We are halfway through the DII football season. It has been a wild one, and while we still have 12 undefeated teams remaining, it is the one and two-loss teams that have the most to prove. Tournament resumes are getting stuffed, and for some teams, it is do-or-die time.
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It goes without saying that there are more than five games to watch on any given DII football Saturday. However, it simply isn’t possible to watch that many games at once. Each week, we’ll highlight five games that have historical relevance or DII football championship implications on the line.
Wayne’s 5 can’t-miss games: Week 6 (all times ET)
Central Washington looks to remain undefeated in this week's DII football game of the week.
Washburn at Pittsburg State, 3 p.m.
The Gorillas and Ichabods are one of DII football’s oldest rivalries. The two will meet for the 95th time in their long history, and Pittsburg State has an overwhelming 66-27-1 advantage. The Gorillas have won the last three, but last year’s was surprisingly closer than they had hoped for, and Washburn is hoping to play the spoiler for a Gorillas team that is in must-win mode for the rest of the season.
Matchup to watch: Zahmari Palode-Gary and Cleo Chandler Jr. vs. the Washburn defense. No team allows more rushing yards in the MIAA than Washburn; in fact, the 247.4 yards allowed per game on the ground is the fourth-most in DII. Palode-Gary and Chandler Jr. are two very capable backs, sharing the load and averaging a combined 146 yards and 1.2 touchdowns per game. They could run wild this weekend.
Number to know: 5. That number has dual meaning for Pittsburg State. The Gorillas have played five teams that have received votes in the national polls... in six weeks. Despite that schedule, the Gorillas are looking for win No. 5 in a row. Expect Pittsburg State to be very focused against its long-time rivals.
Catawba at Wingate, 6 p.m.
If you follow the , you are well aware of the implications of this game. There are six SAC teams in the tournament hunt in a Super Region Two that is still wide open. Essentially, from here on out, every weekend is a playoff weekend in the SAC.
Catawba is 5-1, already besting its 2024 win total by two. Over the past three weeks, the Indians have signature wins against Newberry and Mars Hill. Conversely, Wingate is on a two-game skid with losses to Carson-Newman and Newberry. While both teams benefit from a victory this weekend, this is much more of a must-win for Wingate, which would be in real trouble should the Bulldogs hit three losses.
Matchup to watch: Catawba’s rushing offense vs. Wingate’s rushing defense. Catawba has the best rushing offense in the SAC and the eighth-best in DII at 253.5 yards per game. Wingate has the best rushing defense in the SAC and 19th-best in DII, allowing just 89.0 yards per game. Kevin Lalin has been a beast for Catawba after transferring in from Limestone and has rushed for at least 106 yards in four of his five games.
Number to know: 2016. That was the last time Catawba beat Wingate. The Bulldogs have won the last seven matchups. Catawba’s last win was on the road, which will be the case this weekend.
Franklin Pierce at Saint Anselm, 6 p.m.
Assumption has a huge leg up in the NE10 as the only remaining undefeated team in conference play. While both of the Greyhounds' NE10 wins have been against the Ravens and Hawks, the NE10 is still up for grabs. In the new age of automatic bids, this game between two second-place teams is monstrous. Whichever team doesn't come out victorious here has a mountain larger than Everest to climb to make the bracket.
Matchup to watch: Defense… Defense. Franklin Pierce has the No. 1 scoring defense in the NE10, allowing fewer than 20 points per game. The Hawks have the best total defense in the conference by 40 yards, allowing just 284.4 yards per game. The Ravens’ quarterback, Adrian Parker, isn’t simply the best quarterback by a landslide in the conference, but one of the best in DII. The Hawks are allowing an NE10-low 166 passing yards per game, so Parker could have his hands full. Conversely, only three teams have more interceptions than Franklin Pierce’s 11 in DII, so this could be a long day for QBs.
Number to know: 0. Go to either the Hawks or Ravens’ history page and you’ll notice the same thing. Franklin Pierce has never beaten St. Anselm. The Hawks are 5-0 all-time over their conference rivals.
Central Washington at UT Permian Basin, 7 p.m.
This is without question the game of the week, marking the second week in a row UTPB finds itself in a monster game. Last week, the Falcons got a leg up in the Lone Star Conference in an undefeated matchup with Angelo State. Now, they face off against an undefeated Central Washington team, where a victory all but assures the Falcons a spot in the postseason and gives them a stranglehold on tiebreakers in the conference.
The problem is that Central Washington has an explosive offense, and this may be an exciting shootout where the last person to score wins. Right now, the two are separated by a hair in the field of 32 projections. While the Wildcats have played a slightly tougher schedule overall, none of their opponents have had a winning record. Despite the Falcons' strength of schedule being slightly lower than the Wildcats', with last week’s victory over Angelo State, they now have two top-five wins on their resume. This is going to be an all-out war with two of the better quarterbacks in DII football going head-to-head.
Matchup to watch: Kennedy McGill vs. Kanon Gibson. Both of these quarterbacks are dynamic and athletic, as both lead their respective teams not only in passing but rushing as well. McGill is responsible for 17 touchdowns and just three turnovers, while Gibson has totaled 14 touchdowns to just two interceptions for the Falcons. This game will be won by whichever team protects their quarterback best, allowing them to do their thing.
Number to know: 67.0. That is the average number of points the Wildcats have put up over the past three weeks, highlighted by a 91-point output on Oct. 4. It’s not like they are playing out-of-division schools — they are doing this to LSC teams. Their 51.8 points per game are second in DII to Ferris State. Now, how will this offense fare against UTPB, which happens to have the best scoring and total defense in the LSC? Something has to give.
Central Oklahoma at Fort Hays State, 8 p.m.
Both of these teams are outside the field of 32 projections, but in the deep Super Region Four, neither team is close to being out of the race… yet. This can be seen as an elimination game, because with the depth of teams still in contention in Super Region Four, whichever team loses this game will have the odds stacked greatly against them.
The Bronchos were thrilled to have Jett Huff back under center after his collarbone injury had him sidelined for five weeks. He threw for 394 yards and four touchdowns without an interception in his return; however, UCO fell by one. Fort Hays State is coming into the matchup currently on a two-game winning streak; however, the Tigers have not fared well against the Bronchos in recent history, having dropped three of the last four contests.
Matchup to watch: Jett Huff vs. FHSU pass defense. Huff is a machine, and when he was finally healthy last week, we saw just that. He can make all the throws and has the receivers in place to move the ball up and down the field in both the short and long game. Only two teams in the MIAA allow more passing yards per game than the Tigers’ 248.7, so Huff could be on the verge of a big day once again.
Number to know: 0.667. Both Central Oklahoma and Fort Hays State are still in the postseason conversation because they have a very strong SoS of 0.667. FHSU has played three nationally ranked teams, and both of the Tigers’ losses have come to those ranked programs. The Tigers are also No. 19 in DII in KPI, which tells the bigger picture of how well they have played, despite being a two-loss team. Central Oklahoma has a massive win against Pittsburg State, which, along with that SoS, is what keeps the Bronchos in the mix. However, another loss for either team and the SoS won’t matter.
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