Week 8 of D2 football was, yet again, a movie. Saginaw Valley State beat No. 16 Grand Valley State Football in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1984-85; No. 10 Northwood was nearly knocked off by Ohio Dominican, and No. 1 Ferris State is, of course, still perfect.

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• D2 Football Rankings 2026: Pour One Out For GVSU
• D2 Football NPI Rankings: Slippery Rock Holds No. 1

Just like every other week of action, Week 8 taught us D2 football lovers a lot. Here are five things I gathered across the dozens of games on the gridiron.

Ferris State Is Still The Team To Beat

Although I’m sure every D2 football team would disagree, we here at FloCollege cannot get enough of Ferris State.

The nation’s No. 1 team downed No. 12 Michigan Tech 27-20 in Week 8, extending their win streak to a nation-leading 38 games. Although Wyatt Bower left early in the game, the Bulldogs dominated with Chase Carter at QB, who went 11-for-23 for 122 yards and two touchdowns and led the team in rushing with 23 carries for 134 yards.

The ‘Dogs will take on another undefeated team in Week 9 as they host No. 9 Davenport at Top Taggart Field in Big Rapids, Mich.

And thats win No. 38 for the unbeaten Ferris State Bulldogs‼️

The #1 team in the nation chases the D2 All-Time Win Streak with their 38th straight win, just 2 behind GVSU's 40-win streak@GLIACsports | @FerrisFootball#GLIAC | Aug 27 - Nov 22 | Live on FloCollege pic.twitter.com/g43WCEdWFa

— FloCollege | Football (@FloCollegeFB) October 24, 2026

Gunnar Hensley Deserves His Spot On Top Of D2

Augustana (SD) quarterback Gunnar Hensley has sat at the top of Division II’s passing yardage leaderboard for the majority of the 2026 season, and it doesn’t seem like he’s planning on giving that spot up anytime soon.

The Vikings Team Captain has thrown for a nation-leading 2,768 passing yards and 25 touchdowns this season, tying for No. 2 in D2 in the latter. He leads the division with 346 passing yards per game and ranks ninth in passing efficiency with a rating of 172.92 (191-for-188, 4 INT).

Hensley solidified his position with a dominant performance in Week 8. He completed 18 of 23 passes for 244 yards and two touchdowns.

The 10 Remaining Perfect Teams Are Here To Stay… Until Week 9

After Week 7 of D2 football, 10 teams in D2 were perfect. After Week 8 of D2 football, 10 teams in D2 were perfect. I would say that this could be a pretty cool trend until the postseason, but the perfect Davenport Panthers face Ferris State in Week 9, so there will be, at most, nine perfect teams. Easy math, right?

Here are the Week 8 results from the remaining undefeated teams.

No. 1 Ferris State def. No. 12 Michigan Tech, 27-20

No. 2 Harding def. Arkansas-Monticello, 56-17

No. 3 CSU Pueblo def. Fort Lewis, 27-21

No. 4 Kutztown def. West Chester, 41-14

No. 5 Slippery Rock def. Lock Haven, 66-7

No. 6 Minnesota State def. Wayne State (NE), 35-0

No. 7 Western Colorado def. Black Hills State, 42-10

No. 8 Northwood def. Ohio Dominican, 37-35

No. 9 Davenport def. Wayne State (MI), 49-0

No. 10 Emporia State def. Central Missouri, 58-38

NPI Rankings = Slightly Less Confusing

The NCAA Power Index Rankings, or NPI, can be confusing. But don’t worry, I broke down how the rankings work last week.

The NCAA Power Index Rankings can be confusing - don’t worry, we’ve got you🤝

Here’s how the NPI algorithm works, what can impact each team’s value & why it matters following the first round of NCAA rankings🏈#GLIAC | #G_MAC | Aug 27 - Nov 22 | Live on FloCollege📺 pic.twitter.com/sEHZLxBndf

— FloCollege | Football (@FloCollegeFB) October 21, 2026

NPI Rankings following Week 8 shifted pretty significantly. Ferris State (finally) made its way to the top of Super Region 3, climbing from No. 5 to No. 2 overall after defeating Michigan Tech 27-20, and all 10 undefeated teams moved into the top 10.

Here’s where every playoff-worthy team stands in the latest D2 football NPI rankings:

Division 2 Football NPI Rankings

Through games played October 24, 2026

Super Region 1

1. Slippery Rock (8-0) - NPI: 68.145 | Overall NPI Rank: 1
2. Kutztown (7-0) - NPI: 62.705 | Overall NPI Rank: 8
3. East Stroudsburg (6-1) - NPI: 60.989 | Overall NPI Rank: 11
4. Virginia State (7-0) - NPI: 58.371 | Overall NPI Rank: 21
5. Virginia Union (7-1) - NPI: 57.690 | Overall NPI Rank: 25
6. West Liberty (7-1) - NPI: 56.366 | Overall NPI Rank: 29
7. Bowie State (4-2) - NPI: 54.343 | Overall NPI Rank: 40
8. Indiana (Pa.) (5-3) - NPI: 53.984 | Overall NPI Rank: 42
9. Assumption (5-2) - NPI: 53.589 | Overall NPI Rank: 43
10. Johnson C. Smith (6-2) - NPI: 53.380 | Overall NPI Rank: 45

Super Region 2

1. Kentucky State (7-1) - NPI: 61.422 | Overall NPI Rank: 10
2. Edward Waters (5-1) - NPI: 60.860 | Overall NPI Rank: 13
3. Benedict (7-1) - NPI: 60.251 | Overall NPI Rank: 15
4. Carson-Newman (6-1) - NPI: 59.760 | Overall NPI Rank: 16
5. Central State (Ohio) (5-1) - NPI: 58.731 | Overall NPI Rank: 20
6. North Greenville (7-1) - NPI: 58.041 | Overall NPI Rank: 23
7. Mars Hill (5-2) - NPI: 56.513 | Overall NPI Rank: 28
8. Newberry (4-2) - NPI: 54.462 | Overall NPI Rank: 38
9. West Alabama (5-2) - NPI: 54.405 | Overall NPI Rank: 39
10. Tuskegee (4-3) - NPI: 53.394 | Overall NPI Rank: 44

Super Region 3

1. Ferris State (7-0) - NPI: 67.113 | Overall NPI Rank: 2
2. Northwood (8-0) - NPI: 65.898 | Overall NPI Rank: 4
3. Minnesota State (8-0) - NPI: 63.702 | Overall NPI Rank: 7
4. Davenport (8-0) - NPI: 61.497 | Overall NPI Rank: 9
5. Findlay (7-1) - NPI: 59.347 | Overall NPI Rank: 18
6. Michigan Tech (6-2) - NPI: 58.755 | Overall NPI Rank: 19
7. Minnesota Duluth (6-2) - NPI: 58.237 | Overall NPI Rank: 22
8. Tiffin (6-2) - NPI: 56.930 | Overall NPI Rank: 26
9. Northern State (6-2) - NPI: 55.994 | Overall NPI Rank: 31
10. Augustana (S.D.) (6-2) - NPI: 54.305 | Overall NPI Rank: 41

Super Region 4

1. Harding (8-0) - NPI: 66.960 | Overall NPI Rank: 3
2. Emporia State (8-0) - NPI: 64.622 | Overall NPI Rank: 5
3. CSU Pueblo (8-0) - NPI: 63.807 | Overall NPI Rank: 6
4. Western Colorado (8-0) - NPI: 60.975 | Overall NPI Rank: 12
5. Central Washington (6-1) - NPI: 60.593 | Overall NPI Rank: 14
6. Northwest Missouri State (6-1) - NPI: 59.539 | Overall NPI Rank: 17
7. Henderson State (7-1) - NPI: 57.703 | Overall NPI Rank: 24
8. Central Missouri (5-3) - NPI: 56.770 | Overall NPI Rank: 27
9. Ouachita Baptist (6-2) - NPI: 56.181 | Overall NPI Rank: 30
10. Washburn (5-2-1) - NPI: 55.854 | Overall NPI Rank: 32 

Super Region 3 Is STACKED

If you take one look at the NPI rankings, you’ll know this. The Midwest-based Super Region has always been dominant, but this season seems especially scary: four of the top 10 teams listed are undefeated, and 70% rank in the NPI top 25.

Only eight teams in each Super Region make the playoffs, and every team in Super Region 3 is going to be fighting for a spot.

FloCollege D2 Football Rankings Week 8

1. Ferris State (8-0), Prev. 1
2. Harding (8-0), Prev. 2
3. CSU Pueblo (8-0), Prev. 3
4. Slippery Rock (8-0), Prev. 5
5. Kutztown (8-0), Prev. 4
6. Minnesota State (8-0), Prev. 6
7. Western Colorado (8-0), Prev. 7
8. Northwood (8-0), Prev. 8
9. Davenport (8-0), Prev. 9
10. Emporia State (8-0), Prev. 10
11. Northwest Missouri State (6-1), Prev. 11
12. Findlay (7-1), Prev. 13
13. Carson-Newman (7-1), Prev. 14
14. North Greenville (7-1), Prev. 17
15. Valdosta State (5-1), Prev. 16
16. Henderson State (7-1), Prev. 18
17. Michigan Tech (6-2), Prev. 12
18. Virginia Union (7-1), Prev. 20
19. East Stroudsburg (7-1), Prev. 23
20. Benedict (7-1), Prev. 22
21. Central Washington (6-2), Prev. 21
22. Minnesota Duluth (6-2), Prev. 25
23. West Liberty (7-1), Prev. RV
24. Virginia State (7-1), Prev. RV
25. Ouachita Baptist (6-2), Prev. RV

Received Votes: 

Johnson C. Smith (6-2), Assumption (5-2), UNC Pembroke (7-2), Midwestern State (6-2), Tiffin (6-2), Augustana (S.D.) (6-2), Grand Valley State (5-3), Newberry (6-2), Kentucky State (7-2), Southeastern Oklahoma State (6-2)

D2 Football On FloCollege This Week

Saturday, Oct. 31

• 2026 Walsh vs Ohio Dominican — 12:00 PM ET
• 2026 Findlay vs Thomas More — 12:00 PM ET
• 2026 Lake Erie College vs Tiffin University — 12:00 PM ET
• 2026 Post vs Assumption — 12:00 PM ET
• 2026 Bentley vs Pace University — 12:00 PM ET
• 2026 Northern Michigan vs Wayne State (MI) — 12:00 PM ET
• 2026 Saint Anselm vs American International — 1:00 PM ET
• 2026 Franklin Pierce vs Southern Connecticut — 1:00 PM ET
• 2026 Carson-Newman vs Catawba — 1:00 PM ET
• 2026 Lenoir-Rhyne vs Emory & Henry — 1:00 PM ET
• 2026 Hillsdale vs Kentucky Wesleyan — 1:00 PM ET
• 2026 Davenport vs Ferris State — 1:00 PM ET
• 2026 Northwood University vs Ashland — 1:00 PM ET
• 2026 Valdosta State vs West Alabama — 2:00 PM ET
• 2026 Western Oregon vs Western N.M. — 2:00 PM ET
• 2026 Michigan Tech vs Saginaw Valley St. — 2:00 PM ET
• 2026 Mars Hill vs UVA Wise — 2:00 PM ET
• 2026 Anderson (SC) vs Wingate — 3:00 PM ET
• 2026 Central Wash. vs Eastern N.M. — 4:00 PM ET
• 2026 Tusculum vs Newberry — 6:00 PM ET
• 2026 Grand Valley State vs Roosevelt — 7:00 PM ET
• 2026 Angelo State vs UT Permian Basin — 7:00 PM ET
• 2026 Midwestern State vs A&M-Kingsville — 8:00 PM ET
• 2026 West Texas A&M vs Sul Ross State — 8:00 PM ET

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