Today · 9:00 PM UTC

West Texas A&M vs Eastern N.M.

  Today · 11:00 PM UTC

Western Oregon vs UT Permian Basin

  Today · 10:00 PM UTC

Saginaw Valley vs Wayne State (MI)

  Today · 11:00 PM UTC

Austin College vs Centenary (LA)

  Today · 11:00 PM UTC

Waynesburg vs CWRU

  Today · 9:00 PM UTC

Southwestern vs Riverside City

Tomorrow · 12:00 AM UTC

Central Wash. vs A&M-Kingsville

  Jul 14-Jul 31, 2:00 PM UTC

FloSports Channel

Tomorrow · 12:00 AM UTC

Western N.M. vs Sul Ross State

2026 Ferris State vs Grand Valley State

D2 Football National Championship Contenders After The Anchor-Bone Classic

D2 Football National Championship Contenders After The Anchor-Bone Classic

Which D2 football teams are legitimate national championship contenders? We break down the favorites and dark horses after the 2026 Anchor-Bone Classic.

Oct 17, 2026 by R. R. Ellis
D2 Football National Championship Contenders After The Anchor-Bone Classic

With the 2026 Anchor-Bone Classic now in the rearview mirror, arguably the most important game outside the playoffs, we can start looking ahead to title contenders.

But Grand Valley State-Ferris State wasn't the only telling matchup Saturday. Harding faced an undefeated Henderson State team, while Slippery Rock met IUP in another game with postseason implications.

With Week 7 providing a few more answers, here's a look at the teams that have separated themselves as D2 national championship contenders, along with a few dark horses worth watching. 

LIVE

2026 Ferris State vs Grand Valley State

Live now · Started 7:00 PM UTC

WATCH LIVE

The D2 Football National Championship Contenders

Ferris State (FloCollege No. 1)

As has been said many times, it's Ferris State and then everyone else. The Bulldogs are looking for their third straight D2 national championship and their fourth in five years. They've won 37 games in a row, and their Anchor-Bone trip to Lubbers Stadium is out of the way. Wyatt Bower had a field day with the GVSU defense and the Ferris defense stepped up after yielding some early touchdowns. 

The Anchor-Bone Classic was the first time Ferris State has faced adversity this season, and they responded in kind. After going down 17-0, they rallied to drop 34 unanswered points and never looked back. It'll be no surprise when Ferris State is once again No. 1 this week in the FloCollege Top 25, as they look ahead to Michigan Tech and Davenport. 

Harding (FloCollege No. 2)

The team some people thought might trip up Harding was conference foe Henderson State, which jumped out to an undefeated start before running into a brick wall this weekend. The Bisons beat the Reddies handily, 46-16, to hand HSU their first loss of the season. Henderson had climbed up to No. 9 in our top 25 and was keeping pace in the conference standings with the Bisons, but they will almost certainly take a hit in this week's rankings. 

Harding remains the strongest challenger to Ferris State. The question is, if the Bisons can make it back to the championship game, can they finally hand the Bulldogs a loss on the biggest stage?

CSU Pueblo (FloCollege No. 3)

CSU Pueblo has firmly put itself in the contender conversation this season. The ThunderWolves are undefeated at 7-0 and added another dominant win to their resume this week, blowing out New Mexico Highlands 77-17. 

The ThunderWolves had been at No. 3 for several weeks, jumping ahead of Kutztown, which started in that spot in the preseason. Quarterback Navi Bruzon has looked like a star. Heading into this week, Bruzon had 1,798 passing yards and 18 touchdowns, with only three interceptions. 

The test ahead of Pueblo is Western Colorado, also undefeated and sitting at No. 7 in our rankings. It's one of the biggest matchups of the year remaining on the calendar. 

D2 Football National Championship Dark Horses

  • No. 4 Kutztown (7-0): Beat Millersville 45-7.
  • No. 5 Minnesota State (7-0): Bye in Week 7.
  • No. 6 Slippery Rock (7-0): Beat IUP 42-26.
  • No. 7 Western Colorado (6-0): Plays Fort Lewis later Saturday night.
  • No. 8 Northwood (7-0): Beat Lake Erie 41-7.
  • No. 10 Davenport (7-0): Beat Roosevelt 59-21.

FloCollege D2 Football Rankings Week 6

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

Also Receiving Votes: 

Wayne State (NE) (6-1), East Stroudsburg (5-1), Hillsdale (5-1), Augustana (SD) (5-2), Roosevelt (5-1), Central Washington (4-2), Shepherd (5-1), East Central (5-1), Virginia State (6-1), Edward Waters (5-1), West Liberty (5-1), West Alabama (5-1), Minnesota Duluth (5-2).

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 This Week On FloCollege

Saturday, Oct 17

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