The NCAA’s first Division II football regional rankings of the season were released Monday, meaning that we officially have a guideline of which teams are in the hunt to make the D-II playoff field next month.

Of the 10 teams that were listed to be in the running for each Super Region bracket, only seven can go to the playoffs when all the dust settles. And with the NCAA not dropping 1-10 rankings for each Super Region until later on in the season, that’s where FloFootball is here to help make sense of it all.

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FloFootball’s D-II playoff projections debuted last week and all four Super Regions saw at least one new team added to the top seven, indicating that things are changing rapidly across the D-II landscape no matter where you look.

As for this week’s status of the D-II playoffs, look no further to find a breakdown of where each Super Region stands.

Here’s a look ahead at the predictions for the D-II playoffs if the season ended today:

Super Region 1

Kutztown (PSAC)

Barring total disaster, the Bears should be in business to make it back to the playoffs for the second straight season, having no trouble with visiting Shepherd on Saturday as KU held the Rams to no points and just 18 yards rushing in a 24-0 win to improve to 8-0. The Bears intercepted Shepherd four times and picked up five sacks, further putting their foot down as the top defense in Super Region 1 and one of the best in the country.

Slippery Rock (PSAC)

The Rock was off on a bye this past weekend and will get back to play Thursday with a clash on Halloween at Clarion, and they’ll need a bounceback performance against the 3-5 Golden Eagles to get right after suffering a loss to California (Pennsylvania) back on Oct. 19. Fortunately for Slippery Rock in facing its next opponent, however, it has only lost to Clarion once since 2009 and has one of the nation’s top quarterbacks in Brayden Long on its side.

California (Pennsylvania) (PSAC)

A big overtime win last Saturday in the Coal Bowl against Indiana (Pennsylvania) did two things for the Vulcans — give them both a rivalry win and hand a playoff bubble team a crushing third loss. The winner of seven straight after a season-opening defeat to Charleston (West Virginia) — which has an arguable shout as the No. 1 seed in Super Region 1 at the moment —  Cal is absolutely rolling and has a bye this weekend before returning Nov. 9 against Edinboro.

East Stroudsburg (PSAC)

Lock Haven gave the Warriors a scare, going on a 14-0 run to start the game and being up 11 with just seconds remaining in the third quarter, but ESU weathered the storm and improved to 7-1 and made it three straight games with at least 250 rushing yards thanks to the two-headed monster in the backfield of Tahir Mills (117 yards, two touchdowns) and Tyriq Lewis (105 yards). Allowing 399 yards of offense is playing with fire, but ESU’s record also speaks for itself.

Charleston (West Virginia) (Mountain East)

Another week, another dominant Golden Eagles win in MEC play with Chavon Wright tearing it up. UC blasted past Fairmont State by a 50-30 margin last Friday, with another monster day in the backfield by Wright (37 carries, 240 yards, four touchdowns) leading it forward as the All-American tailback is already up to over 1,500 yards rushing and 28 touchdowns on the ground for the season, both categories of which he leads nationally by massive margins.

Ashland (Great Midwest)

 Ashland at 6-2 is still the favorite to be the most likely playoff team out of the G-MAC thanks to its win earlier in the year over Findlay, but the Eagles’ margin of error shrunk this past weekend as they escaped what would’ve been a major upset to Northwood, winning a low-scoring game 9-7 after a go-ahead field goal with under seven minutes to play. Further underwhelming performances may see Findlay surpass Ashland if the Oilers (7-1) keep winning.

Assumption (NE10)

The only change in Super Region 1 from last week is a big one over in the Northeast 10, as the Greyhounds got past New Haven 19-14 last Saturday to take first place in the league standings. Assumption scored all of its points on special teams (four field goals plus a kickoff return touchdown) in a potentially season-saving victory that was a huge win for the Greyhounds to get after an overtime loss at Saint Anselm the week before.

First team out: Findlay (Great Midwest)

Super Region 2

Valdosta State (Gulf South)

The new No. 1-ranked team in this week’s AFCA Coaches Poll, the Blazers are the nation’s top team for the first time in five years and didn’t even have to do anything last week to get there, having been on bye. A couple of tricky GSC matchups against playoff bubble teams West Florida and Delta State remain on the schedule, but if VSU is truly back to title-contending status, it will be heavily favored to run the table in the conference and get a bye for the playoffs.

West Alabama (Gulf South)

UWA’s loss at Delta State on Oct. 19 looks a little bit worse now after the Statesmen lost in a four-overtime barnburner this past weekend to North Greenville, but all the Tigers can do now is win against the opponents in front of them and hope for the best. They did just that in a 38-0 cruising over Chowan last Saturday, rumbling for 249 yards rushing and holding the Hawks to just 187 yards of total offense in the rout. 

Emory & Henry (South Atlantic) 

From being picked to finish 10th in the SAC in the preseason to being in the thick of the conference title fight with just a few weeks left, it’s been a remarkable season for the Wasps under interim coach Quintin Hunter, who only became the head coach in late July after former coach Curt Newsome stepped down due to health concerns. They make the playoff field for this week after a huge win over previously unbeaten Carson-Newman — their first over the Eagles since 1968.

Lenoir-Rhyne (South Atlantic)

Amid all of the surprises in the SAC this season, Lenoir-Rhyne has stayed consistent and won games to set itself up for what could be an eighth trip to the D-II playoffs. The Bears’ defeat to Emory & Henry on Oct. 5 at the time seemed like a shock but is aging better by the week, and a gritty 21-19 win in Hickory this past weekend against Limestone also helped to keep Lenoir-Rhyne’s playoff hopes stable for now.

Wingate (South Atlantic)

The Bulldogs sneak into this week’s playoff field thanks to the fact that they took care of business against Catawba last weekend (24-15) to improve to 6-1 while other bubble teams in Super Region 2 — namely Delta State and Carson-Newman — faltered. Wingate also replaces West Florida in the field for now despite an Argos win last week, though that could change if the Bulldogs get bossed by Lenoir-Rhyne in a crucial SAC showdown this Saturday.

Johnson C. Smith (CIAA)

One of the best stories in D-II this season, the Golden Bulls improved to 8-0 with a 24-15 victory against Winston-Salem State last Saturday as the win officially also made it the best start in program history. The Charlotte-based HBCU additionally won in Winston-Salem for the first time since 1975, being unfazed by an environment of 8,460 fans at Bowman Gray Stadium as J.C. Smith’s Brevin Caldwell, one of the nation’s top wideouts, erupted for 11 catches for 127 yards.

Miles (SIAC)

The Golden Bears’ unbeaten start to SIAC play continued with a 26-14 victory over Benedict this past weekend to get to 6-0 against conference foes, making it Miles’ best start to SIAC play since 2012. Quarterback Kamren Ivory led the Golden Bears in both passing (243 yards, two touchdowns) and rushing (62 yards) while the Miles defense sacked Benedict throwers five times and recorded a total of 11.5 tackles for loss. 

First team out: Carson-Newman (South Atlantic) 

Super Region 3

Ouachita Baptist (Great American)

There was no hangover last weekend from the Tigers’ monster victory against then No. 1-ranked Harding on Oct. 19 as OBU cruised past Arkansas Tech on the road in a 38-7 romp, with All-American running back Kendel Givens having a three-touchdown day on the ground. The Tigers’ pass rush sacked Tech quarterback Ethan Forrester six times, preventing the Wonder Boys from getting into a flow after OBU scored on its first three offensive possessions.

Harding (Great American)

Though OBU showed that the defending national champion Bisons are indeed mortal, they are definitely not pretenders as they continue to hunt for back-to-back titles. Then-No. 22 Southern Arkansas came to Searcy with the hopes of pulling off a second shock win in as many weeks on the Bisons, and all Harding did was use the Muleriders as a punching bag in a 49-17 drubbing. With 340 yards rushing with five touchdowns, it was a vintage Harding performance.

Ferris State (GLIAC)

The Bulldogs ensured that their hated rival’s time as the No. 1-ranked team in D-II only lasted one week, beating Grand Valley State in a statement 34-7 victory as FSU won this year’s edition of one of D-II’s best rivalries, the Anchor-Bone Classic. Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss had a hat trick of rushing touchdowns as the 2021 and 2022 national champions looked as dangerous as ever, with the Bulldogs having a serious claim to be the nation’s No. 1 team because of it.

Grand Valley State (GLIAC)

The Lakers’ big loss to Ferris State is undoubtedly a bit deflating, but by no means disastrous. GVSU still has the resume of a team squarely in the playoffs thanks to a pair of strong nonconference triumphs earlier in the year against Colorado State Pueblo and West Florida, and there have been many times before where the Anchor-Bone loser has gone on to rebound and make a deep playoff run. The Lakers will be fine.

Pittsburg State (MIAA)

The Gorillas got their second top-10 win of the season as they snapped then-No. 9 Central Oklahoma’s red-hot, unbeaten start to the year with a big-time 35-21 victory in front of over 9,000 fans at UCO. Pitt State answered Broncho quarterback Jett Huff’s 386-yard day through the air by running for 322 yards and five touchdowns on the ground, with Cleo Chandler Jr. accounting for a team-high 130 rushing yards with two scores in another strong Gorillas W.

Emporia State (MIAA)

Central Oklahoma still has an argument to be in the field, making the Bronchos a tough out in this week’s projections update, but it’s hard to deny the Hornets a spot right now as they hold wins over both Pitt State and Angelo State, the latter of which is the current favorite to win the Lone Star Conference title. Quarterback Gunnar Gundy is a blast to watch, accounting for 564 passing yards and six total touchdowns in ESU’s win over Nebraska-Kearney last Saturday.

Indianapolis (GLVC)

The Greyhounds are now ahead of every other team in the Great Lakes Valley Conference standings by at least two games after they rolled past Upper Iowa by a 40-13 scoreline last Saturday in a clash of the top two teams in the league. Gavin Sukup tossed five touchdowns despite only completing 19 passes against the Peacocks, while the UIndy defense held Upper Iowa to 48 rushing yards and just 10 first downs to the Greyhounds’ 23.

First team out: Central Oklahoma (MIAA)

Super Region 4

Western Colorado (RMAC)

The Mountaineers prevailed in a sold-out, top-10 showdown against Colorado School of Mines on the road in Golden this past weekend, giving still-unbeaten WCU a marquee 38-28 win that established it as the team to beat in the RMAC and a major player to be the top-seeded team in the Super Region 4 bracket. Western Colorado’s end-of-season gauntlet continues this weekend against CSU Pueblo, but it’ll be full of confidence at 8-0 and in front of home fans.

Colorado State Pueblo (RMAC)

Still solidly into the playoff field, the ThunderWolves’ postseason standing was largely unchanged this past weekend as they were off on a bye. That standing can change massively over the next two weeks, however, as CSU Pueblo gets Western Colorado and Colorado School of Mines back-to-back in a two-fer that could either give the ThunderWolves a ticket to the RMAC title, a lower-seeded bid or possibly knock them out of playoff contention entirely.

Colorado Mesa (RMAC)

The Mavericks have earned their way in for now, and in a razor-close decision to include them in this week’s projection over rival Colorado School of Mines (who they share an identical 6-2 record with), Mesa gets the nod over the Orediggers because of its win over Mines on Oct. 5 and the fact that the Mavs’ two defeats have come against tough opponents in CSU Pueblo and Central Washington — both of which are trending in toward the playoff field. 

Angelo State (Lone Star)

No one in the Lone Star Conference has proven capable yet of stopping the Rams, who have bounced back from an 0-2 start to win six LSC games in a row, the latest of which was a 57-10 drubbing of first-year D-II program Sul Ross State over the weekend. Central Washington and Western Oregon were the LSC’s other two teams included in the NCAA’s first regional rankings of the season Monday, though — and they also happen to be ASU’s next two opponents.

Central Washington (Lone Star)

An upset loss at home against Texas Permian Basin on Oct. 12 threatened to derail the Wildcats’ season, but strong back-to-back victories over Texas A&M-Kingsville and Midwestern State have meant that CWU has recovered nicely. That being said, what could be a de-facto LSC title game against Angelo State this weekend feels a bit like a must-win game for the Wildcats as they’d drop to being a three-loss team with a defeat to the Rams, albeit with one of those being to a FCS opponent. 

Augustana (South Dakota) (NSIC)

The NSIC has an argument of being D-II’s most chaotic conference right now, considering that the league’s two projected teams to make the field from last week to this week are completely different. Augustana, which was listed as the first team out of the field in last week’s projections, beefed up its resume with a massive 34-16 win on the road at then-No. 13 Minnesota State, with the Vikings’ only losses on the year being by two to Minnesota State Moorhead and on the road at FCS juggernaut South Dakota State.

Sioux Falls (NSIC)

Augustana’s crosstown rival is also in the field in this week’s update, with the Cougars upending a team that was projected in last week in Wayne State (Nebraska) by a 23-13 scoreline. That victory is helping USF rid itself of a bad loss earlier in the year to Minot State and another dropped NSIC game to Bemidji State heading into its bye this week. What game awaits after this weekend is a big one: the Key to the City game against Augustana.

First team out: Colorado School of Mines (NSIC)

AFCA NCAA Division II Football Rankings In Week 10

1. Valdosta St. (Ga.) (18) 7-0 - Prev. 2
2. Ferris St. (Mich.) (8) 7-1 - Prev. 3
3. Ouachita Baptist (Ark.) (2) 8-0 - Prev. 5
4. Kutztown (Pa.) 8-0 - Prev. 4
5. Pittsburg St. (Kan.) (1) 7-1 - Prev. 6
6. Harding (Ark.) 7-1 - Prev. 7
7. Grand Valley St. (Mich.) 7-1 - Prev. 1
8. Western Colorado 8-0 - Prev. 8
9. Charleston (W.Va.) 8-0 - Prev. 11
10. Colorado St.-Pueblo 7-1 - Prev. 12
11. Emporia St. (Kan.) 7-1 - Prev. 14
12. Lenoir-Rhyne (N.C.) 7-1 - Prev. 16
13. Central Oklahoma 7-1 - Prev. 9
14. Slippery Rock (Pa.) 6-1 - Prev. 15
15. West Alabama 6-1 - Prev. 18
16. Johnson C. Smith (N.C.) 8-0 - Prev. 19
17. Central Washington 6-2 - Prev. 20
18. Colorado School of Mines 6-2 - Prev. 10
19. Indianapolis (Ind.) 7-1 - Prev. 21
20. Augustana (S.D.) 6-2 - Prev. 25
21. West Florida 5-2 - Prev. 23
22. Minnesota St. 6-2 - Prev. 13
23. California (Pa.) 7-1 - Prev. NR
24. Carson-Newman (Tenn.) 7-1 - Prev. 17
25. Findlay (Ohio) 7-1 - Prev. NR

Dropped Out: Southern Arkansas (22), Delta St. (Miss.) (24)

Others Receiving Votes: Angelo St. (Tex.), 46; Emory & Henry (Va.), 45; Wingate (N.C.), 35; Virginia Union, 31; Sioux Falls (S.D.), 28; Southern Arkansas, 20; Ashland (Ohio), 7; Davenport (Mich.), 7; Assumption (Mass.), 3; Colorado Mesa, 3; Fort Hays St. (Kan.), 3; Delta St. (Miss.), 2; Miles (Ala.), 1; New Haven (Conn.), 1; Saginaw Valley St. (Mich.), 1.

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