Turning around a program isn't like the movies. Taking a D2 football team that's languishing in the basement, securing a budget, convincing transfers, scouting prospects, and then putting it all together on the field is near magical.

Other teams are stuck going 6-5 or 5-6 for years on end, sometimes able to string together wins against ranked opponents or powerhouse rivals, but unable to find the kind of consistency that leads to a conference title or a playoff berth.

• Sign Up For FloCollege To Watch D2 Football All Season Long
• 5 Biggest Changes Coming To D2 Football In 2026
• Way-Too-Early D2 Football Rankings For 2026 Season

GVSU was a middling program from 1970 until 1991, when they hired Brian Kelly. Minnesota Duluth was a respectable program for most of its history, but when Bob Nielson took over in 1999, they were transformed into a regular contender, ultimately winning national titles in 2008 and 2010. And it's hard to get much worse than not existing at all, like CSU Pueblo, who had their program shuttered after the 1984 season. They were off the books for 24 years before bringing football back and hiring John Wristen.

I wanted to quantify, if not just for fun, a few programs that have pulled themselves up over the past few seasons, but haven't quite crossed the playoff threshold. 

To qualify, these teams had to post a losing record in 2023, finish with a .500 or better record in 2025, and miss the NCAA playoffs in all three seasons.

Here are three standout programs.

Northeastern State RiverHawks 

+484 Point-Differential Swing

• 2023 Baseline: 1-10 record (-223 differential, 172 points scored, 395 allowed)
• 2025 Finish: 9-3 record (+261 differential, 483 points scored, 222 allowed)

What Changed:

After winning one game in 2023, including five games where the RiverHawks failed to score a single point, the program hired Darrin Chiaverini in 2024. With Donnie Smith helming the quarterback position, Northeastern State put up 483 points last year, according to the school's cumulative stats. Smith, a senior in 2026, threw for 3,000 yards and 23 touchdowns. Chiaverini has put together the single-best program turnaround in the last few years, and the Independent RiverHawks are poised to continue that trajectory in 2026, and with luck, notch an at-large playoff bid.

Southwestern Oklahoma State Bulldogs 

+408 Point-Differential Swing

• 2023 Baseline: 0-11 record (-326 differential, 98 points scored, 424 allowed)
• 2025 Finish: 6-5 record (+82 differential, 328 points scored, 246 allowed)

What Changed: 

The Bulldogs hit rock bottom in 2023, failing to win a single game and scoring a dismal 98 points all season. Unfortunately, it wasn't a new problem for the program, which had failed to put up a winning record since 2015. To turn it around, SWOSU hired Andrew Rice, who at the time was the offensive coordinator at Southern Arkansas. After going 3-8 in 2024, the Bulldogs posted a 6-5 record in 2025, scoring 328 total points on the season, good enough for nearly 30 a game. The team also got better as the season went on, losing only three of their last nine games. 

Upper Iowa Peacocks 

+228 Point-Differential Swing

• 2023 Baseline: 3-8 record (-67 differential, 264 points scored, 331 allowed)
• 2025 Finish: 9-3 record (+161 differential, 397 points scored, 236 allowed)

What Changed:

Jason Hoskins was promoted to head coach at Upper Iowa during the much maligned COVID-19 season in 2020. While the team started off rocky, going 1-10 in both 2021 and 2022, the team posted three wins in 2023 after successfully transitioning to the GLVC. In 2024, the program went 7-4, their first winning record since 2017. Last year, they added two more wins, recording a 9-3 record, with a win against Hillsdale in the Albanese Candy Bowl. The Peacocks averaged 33 points a game last season, giving up only 19 per game. 

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 2026 College Football Season On FloCollege

FloCollege is the home of the best FCS, Division II and Division III football action all season long. 

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

Join The College Football Conversation

• Follow us on Twitter @FloCollegeFB
• Follow us on Instagram @FloCollegeFootball
• Follow us on TikTok @FloCollegeFootball
• Watch us on YouTube
• Like us on Facebook