Jul 14-Jul 31, 2:00 PM UTC

FloSports Channel

Tomorrow · 11:00 PM UTC

West Texas AM Coach's Show

Oct 2, 11:00 PM UTC

Carol City FL vs Grayson GA

Oct 2, 11:00 PM UTC

STAC vs Molloy

Oct 3, 4:00 PM UTC

Brown vs Rhode Island

Oct 3, 4:00 PM UTC

Kentucky Wesleyan vs Northwood

Oct 3, 4:00 PM UTC

Springfield vs Salve Regina

Oct 3, 4:00 PM UTC

Franklin Pierce vs AIC

Oct 3, 4:00 PM UTC

Bentley vs Assumption

Oct 3, 4:00 PM UTC

Wilkes vs Juniata

Oct 3, 4:00 PM UTC

Norwich vs WPI

Oct 3, 4:00 PM UTC

Findlay vs Ohio Dominican

Oct 3, 4:00 PM UTC

USMMA vs MIT

Oct 3, 4:00 PM UTC

LaGrange College vs NC Wesleyan

Oct 3, 4:30 PM UTC

Belhaven vs Brevard College

2026 Tusculum vs Mars Hill

Who Saw This Coming? D2 Football's Biggest Risers In The 2026 Rankings

Who Saw This Coming? D2 Football's Biggest Risers In The 2026 Rankings

Which D2 football teams have made the biggest jump in 2026? West Liberty, Roosevelt, Mars Hill and more are surging up the FloCollege rankings.

Sep 30, 2026 by R. R. Ellis
null
Replay: Indianapolis vs Davenport | Sep 12 @ 12 PM3:22:24

It's easy to get caught up in the winds of the football season. It's such an ethereal sport, passing from preseason expectations to disappointing (or joy) to a whittled-down prime group that heads to the D2 playoffs. With that in mind, let's take a moment to appreciate the finer things as we enter week 5. The risers. 

The selection of the six teams below have put their stamp on the NCAA Division 2 football season, for better or worse, no matter how it goes from here on out. They've exceeded expectations, traversing across the FloCollege rankings and jumping ahead of dozens of other programs. 

On any regular week, we give you a Top 25, plus maybe another 10 teams who are right outside the rankings. Below, we're giving you a peak behind the curtain, where you can see some of the biggest movers. For some flavor, these are not the purest movers across the rankings. 

Outside of West Liberty, who is truly the biggest mover, these were selected based on movement, history, and just how much they've changed the D2 football picture through the first month of the season. 

UPCOMING

2026 Tusculum vs Mars Hill

Sat, Oct 3 · 6:30 PM UTC

WATCH

West Liberty (+80)

No. 138 → No. 58 | 4-1

West Liberty is No. 1!... In movement from the beginning of the Division 2 football season. The Hilltoppers have trekked across exactly half of the Division 2 football programs, going from a preseason ranking of 138 to No. 58. They have not quite cracked the top 25 or RV, but if they keep going, they will. Important to note the effect running back Hunter Patterson has had on the movement. The senior rusher won the MEC Offensive Player of the Year award in 2025, but has taken it up a notch in 2026. Patterson leads D2 in rushing yards, at 901 across five games. He has yet to dip below 100 yards in a game and has paired the yardage output with 13 total touchdowns. 

Roosevelt (+73)

No. 108 → No. 35 | 4-0

Roosevelt haven't had a winning record at the end of a season since 2023, when they were in NAIA. They entered D2 in 2024 and have had a tough run so far, going 1-9 and 2-8 the last two seasons. The Lakers started the season with FCS school Chicago State's first football game ever, and a 44-28 win. They've since defeated Quincy, Southwest Baptist, and UW Stout. That last team is Division 3, so some skepticism is necessary as the Lakers have yet to face a true test. That comes this week against Michigan Tech. One last note, Roosevelt currently ranks No. 9 in D2 scoring offense, ahead of Kutztown, Western Colorado, and Augustana (SD). 

Mars Hill (+68)

No. 91 → No. 23 | 4-0

For my money, Mars Hill is probably the most impressive among this entire group. I've written a lot about how chaotic the South Atlantic Conference can be. Teams low in the pecking order often defeat conference leaders, yearly in SAC. Lenoir-Rhyne looked like they were set to dominate the conference after a massive win over Virginia Union, but have since dropped to 2-3. LR's most recent loss? A low-scoring mudfight against Mars Hill, which ended 15-7. 

So, why are the Mountain Lions so impressive? They're undefeated for one, and two, they're tied with Ferris State for the No. 1 scoring defense in Division 2 football. MHU has only allowed three total touchdowns through four games. Mars Hill joined the Top 25 this week, sitting right now at No. 23. 

East Central (+47)

No. 78 → No. 31 | 4-0

East Central is off to their best start since 1983, going 4-0 so far this season. It's a period so long it must seem like the stone age to the players on the team. The Tigers jumped out hot, beating Ouachita Baptist in week 1, before pummeling their way through Arkansas-Monticello, Southern Nazarene and NW Oklahoma State. No one can take away those wins, and the great start, but Harding awaits in week 5. The Bisons are No. 2 in the FloCollege rankings and the last time they lost out on the GAC conference title was 2022. 

Davenport (+43)

No. 57 → No. 14 | 4-0

Davenport is the highest-ranked team on this entire list, having clawed their way to No. 14 in the FloCollege Top 25. Their biggest win to date came Sept. 12 against then-No. 15 UIndy, with their other Ws coming against Gannon, Truman State, and Northern Michigan. This week, the true work begins. They play SVSU on October 3, before another NMU game, Roosevelt, then a wild run to end the season: Ferris State, Michigan Tech, and GVSU. Cephus Harris has been an absolute monster for the Panthers, averaging 183 yards per game, with nine total touchdowns, and 734 total rushing yards. He's also averaging nearly nine yards per rush.

North Greenville (+41)

No. 58 → No. 17 | 4-0

North Greenville has been slowly building toward a season like 2026. The Trailblazers weren't dominant during their time in the GSC, but they were consistently competitive before moving to Conference Carolinas in 2025. Their last D2 playoff appearance before last season came all the way back in 2016, but the program has steadily climbed since, going 6-5 in 2024 and 7-5 with a playoff berth in 2025.

Now, it looks like they've taken another step. North Greenville is 4-0 and has climbed from No. 58 in the preseason to No. 17 in the FloCollege Top 25.

And the Trailblazers aren't just winning. They're creating havoc. NGU has 12 takeaways through four games, including nine interceptions and three fumble recoveries. This is, of course, besides having one of the most elite mascot logos in the NCAA. 

FloCollege D2 Football Rankings Week 4

  1. Ferris State (4-0)
  2. Harding (4-0)
  3. CSU Pueblo (5-0)
  4. Minnesota State (5-0)
  5. Kutztown (4-0)
  6. Grand Valley State (4-0)
  7. Slippery Rock (4-0)
  8. Western Colorado (5-0)
  9. Henderson State (4-0)
  10. Northwood (4-0)
  11. Findlay (3-1)
  12. Northwest Missouri State (3-1)
  13. Indiana (PA) (4-0)
  14. Davenport (4-0)
  15. Virginia Union (4-1)
  16. UT Permian Basin (3-1)
  17. North Greenville (4-0)
  18. Carson-Newman (4-1)
  19. Walsh (4-0)
  20. Johnson C. Smith (3-1)
  21. Newberry (3-1)
  22. Augustana (SD) (3-2)
  23. Mars Hill (4-0)
  24. Valdosta State (3-1)
  25. Benedict (3-1)

Received Votes: 

Emporia State (4-0), Northeastern State (3-2), Michigan Tech (3-1), Kentucky State (4-1), Western Oregon (2-2), East Central (4-0), UNC Pembroke (4-1), Minnesota Duluth (3-2), William Jewell (3-0), Roosevelt (4-0), East Stroudsburg (3-1), Tiffin (3-1), Wayne State (NE) (4-1), Anderson (SC) (4-1), Hillsdale (3-1)

Previous Rankings: 

How The FloCollege D2 Football Rankings Are Determined

The FloCollege Division 2 football rankings are driven by a mix of objective data and input from voters.

Ranking factors include:

  • Voter Points
  • Wins
  • Margin of Victory
  • Away Wins
  • Strength of Schedule

D2 Football On This Week On FloCollege

Saturday, Oct 3

How To Watch D2 Football In 2026

Hundreds of Division 2 football games will stream live on FloCollege and the FloSports app. 

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

Join The College Football Conversation