By Wayne Cavadi
DII football Power 10 rankings: Week 2
- Ferris State: The Bulldogs are rolling on all cylinders, but there is no rest for the DII kings. Next week, the champs head to No. 11 Central Washington for their third-straight matchup against a 2025 playoff team. If they win this one by 30-plus, I am penciling them into the final game in McKinney.
- Harding: The Bisons and Golden Bears flip-flop despite both winning. Now, Northwestern Oklahoma State has never been a DII football power, but what Harding did in 47 minutes of football was insane. The game ended early when Cedrick Hawkins suffered a medical emergency on the sideline with just over 13 minutes to go; however, I quickly followed up with the team, and Hawkins is doing great. I’d expect a similar score next Thursday against Southwestern Oklahoma State.
- Kutztown: Judd Novak was great, totaling more than 300 yards of offense while throwing for four touchdowns and no interceptions. Jaedyn Stewart is going to be a force at running back both on the ground and in the pass game. The defense allowed 35 points to a good Assumption team, which drops the Golden Bears to No. 3 compared to what Harding did. Let’s see how they handle Clarion this weekend.
- Minnesota State: The Mavericks are averaging 43.0 points per game and allowing 10.5 points per game. That’s a 33-point scoring differential, and that is a key factor in these Power 10 rankings. Sam Backer had a huge game against UMary (165 yards, two touchdowns), and both quarterbacks are gelling. The Mavericks should win big over Bemidji State in their home opener next weekend.
- Grand Valley State: The Lakers are rolling, now 2-0 averaging 47.0 points per game while allowing just 24. They have a tricky matchup against former GLIAC rivals Ashland, looking to get back into the win column, but the Andrew Schuster to Kellen Reed combination may be an unstoppable force. Schuster has eight touchdown passes to no interceptions… five of which have gone to Reed.
- Northwest Missouri State: The Bearcats were idle in Week 1, so nothing to report here. Oh, except they are very good at football. Washburn is up next.
- CSU Pueblo: Fort Hays State entered the D2 Football top 25 last weekend. That made the 35-17 ThunderWolves’ victory on the road all the more important. Defenses need to start triple-teaming Dedrek Taylor-Akins, who had his second 100-plus-yard, touchdown day of the season, or we may see records fall. Colorado School of Mines awaits next week.
- Western Colorado: Keeping it in the RMAC, the Mountaineers picked up a tight 23-21 win over Angelo State. I almost had the RiverHawks surpass them, but Western Colorado looks good despite a lot of change, so let’s see how it responds against Chadron State next weekend. Caden Campuzano had a monster game defensively, recording 12 tackles, two sacks, and a fumble recovery.
- Northeastern State: The RiverHawks continue to dominate, downing Missouri S&T 27-7 this past weekend. They have now scored 79 points and have allowed a mere touchdown for a 72-point scoring margin. Donnie Smith continues his Harlon Hill campaign next weekend against 2025 playoff team Truman.
- Findlay: The Oilers are making their first-ever appearance in the DII football Power 10 rankings after dominating UIndy.
First five out
- Central Washington: The very new-look Wildcats fell by just a touchdown to an FCS team, so it doesn’t affect their playoff resume. Next week’s game against Ferris State will.
- Valdosta State: The Blazers trounced NAIA Warner and are looking good to start 2026. Fayetteville State is a nice test next week.
- Indiana (PA): I have been higher on the Crimson Hawks since July, and they showed why, defeating the 2025 playoff team and 2026 G-MAC favorite Ashland by 10. Mason Maggs looked good in his first start at quarterback for IUP. West Chester is up next.
- Western Oregon: This is the team to beat in the LSC in my opinion. The Wolves showed out against NAIA Southern Oregon to get to 2-0. We’ll see if I am right quickly: The Wolves get to rest next week before a Week 3 showdown with Central Washington.
- Slippery Rock: You know, the rest of the top 25 was a mess this weekend. So, I am jumping the gun and boosting The Rock into the top 15, but really, this spot is wide open. After an idle weekend, The Rock heads to East Stroudsburg, another PSAC team I have in my top 25.
My D2Football.com top 25
Obviously, we know the top 15. Here is how the rest looked.
- UIndy
- Newberry
- Benedict
- Minnesota Duluth
- Ashland
- Augustana (SD)
- Emporia State
- East Stroudsburg
- Wayne State (NE)
- Frostburg State
