DII CONFERENCE · 2026 SEASON

GLIAC

#28 overall#3 in DIIRR50 -2.9Upper strength -0.78 teamsTop 25 teams 0

VERDICT BEGINS · 2026

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.

Division II8 teamsRace: Super RegionLeader: Ferris State

GLIAC · 2026 Season

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 Rival

Grand 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 · 2026

Standings

# Team Conf Overall Pwr Last 5
1Ferris State0–03–0+3.4
2Grand Valley State0–03–0-1.4
3Davenport0–03–0-2.1
4Roosevelt0–03–0-2.3
5Michigan Tech0–02–1-2.2
6Saginaw Valley State0–02–1-3.6
7Northern Michigan0–00–3-5.7
8Wayne State (MI)0–00–2-6.5

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

Projected Standings · GLIAC · 2026

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+5.94.652556829599✓
2Grand Valley State4–3+1.23.71726558195✓
Challengers
3Michigan Tech4–3+0.43.6172554819599
4Davenport4–3+0.53.5162351789499
The Field
5Roosevelt4–3+0.23.6172553809599
6Saginaw Valley State3–4-1.13.341742729199
Rebuilding
7Wayne State (MI)3–4-3.92.821030598598
8Northern Michigan3–4-3.22.821030598597

Conference Power · Division II

Where We Stand

# Conference Avg Power vs Focal Top Team
1South Atlantic
-2.8
—Newberry
2GLIACYou are here
-2.9
—Ferris State
3Mid America
-3.0
1–1Central Oklahoma
4Northern Sun
-3.2
1–1Minnesota State
5Rocky Mountain
-3.2
—Western Colorado
6SIAC
-3.3
—Kentucky State
7Great Midwest Athletic
-3.5
1–4Ashland
8Lone Star
-3.5
4–0Central Washington
9Great Lakes
-3.5
5–0Indianapolis
10Great American
-3.7
—Harding
11CIAA
-3.9
—Virginia State
12Northeast 10
-4.0
1–0Franklin Pierce
13Pennsylvania State Athletic
-4.0
1–0Kutztown
14Carolinas
-4.2
—UNC Pembroke
15Mountain East
-4.3
1–0Charleston (WV)

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.

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.

Conference Snapshot

RR50-2.9
Upper Strength-0.7
Median Power-2.6
Resume Pulse55.1
Avg ATS--
Wins vs Market+0.00
Top-to-Middle Gap5.6
Combined Record16-7

`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
#267 Ferris State 3-0 +3.4 82 -- +0.00 3-0 over the last 3 (W1 W1 W2)
#286 Grand Valley State 3-0 -1.4 87 -- +0.00 3-0 over the last 3 (W1 W1 W2)
#300 Davenport 3-0 -2.1 70 -- +0.00 3-0 over the last 3 (W1 W1 W2)
#303 Michigan Tech 2-1 -2.2 42 -- +0.00 2-1 over the last 3 (W1 W1 L2)
#308 Roosevelt 3-0 -2.3 86 -- +0.00 3-0 over the last 3 (W1 W1 W2)
#354 Saginaw Valley State 2-1 -3.6 57 -- +0.00 2-1 over the last 3 (W1 W1 L2)
#407 Northern Michigan 0-3 -5.7 13 -- +0.00 0-3 over the last 3 (L1 L1 L2)
#419 Wayne State (MI) 0-2 -6.5 3 -- +0.00 0-2 over the last 2 (L1 L2)