Here we are. There is one week remaining in the DII football season, and the number of games this week with playoff implications is tremendous. Several conference championships are on the line, and with it, the new automatic qualifying bid to this year's DII football championship.
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Western Oregon. Indiana (PA). Frostburg State. Chadron State. There are a bevy of teams that are in a surprising position to make the bracket. Here's what to watch this weekend before Sunday's selection show.
5 can’t-miss Week 11 DII football games
All times ET
Indiana (PA) at Kutztown, noon
The PSAC has been a Super Region One powerhouse for the past decade. The conference almost annually sends at least three teams to the tournament, and despite the outcome of Sunday's game, both of these football teams should make the cut. Kutztown has been on a run in the super region, making the national semifinals in 2023 and earning the No. 1 seed last year. Indiana (PA) is looking to return to the tournament for the first time since 2022, when the Crimson Hawks were the No. 1 seed.
Matchup to watch: Offense vs. defense. Well, no kidding. But what we are watching here is the PSAC's No. 1 and No. 2 offenses as well as the conference's No. 1 and No. 2 defenses. Matthew Rueve has been the difference-maker for the Crimson Hawks. The quarterback transferred in and led the PSAC in passing with 2,812 yards passing and 28 touchdowns, the bulk of which went to Maurice Massey (736 yards, 8 touchdowns). Kutztown has had a top-2 scoring defense in DII in each of the last two seasons and currently sit at No. 2 again, allowing a stingy 9.2 points per game. Kutztown's offense gets the job done, while IUP can generate the big play and score in bunches. Whichever team dictates the tempo will have the upper hand.
Number to know: 19. No one has more PSAC championships than IUP with 19. The Crimson Hawks last won in 2022. However, Kutztown has won three of the last four, including back-to-back in the past two seasons.
Upper Iowa at UIndy, 2 p.m.
Do you remember the last time the Peacocks made the DII football championship? Of course you don't; they never have. Now, sitting at 9-1 overall, an upset of the high-flying UIndy offense will get them into the postseason party.
That is a tall order, however. UIndy's offense is on a tear, and quarterback Gavin Sukup has been one of the best in DII. The Greyhounds have scored 296 points over the past five weeks (59.2 per game) and are playing for a home seed in the tournament. Upper Iowa has the GLVC's best defense and hasn't allowed more than 10 points in four weeks.
Matchup to watch: Gavin Sukup vs. the Peacocks defense. Sukup is having the best year of a very strong three-year career. He is in the top 10 in DII for passing yards (2,826), passing touchdowns (31), points responsible for (212), passing efficiency (193.7) and completion percentage (73.4). The Peacocks may limit points, but they do allow a lot of yards — 331.5 per game to be precise. Sukup has a knack for the end zone, so Upper Iowa's front will have to find a way to disrupt his rhythm.
Number to know: 9. The GLVC is Greyhounds country. Since 2012, only four teams have won the GLVC title: Lindenwood twice, Truman and Southwest Baptist shared a title in 2016 — and UIndy every other time. That includes the last three in a row, so the Greyhounds are looking for a four-peat on Saturday.
Pittsburg State at Northwest Missouri State, 2:30 p.m.
Coming into the season, Northwest Missouri State was projected to finish sixth in the preseason MIAA coaches poll. What a difference a few months make, as the Bearcats are once again back where they belong, atop the MIAA standings at a perfect 8-0 in conference play. It didn't take long for new head coach John McMenamin to bring back the winning ways, coming into this game winners of nine in a row after the opening weekend loss to Minnesota State. Pittsburg State? The Gorillas started their season playing five ranked or receiving votes programs in the first six weeks — and they are still in a position to win the MIAA. That tells you all you need to know.
Matchup to watch: Jackson Berry, Zahmari Palode-Gary, and Cleo Chandler Jr. against this Bearcats defense. If defense wins championships, then the Bearcats are in great shape. They not only lead the MIAA in total defense, scoring defense, rush defense and pass defense — they are top 15 in DII football in all four categories. However, with Berry under center and the two-headed running back tandem in the backfield, this is arguably the most balanced offense the Bearcats have faced since their Week 1 loss to Minnesota State. This is a great test for the playoffs, which both teams should be in no matter the outcome here.
Number to know: 15. Since the 1990s, these two programs have represented the MIAA in 15 of the DII football championship games played, or 44 percent of the time. It has been a while, though, with Northwest Missouri State last winning its second of two in a row in 2016. Perhaps this is the year that one of the two returns.
Chadron State at CSU Pueblo, 3 p.m.
The ThunderWolves are a very good and well-balanced football team. They are one year removed from being the No. 1 seed in Super Region Four and have a national championship in the past decade. No one is surprised that they are in the position to win their second-straight RMAC title.
Chadron State? This is the first time the Eagles have been in the AFCA top 25 since 2013. They are looking to win their first RMAC title since 2008. They aren't one year removed from being the No. 1 seed; instead, they are one year removed from a 3-8 record with a chance to make the DII football championship for the first time since 2012. This is truly one of the great stories of the year.
Matchup to watch: Roman Fuller vs. the Eagles defense. Fuller leads the RMAC in passing this season, posting an impressive line of 2,779 yards, 27 touchdowns and just five interceptions. Reggie Retzlaff, despite his "down" numbers, is one of the best wide receivers in DII football and looked a lot more like himself with three touchdowns a week ago. The problem? Chadron State leads the RMAC in passing yards allowed, with its 157.5 eighth-best in all DII.
Number to know: 2008. Yes, 2008 was the last time Chadron State won the RMAC. But it was also the last time it beat CSU Pueblo. The ThunderWolves have won 15 in a row and it has been by two or more scores every year since 2012. History does not fare well for the Eagles, but this is a much different team than the past several years.
Virginia Union at Johnson C. Smith, 3 p.m.
This is a big one. Virginia Union has become synonymous with the CIAA in the DII football championship, reaching the tournament the last three years in a row. Johnson C. Smith? The Golden Bulls are looking for their first-ever CIAA championship and trip to the DII football championship. Virginia Union will have its hands full as quarterback Kelvin Durham has been one of the best all season, throwing for 2,432 yards and 20 touchdowns with nine more rushing touchdowns added.
Matchup to watch: Curtis Allen vs. EVERYBODY. You would have thought we saw the best Virginia Union had to offer in Jada Byers. Byers ended his career in 2024 not only one of the best in Virginia Union history, but all DII with a 1,900-yard and 2,000-yard season in the span of three years. Curtis Allen has other thoughts, however. Allen has already topped Byers' single-season record with 2,098 yards rushing and is tied for the single-season rushing touchdown record at 27. He has rushed for more than 100 yards in every game this season and has scored two touchdowns or more in all but one game. The question isn't how do you stop Allen... it's can you slow him down just enough?
Number to know: 9. The Golden Bulls made program history with its ninth win of the season last week. Win No. 10 brings more historic firsts. This is another team playing for much more than a W on Saturday.
Also keep tabs on... The SIAC championship game between Albany State (GA) and Benedict. Albany State was the team, but here is Benedict right back in the mix. Let's not forget that Benedict was the No. 1 seed in Super Region Two in both 2022 and 2023. A look at the standings shows the winner of this game has an outside shot at that No. 1 seed in 2025.
Western Oregon needs to find a way to slow down Central Washington, win the Lone Star Conference and make the DII postseason on the heels of the automatic bid. That is a very tough task at hand, as Central Washington is rolling teams and scoring 47.7 points per game, the third-most in DII.
Also, keep your eyes on what happens in the NSIC. All three teams in the hunt have favorable matchups, but in the year of the upset, anything can happen. Minnesota State must win against MSU Moorhead's top 10 scoring offense; Minnesota Duluth can afford a loss and still get in, but a win against Minot State seals the deal; and Augustana (SD) needs to bounce back against a really good Wayne State (NE) team that is on fire or may fall out of the bracket.
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