The DII football Power 10 rankings after five weeks of play

Though the top 25 was filled with more upsets, the upper echelon of DII football remained relatively unscathed. Ferris State, West Florida, Angelo State and Grand Valley State were on byes, so it added to things remaining pretty much unchanged.

DII football 101: Week 3 Power 10 | Player of the year watchlist | DII in the NFL 

Before we get to the latest rankings, there were some notable games outside the Power 10 of note:

• Central Washington put up 91 points, 63 of which came in the first half. The Wildcats are now 3-0 in DII play and have scored 184 points (61.3 per game) in those victories.
• Are the Bearcats back? Northwest Missouri State upset Central Oklahoma, 38-16. It was a balanced attack, as the defense held the Bronchos to 294 yards and quarterback Chris Ruhnke threw for two touchdowns and rushed for one more.
• Wingate lost to Carson-Newman, potentially knocking the Bulldogs from the top 25 and opening the door for Carson-Newman to return. With consecutive wins against Lenoir-Rhyne and Wingate, the Eagles can play giant killer one more time next week against Emory & Henry.

Now, on to the Power 10. Your weekly disclaimer: These are my rankings, which means there is no voting committee. It is just me, my spreadsheets, and endless notes from coaches and other media members. I try to combine the selection metrics — like KPI, strength of schedule and common opponents, just to name a few — with the eye test for a ranking that falls somewhere between the national media polls and the regional rankings that come out in November.

The DII football Power 10: Week 1

No. 1 Ferris State | Previous: 1. The Bulldogs had a week off, so their 18-game winning streak remains intact. Ferris State remains the best of the best.

No. 2 Harding | Previous: 2. The Bisons, even in their most dominating seasons, sometimes have problems with GAC rival Ouachita Baptist. That wasn’t the case this past weekend, as Harding improved to 4-0 behind a commanding 24-7 victory. They have allowed just 26 points on the season, with resume-building wins against Southern Arkansas and Ouachita Baptist the past two weeks. Fire up the flexbone, Harding is on a roll.

No. 3 West Florida | Previous: 3. The Argos, like Ferris State, had a breather this weekend. This is where the Argos have been all season, and it is where they stay ahead of next week’s matchup against Northeastern State, which they should dominate.

No. 4 Kutztown | Previous: 4. The Golden Bears once again scored a lot of points (49) and allowed very little (10). They own both a top 5 scoring offense and scoring defense in DII football. And don’t forget about special teams. This weekend, the Golden Bears unit recorded its fourth touchdown in the past three weeks. This is one of the most balanced teams in DII.

No. 5 Angelo State | Previous: 5. The Rams also got a much-needed rest week, as they prep for next week’s matchup against UT Permian Basin. It could be the game that decides the Lone Star Conference.

No. 6 Western Colorado | Previous: 6.The Mountaineers utterly dominated 3-0 New Mexico Highlands 30-3 and is now the last undefeated team remaining in the RMAC. Western Colorado held the NMHU No. 2 rushing offense to 193 yards, which is more than 200 yards off its season average. The Mountaineers also bottled up college football’s leading rusher, Jeffery Jones for 57 yards, his first game with fewer than 223 yards rushing. It wasn’t just the rush defense as Ian Loomis added a pick-six.

No. 7 Minnesota Duluth | Previous: 7. The Bulldogs are 5-0 and have three wins in a row against teams with winning records. They aren’t simply winning; they are beating the teams that count. Perhaps more impressive is the fact that they haven’t allowed more than 17 points to any of those three teams. The Bulldogs have the NSIC’s top scoring offense (35.0 points per game) and top scoring defense (11.8 points per game) against a top 30 strength of schedule (.650) in DII football.

No. 8 Pittsburg State | Previous: 8. A ferocious rushing attack disposed of Emporia State 42-29 in one of DII football’s oldest rivalries. Zahmari Palode-Gary ran for 183 yards and two touchdowns and Cleo Chandler Jr. added 169 yards and two more touchdowns. The Gorillas have now won three in a row and I don’t foresee a losable matchup until the final game of the season against the red-hot Northwest Missouri State Bearcats.

No. 9 UT Permian Basin | Previous: 9. Kanon Gibson was firing on all cylinders, throwing for 331 yards and three touchdowns to get the Falcons to 4-0 — the best start in program history. It is picking hairs between Pittsburg State and the Falcons right now: The Gorillas have an infinitely stronger schedule; however, the Falcons defeated Central Oklahoma by 20 and the Gorillas lost to the Bronchos by three. For now, strength of schedule wins the day, but next week’s matchup against Angelo State will provide more clarity.

No. 10 Cal (PA) | Previous: 10 (tied). Well, the Vulcans and Slippery Rock had a PSAC classic this past Saturday. The back-and-forth battle was a high-scoring affair that the Vulcans walked away victorious, 45-38. The Vulcans have been impressive in 2025, now 4-0 against the sixth-toughest schedule in DII football. They have shown they can win a different ways, whether it is a 42-6 blowout or a come-from-behind victory over a Power 10 team.

The first five (ish) out (in alphabetical order)

• Augustana (SD): Yes, the Vikings are 5-0, but they have yet to play a team with a winning record in the NSIC. That is the only thing that keeps them out of the top 10.
• Carson-Newman: The Eagles have consecutive wins over nationally ranked Lenoir-Rhyne and Wingate. This team is cooking and now has a huge advantage in a stacked SAC.
• CSU Pueblo: The ThunderWolves dominated Adams State 55-7 and continue to roll up points on the season. They have quite a few big matchups left, but this team is cruising and are a blocked extra point away from being 5-0.
• Grand Valley State: The Lakers have now been idle for two weeks, but they are the Lakers.
• Minnesota State: The Mavericks improved to 4-1 and have a field goal loss to Minnesota Duluth. They have also played a top-20 SoS, so it seems once again that the Mavericks are a DII football force.
• Slippery Rock: The Rock will be just fine, but the loss to Cal (PA) has them on the outside looking in for the first time this season. Make no mistake, Slippery Rock is still very talented and tournament bound.

Player of the week

Offensive player of the week: Curtis Allen, Virginia Union. Matthew Rueve of Indiana (PA), last week’s winner, was in the hunt again, throwing for 400 yards and four touchdowns, playing the Crimson Hawks into the Super Region One projections in my next field of 32 look in. However, Allen has been a monster all season, has yet to run for fewer than 108 yards or two touchdowns in any game, and had arguably his best game of the season, reeling off 216 yards and two touchdowns to keep the Panthers rolling.

Defensive player of the week: Ean Rhea, Emory & Henry. Emory & Henry is now 4-1 and very much alive in the SAC and the Super Region Two tournament picture. Rhea helped get the Wasps there with a monster week, recording three sacks, a forced fumble and seven total tackles. Also a hat tip to Central Missouri’s Trey Patrick who had two pass break ups and two interception, one of which he returned for a touchdown.

Freshman of the week: Noah Dobert, Northern Michigan. There were a ton of freshmen that had big weeks. Concord’s Dom Collins — the leading freshman wide receiver — recorded yet another 100-yard game (his fourth in four tries), going for 117 yards and two more touchdowns. Arkansas Tech running back Bryson Roland had his second-straight 100-yard game, running for 109 yards and two touchdowns and Hillsdale’s Ben Ngishu did the same, reeling off 117 yards and two scores. But it was Dobert who led the way, running for 156 yards and two touchdowns. It was the first 100-yard game of his young career.