Front and center on the homepage of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference is a graphic that says “56 National Championships.”

For GLIAC supporters, it’s a celebration. Rivals probably are going to see it as bragging, earned or not. 

But whether you have a Bulldog in the fight or you don’t, let it serve as a reminder about the strength of the GLIAC, especially in football, where Ferris State and Grand Valley State have combined for seven national titles since 2002.

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Oh, and Ferris State’s three wins have come in the last four years (2021, 2022, 2024), which is why all of the preseason polls in the land have the Bulldogs ranked No. 1 heading into the 2025 season. 

In the American Football Coaches Association poll, GVSU landed at No. 3, while Saginaw Valley State and Davenport each received votes. In the D2Football.com Preseason Top 25, GVSU ended up at No. 6.

In the most relevant new Division II rankings on the internet, the FloCollege Top 25, the GLIAC powerhouses also settled in at No. 1 and No. 3, with 2023 national champion, Harding, in between.

While FSU and GVSU have dominated the GLIAC in recent years, with their annual Anchor Bone Classic acting as an unofficial championship game, the other teams in the conference might be tired of getting bullied. 

SVSU, Davenport and Michigan Tech all have shown signs of pushback, and any one of them could be the team to take down one of the GLIAC giants in 2025.

Before things in the GLIAC get going during the final weekend of August, here’s a look at last year’s conference standings and a few fun facts about each team.

2024 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Standings

1. Ferris State 14-1 (7-0 conference)
2. Grand Valley State 10-1 (6-1 conference)
3. Davenport 7-4 (4-3 conference)
4. Michigan Tech 7-4 (4-3 conference)
5. Saginaw Valley State 7-4 (4-3 conference)
6. Wayne State University 2-9 (2-5 conference)
7. Roosevelt 1-9 (1-6 conference)
8. Northern Michigan 0-11 (0-7 conference)

2025 GLIAC Football Preseason Coaches Poll

1. Ferris State
2. Grand Valley State
3. Saginaw Valley State
4. Davenport
5. Michigan Tech
6. Wayne State
7. Roosevelt
8. Northern Michigan

About The Teams Of The GLIAC

Fast facts about each team in the GLIAC:

Ferris State Football

Last season, the Ferris State Bulldogs rattled off 14 consecutive wins and claimed their third NCAA Division II national championship in four seasons.

The Bulldogs also got a little bit of redemption, again, in defeating Valdosta State in the title tilt (49-14). It was the third time since 2018 that the two teams had squared off with the national title on the line, and Ferris State was 2-1 in those contests, also besting the Blazers in 2021. 

The only thing standing between Ferris State and a four-peat was in-conference rival Grand Valley State, which topped the Bulldogs twice during the 2023 season, including the first round of the Division II Playoffs.

Redemption will be the theme again Aug. 28 when Ferris State opens its 2025 season at home against Pittsburg State, the only team to beat the Bulldogs in 2024.

The Gorillas won the season-opener 19-3, a performance very uncharacteristic of a potent FSU offense. 

Ferris State clearly didn’t like the feeling, however, and went on to outscore its next four opponents 238-26.

Grand Valley State Football

Grand Valley State has become a mainstay at the top of the NCAA Division II rankings, and despite missing out on the GLIAC title in 2024 – to eventual national champion Ferris State – the Lakers still advanced to the playoffs.

GVSU’s campaign concluded against Harding in the second round of the NCAA Division II Playoffs, and the Lakers wrapped the year with an 11-2 record.

The team’s other loss? A 34-7 blowout in the Anchor Bone Classic, GVSU’s annual rivalry game with Ferris State. 

GVSU owns four national titles – 2002, 2003, 2005, and 2006. The win in 2002 was the first Division II football national championship for the GLIAC. GVSU was the runner-up to North Dakota in 2001.

The Lakers were the team to beat for much of the 2024 season, and that’s exactly what happened. Now, GVSU will enter the new season with a chip on its shoulder, like Ferris State did last year.

Davenport Football

The Davenport football program has only been around since 2016, and being born into a conference like the GLIAC is both good and bad.

First, you’ve got a few big brothers there to keep you humble, but also show you the way at the same time. Being in the same conference with the likes of Ferris State and Grand Valley State sure has made the Panthers grow up quickly, while getting their fair share of brotherly beatings.

In 2022 and 2023, Davenport rolled into its schedule with eight consecutive wins, only to see the momentum stop abruptly with losses to Ferris State and GVSU. 

The hot start was enough for the Panthers to reach the playoffs in 2022, where Ferris State sent them packing in the first round, but they fell short of the postseason in 2023, despite being 8-2 again.

The 2024 campaign featured a few additional stumbles. Davenport finished 7-4 overall and 4-3 in conference play, which saw the Panthers in a three-way tie with Michigan Tech and Saginaw Valley State for third place in the GLIAC.

The Panthers return nine starters on defense and seven on offense, and the potential is there for Davenport to at least break free from Tech and SVSU, while overcoming the conference’s front-runners may be more of a mental fight for all the teams.

Michigan Tech Football

Michigan Tech enjoyed a 4-1 start in 2024, but the momentum didn’t last, as the Huskies predictably lost to conference rivals Davenport, Ferris State, and Grand Valley State on the way to a 7-4 final record.

Entering the 2025 campaign, Michigan Tech, Saginaw Valley State, and Davenport all are looking at the same scenario – they’re basically playing for third place in the GLIAC and have to beat each other to make it happen.

Eventually, one of them is going to pull off an upset of Ferris State or Grand Valley State and change the dynamic of the conference. It just hasn’t happened yet.

The Huskies did come close in 2014, even if that can be considered a completely different era for all programs involved, going 9-1 during the regular season (all conference games), while making it to the first round of the NCAA Division II Playoffs. 

Michigan Tech’s one conference loss that year? It was against the undefeated conference champion Ferris State. The Bulldogs earned a first-round bye to the playoffs and lost in Round 2.

Saginaw Valley State Football

Saginaw Valley State also had a hot start in 2024, opening the season at 5-1, and the Cardinals had goliath Grand Valley State on the ropes the following week in front of the SVSU homecoming crowd.

SVSU was ahead 9-3 at halftime, but with the biggest GLIAC upset in years only two quarters away, the Cardinals' offense stalled and was unable to add any points in the second half.

The defense held strong against the No. 2-ranked team in the nation, but the Lakers were able to add a score in each quarter of the second half to escape with a 16-9 victory, spoiling homecoming and SVSU’s hero status within the GLIAC. 

As the season wound down, the Cardinals still weren’t out of the race for the playoffs, or even a share of the conference title, if the right things fell into place. Unfortunately, SVSU was edged by Ferris State (27-24) and closed the year with a 32-28 loss to Michigan Tech – after leading 28-10 at halftime.

Looking back at just the GVSU and Ferris State games, the Cardinals were a couple of plays from changing the whole dynamic of the 2024 season and the trajectory of the GLIAC. Instead, SVSU finished the year 7-4 overall and 4-3 in conference play, tying for third place.

Wayne State Football

Wayne State started the 2024 season with nine consecutive losses and the possibility of finishing last in the eight-team GLIAC standings, a threat the Warriors seem to have to worry about every year.

WSU turned the tide in the final weeks, however, picking up wins against newcomer Roosevelt (38-14) and Northern Michigan (30-14) to catapult out of the cellar. 

The Warriors have heart and potential, as shown when they pushed Ferris State in a two-day weather-affected battle (ultimately a 27-14 loss), so it’s just a matter of time before things fall into place.

To help with that, third-year head coach Tyrone Wheatley overhauled the coaching staff for 2025 and signed 31 new players.

Roosevelt Football

The 2024 season marked Roosevelt’s move to the Division II level and the team’s debut in the mighty GLIAC.

Regardless of past success, the only way to gauge the squad’s skill level would be to run through the conference gauntlet one time and reassess. 

The Lakers opened the year with five consecutive losses before doing what everyone else has been doing for years – beating up on the Northern Michigan Wildcats. 

Roosevelt’s 16-10 win over NMU was its first Division II victory and first GLIAC win. Unfortunately, that was the team’s only win in 2024, though it kept the Lakers from finishing last in the conference standings. Again, that was Northern Michigan at 0-11 overall and 0-7 in the GLIAC, while Roosevelt was 1-9 and 1-6.

The Lakers’ sophomore campaign in the GLIAC will be under new leadership, as William McKeon, previously the team’s defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach, has been elevated to head coach. Shortly after his appointment, he unveiled his new-look coaching staff.

Northern Michigan Football

Oh, Northern Michigan. You’ve got so many of us following you and wondering when things will turn around.

The last time the Wildcats won a game was Nov. 12, 2022, on the way to a 4-7 season. It was their final game that year, and they followed it with 0-11 performances in 2023 and 2024.

On the bright side, the Wildcats were never shut out in 2024. Unfortunately, they only scored 15.64 points per game, while giving up 41. 

The last winning season for NMU was 2009.

How To Stream GLIAC Football Games In 2025

Every GLIAC football game will stream live on FloCollege and the FloSports app. 

Game replays, highlights, and breaking news also will be available on both platforms.

FloCollege D2 Football Rankings 2025: Preseason

1. Ferris State
2. Harding
3. Grand Valley State
4. Slippery Rock
5. Valdosta State
6. Central Oklahoma
7. West Florida
8. Kutztown
9. Virginia Union
10. Minnesota State
11. Angelo State
12. Charleston (WV)
13. CSU Pueblo
14. Western Colorado
15. Indianapolis
16. Bemidji State
17. Pittsburg State
18. Lenoir–Rhyne
19. Ouachita Baptist
20. Central Missouri
21. West Alabama
22. Truman
23. Miles
24. Southern Arkansas
25. UNC Pembroke

26. Central Washington, 27. California (PA), 28. UT Permian Basin, 29. Ashland, 30. Colorado Mines, 31. Carson–Newman, 32. Wingate, 33. East Stroudsburg

College Football Preseason Rankings 2025 – AFCA Division II Coaches Poll

August 2025

1. Ferris State (30) 14-1
2. Harding 12-2
3. Grand Valley State 11-2
4. Slippery Rock (1) 12-2
5. Central Oklahoma 11-2
6. Colorado State-Pueblo 10-2
7. Kutztown 11-1
8. West Florida 7-3
9. Pittsburg State 8-3
10. Western Colorado 11-2
11. Minnesota State 11-4
12. Valdosta State 13-1
13. Angelo State 9-3
14. Charleston 11-1
15. California (Pa.) 10-3
16. Bemidji State 10-4
17. Lenoir-Rhyne 10-3
18. Ouachita Baptist 10-2
19. Virginia Union 10-4
20. UIndy 10-2
21. Central Washington 8-4
22. Central Missouri 9-3
23. Augustana (S.D.) 8-4
24. Ashland 9-4
25. Miles 10-3

Others Receiving Votes: West Alabama, 113; Carson-Newman, 100; Wingate, 74; Fort Hays St., 66; Colorado School of Mines, 42; Saginaw Valley St., 35; Minnesota-Duluth, 29; Albany St., 26; Northwest Missouri St., 21; Indiana (Pa.), 16; UT-Permian Basin, 16; Delta St., 13; Findlay, 12; UNC-Pembroke, 12; Davenport, 10; Johnson C. Smith, 9; East Stroudsburg, 7; Fairmont St., 7; Southern Arkansas, 6; Texas A&M-Kingsville, 5; Colorado Mesa, 1; Truman St., 1.

When Do The 2025 NCAA Division II College Football Playoffs Start?

The first round of the 2025 NCAA Division II Playoffs will be Nov. 22.

The 2025 Division II Football Championship title game will be played Dec. 20, 2025, at McKinney ISD Stadium in McKinney, Texas

Five Hours Of Division II Football Highlights | 2024 College Football Touchdowns

Watch five hours of college football highlights, featuring touchdowns from Ferris State, GVSU, Central Missouri and more across Division II football.

Archived Footage On FloCollege

Video footage from all games will be archived and stored in a video library for FloCollege subscribers to watch for the duration of their subscriptions.

Watch The 2025 College Football Season On FloCollege

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Don't miss the latest college football action by bookmarking the FloCollege schedule page for the latest games. 

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