In a Division II baseball league that had plenty of standouts a season ago, the games in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference are about to get even more competitive.

The regular season comes to a close across Division II football this week, and with a trio of conference showdowns on the GLIAC slate, there still is plenty to play for, and there is potential for a three-way tie atop the league, if games go a certain way.

The 2021-2022 season was a somewhat down year by GLIAC basketball standards.

As the season rolls along, the GLIAC could be setting itself up for a national 1 vs. 2 showdown.

Davenport sits alone atop the GLIAC after a 31-21 win over visiting Northern Michigan in Week 3 — of course, it was the only conference game thus far. The next conference matchup of the 2022 season headlines Week 4, Davenport returns to non-conference competition in one of the week's top out-of-league contests, and GLIAC counterparts Grand Valley and Wayne State meet in a unique non-conference date.

The GLIAC sees five of its seven teams in action on Thursday night to open the 2022 season, including a top 10 showdown. National championship credentials will be checked straight away in a huge opening weekend for GLIAC teams.

GLIAC Players to Watch As college football becomes more of an offensive game at every level, the GLIAC is a something of a throwback coming into the 2022 season. A variety of the conference’s top returning players are on the defense.

Ground games on the Div. II landscape a season ago proved to be a youth movement. Two of the nation's top four, three of the top six, and four of the leading 13 rushers in 2021 were freshmen. All return in 2022 to build on their impressive debuts.

The top of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference will likely come to a battle between two longtime powers and rivals, with defending Div. II national champion Ferris State and four-time national champion Grand Valley State tabbed as the league’s top teams by its coaches back during the offseason.