, Central Washington, Pittsburg State, CSU Pueblo and Northwest Missouri State all finished in the national top 10 at D2 Football. UTPB was No. 11 and Chadron State and Western Colorado were in the top 20. So, we are talking about a super region with all eight teams in the top 18. That is crazy, and that means, technically, everyone is a contender (even though slowing down Harding won't be fun for anyone). I would pick Northwest Missouri State here after its surprising season, but this was a curious matchup, and I am not sure how the Bearcats got dealt Harding on the road. There is so much inexperience, I don't like this spot for the Bearcats. So let's go with the Eagles.
Chadron State is back in the postseason for the first time in more than a decade. The Eagles surprised early on when they took down Colorado School of Mines, then nationally ranked, for the first time since 2012. They then took down Western Colorado in an overtime thriller and nearly won the RMAC for the first time since 2012 by taking CSU Pueblo to double overtime, where they ultimately lost by three. They have shown they can hang with some heavyweights, so maybe their is some Cinderella in Chadron State.
First-round matchup to watch: UTPB at CSU Pueblo. As you saw with the rankings, everyone one of these games is intriguing. Can Chadron State take down Pittsburg State, a team that has tested itself from opening day to its closing MIAA championship win over Northwest Missouri State? Can those same Bearcats and their No. 1 MIAA defense be the first team to slow down Harding's rushing attack in what seems like five years? Will Central Washington drop 70 points, or will Western Colorado play them to the wire leading to Kennedy McGill theatrics once again?
If we have to focus on one, let's watch the ThunderWolves. This is a really good football team that was a blocked extra point away from being undefeated this year. They are also back in the tournament after last year's stunning upset early exit. UT Permian Basin was definitely a bubble team, so while the Falcons are not content simply making it this far, you can expect them to be playing with a looseness that often translates to dangerous teams this time of year. Quarterback Kanon Gibson is a winner, and he should help keep this one competitive.
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