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DII CONFERENCE · 2025 SEASON

GLIAC

#27 overall#2 in DIIRR50 -0.7Upper strength +2.18 teamsTop 25 teams 0

THE LONG WAIT · 2025

The Ferris Dynasty

Ferris State went 153–21 under Tony Annese and won four Division II national titles in five years (2021–25). The Bulldog Power Line between Ferris State and Grand Valley State — known as the Anchor-Bone Game — drew 12,661 fans to a stadium listed at 6,200 capacity in 2024. The GLIAC is not a feeder conference. It is the benchmark.

Does any program in the GLIAC have the roster depth to challenge Ferris State's dynasty, or does Annese's machine keep running through 2027?

Division II8 teamsRace: Super Region

GLIAC · 2026 Season Preview

Three Things to Watch

The DynastyFerris State: 153 Wins, Four Titles in Five Years

Ferris State went 153-21 under Tony Annese. They won four Division II national championships in five years. The Anchor-Bone Game against Grand Valley State drew 12,661 fans to a 6,200-seat stadium. There is no comparable run in DII football history, and the question is not whether Ferris is the GLIAC's best program — it is whether anyone in the country can match what they have built in Big Rapids, Michigan.

The RivalGrand Valley State and the Anchor-Bone Game

Grand Valley State won eight DII national championships between 2002 and 2015 — the previous record for DII dominance before Ferris State eclipsed it. Their Allendale, Michigan program draws from west Michigan and the Grand Rapids pipeline, producing linemen and quarterbacks who have been drafted in every round. The Anchor- Bone Game is their rivalry with Ferris — two programs within 45 miles of each other, both capable of national championships, playing each November for a trophy that the GLIAC treats as seriously as any bowl game.

Wild CardMichigan Tech's Upper Peninsula Identity

Michigan Technological University in Houghton — in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, accessible only by driving through Wisconsin or taking a bridge across the Straits of Mackinac — plays football with an isolation and identity that no other GLIAC program has. Their recruiting covers upper Michigan, northern Wisconsin, and the Minnesota iron range. When their roster is healthy, they challenge for the GLIAC title and represent a geography that DII football serves better than any other level.

Conference Standings · GLIAC · 2025

Standings

# Team Conf Overall Pwr Last 5
1Ferris State7–016–0+6.9
2Grand Valley State University5–27–3+1.8
3Saginaw Valley State5–26–5+0.2
4Michigan Tech4–37–4+0.9
5Davenport4–45–5-0.1
6Northern Michigan3–53–8-1.7
7Roosevelt1–62–8-2.5
8Wayne State (MI)0–70–11-5.7

Conference record determines Super Region seeding. Power = neutral-field pts vs. all-level average.

Projected Standings · GLIAC · 2025

Win Projection

Odds of winning at least N conference games from current power ratings — full slate played out, not locked to results. AVG = expected wins; W–L = most-likely record.

# Team W–L PWR AVG ≥7≥6≥5≥4≥3≥2≥1
Favorites
1Ferris State5–2+7.04.762657839699✓
2Grand Valley State University4–3+1.83.911032628697✓
Challengers
3Michigan Tech4–3+0.93.6172554809599
4Saginaw Valley State4–3+0.23.6172453809599
The Field
5Davenport4–3-0.13.71929588396✓
6Northern Michigan3–4-1.73.031335658898
Rebuilding
7Roosevelt3–4-2.53.021234648898
8Wayne State (MI)2–5-5.72.41519467795

Conference Power · Division II

Where We Stand

# Conference Avg Power vs Focal Top Team
1SIAC
+0.4
—Albany State GA
2GLIACYou are here
-0.7
—Ferris State
3CIAA
-0.9
1–0Johnson C Smith
4Great Lakes
-0.9
1–4Indianapolis
5Gulf South
-1.2
—West Florida
6South Atlantic
-1.3
1–0Newberry
7Northeast 10
-1.6
—Assumption
8Lone Star
-1.6
—Western Oregon
9Northern Sun
-1.9
2–1Jamestown College
10Rocky Mountain
-2.0
2–0Chadron St
11Carolinas
-2.2
—North Greenville
12Great Midwest Athletic
-2.3
5–4Northwood (MI)
13Mountain East
-2.6
—Frostburg State
14Mid America
-3.3
1–1Pittsburg St
15Pennsylvania State Athletic
-3.7
2–0Kutztown University
16Great American
-4.2
1–0Harding University

Round-robin power = strength of schedule-adjusted conference average, points vs. all-level average team. Record = GLIAC's record vs. that conference across all games this season.

GLIAC is outperforming its raw power profile. The league body of work is stronger than the market would expect.

Conference Snapshot

RR50-0.7
Upper Strength+2.1
Median Power-0.7
Resume Pulse47.7
Avg ATS--
Wins vs Market+0.00
Top-to-Middle Gap6.9
Combined Record46-44

`RR50`, `Upper Strength`, and `Median Power` are shown on the same public power scale as the rest of the site: points on a neutral field versus the average all-level NCAA team. Very small affiliations are gently regressed toward their subdivision baseline so a one-team outlier does not hijack the entire conference board.

GLIAC Team Board

The league stack, sorted by predictive strength. Power is shown as neutral-field points versus the all-level average team, while resume is shown on a 0-100 season score.

Rank Team Record Power Resume ATS Wins vs Market Recent Form
#229 Ferris State 16-0 +6.9 97 -- +0.00 4-0 over the last 4 (W13 W14 W15 W17)
#278 Grand Valley State University 7-3 +1.8 80 -- +0.00 3-1 over the last 4 (L9 W10 W11 W12)
#286 Michigan Tech 7-4 +0.9 72 -- +0.00 2-2 over the last 4 (W9 W10 L11 L12)
#307 Saginaw Valley State 6-5 +0.2 53 -- +0.00 2-2 over the last 4 (W9 L10 L11 W12)
#313 Davenport 5-5 -0.1 52 -- +0.00 2-2 over the last 4 (W9 W10 L11 L12)
#343 Northern Michigan 3-8 -1.7 21 -- +0.00 2-2 over the last 4 (L9 L10 W11 W12)
#358 Roosevelt 2-8 -2.5 4 -- +0.00 1-3 over the last 4 (L9 L10 W11 L12)
#436 Wayne State (MI) 0-11 -5.7 2 -- +0.00 0-4 over the last 4 (L9 L10 L11 L12)