DII CONFERENCE · 2026 SEASON

Northern Sun

#31 overall#6 in DIIRR50 −3.3Upper strength −0.414 teamsTop 25 teams 0

The weekly grind · 2026

The Mankato Standard

The Mavericks routinely appear in the DII top 10 and draw 10,000+ fans for home games in Mankato. The NSIC spans the upper Midwest from South Dakota to Minnesota to Wisconsin, with a culture of football seriousness that exceeds its conference's national profile. It is the DII answer to the SEC's model: one program sets the standard, and everyone else chases it.

Division II14 teamsRace: Super RegionLeader: Minnesota State

Northern Sun · 2026 season

Three things to watch

The Challenger

Augustana (SD): The NSIC's Most Consistent Rival

Augustana University in Sioux Falls, South Dakota draws from the I-29 corridor between Sioux Falls and Fargo — a pipeline that produces linemen and defensive backs at a rate that exceeds its high school enrollment. They have won NSIC titles and appeared in Super Region championship games, competing with a physical style that matches the Upper Midwest's football identity. In any year Mankato struggles, Augustana is the program most likely to claim the conference title.

Conference standings · Northern Sun · 2026

Standings

#	Team	Conf	Overall	Pwr
1	Minnesota State	8-0	9-0	+3.2
2	Minnesota Duluth	7-1	7-2	+0.7
3	Augustana (SD)	6-2	7-2	-0.2
4	Wayne State (NE)	6-2	7-2	-1.4
5	Sioux Falls	6-2	6-3	-2.0
6	Northern State	5-3	6-3	-2.6
7	Minnesota St Moorhead	4-4	5-4	-2.4
8	Bemidji State	4-4	4-5	-3.0
9	Winona State	3-5	3-6	-2.7
10	Minot State	3-5	3-6	-4.5
11	Concordia St. Paul	2-6	3-6	-6.8
12	University of Mary	2-6	2-7	-6.6
13	Southwest Minnesota State	0-8	1-8	-9.4
14	Jamestown	0-8	0-9	-6.8

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

Projected standings · Northern Sun · 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	≥10	≥9	≥8	≥7	≥6	≥5	≥4	≥3	≥2	≥1
Favorites
1	Minnesota State	7-3	+6.3	6.5	1	9	27	53	76	91	98	✓	✓	✓
2	Minnesota Duluth	6-4	+3.9	6.1	1	5	18	40	65	85	95	99	✓	✓
3	Augustana (SD)	6-4	+3.0	5.6		2	10	28	53	76	91	98	✓	✓
Challengers
4	Wayne State (NE)	5-5	+1.8	5.4		2	8	24	48	72	89	97	✓	✓
5	Sioux Falls	5-5	+1.2	5.4		2	8	24	48	72	89	97	✓	✓
6	Northern State	5-5	+0.6	5.1		1	6	19	41	66	86	96	99	✓
7	Minnesota St Moorhead	5-5	+0.8	5.1		1	6	18	40	65	85	95	99	✓
The field
8	Bemidji State	5-5	+0.1	5.1		1	6	19	41	66	86	96	99	✓
9	Winona State	5-5	+0.5	5.1		1	6	19	40	65	85	96	99	✓
10	Minot State	5-5	−1.3	4.7		1	4	13	31	56	79	93	99	✓
11	University of Mary	4-6	−3.4	4.1			1	6	18	39	65	85	96	✓
Rebuilding
12	Concordia St. Paul	4-6	−3.6	4.2			1	6	19	41	67	87	97	✓
13	Jamestown	4-6	−3.7	4.2			1	6	19	40	66	86	96	✓
14	Southwest Minnesota State	3-7	−6.2	3.3				2	7	21	44	70	90	98

Conference power · Division II

Where we stand

#	Conference	Avg power	Record	Top team
1	GLIAC	-2.6	1-1	Ferris State
2	South Atlantic	-3.0	—	Carson Newman
3	Mid America	-3.1	2-1	Northwest Missouri State
4	Northern SunYou are here	-3.3	—	Minnesota State
5	Great Midwest Athletic	-3.4	—	Findlay
6	Rocky Mountain	-3.6	2-1	Western Colorado
7	Great American	-3.9	—	Harding
8	Pennsylvania State Athletic	-4.0	0-1	Slippery Rock
9	Lone Star	-4.1	—	Central Washington
10	SIAC	-4.3	—	Benedict
11	CIAA	-4.6	—	Virginia State
12	Great Lakes	-4.6	1-1	Truman State
13	Northeast 10	-4.8	—	Franklin Pierce
14	Mountain East	-5.0	—	Frostburg State
15	Carolinas	-5.4	—	UNC Pembroke

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

Conference Snapshot

RR50−3.3

Upper Strength−0.4

Median Power−2.9

Resume Pulse43.5

Avg ATS--

Wins vs Market+0.00

Top-to-Middle Gap5.8

Combined Record63-63

League Drivers

Power leader Minnesota State #260 overall | +3.2 pts vs avg Resume leader Minnesota State #260 overall | 94 / 100 resume

Northern Sun 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
#260	Minnesota State	9-0	+3.2	94	--	+0.00	4-0 over the last 4 (W5 W6 W8 W9)
#279	Minnesota Duluth	7-2	+0.7	70	--	+0.00	4-0 over the last 4 (W5 W6 W8 W9)
#292	Augustana (SD)	7-2	−0.2	74	--	+0.00	4-0 over the last 4 (W5 W6 W8 W9)
#310	Wayne State (NE)	7-2	−1.4	64	--	+0.00	3-1 over the last 4 (W5 W6 L8 W9)
#318	Sioux Falls	6-3	−2.0	53	--	+0.00	3-1 over the last 4 (L5 W6 W8 W9)
#322	Minnesota St Moorhead	5-4	−2.4	49	--	+0.00	2-2 over the last 4 (W5 W6 L8 L9)
#324	Northern State	6-3	−2.6	47	--	+0.00	2-2 over the last 4 (W5 L6 W8 L9)
#329	Winona State	3-6	−2.7	42	--	+0.00	1-3 over the last 4 (L5 L6 W8 L9)
#337	Bemidji State	4-5	−3.0	44	--	+0.00	2-2 over the last 4 (L5 L6 W8 W9)
#361	Minot State	3-6	−4.5	22	--	+0.00	2-2 over the last 4 (L5 W6 L8 W9)
#394	University of Mary	2-7	−6.6	23	--	+0.00	1-3 over the last 4 (W5 L6 L8 L9)
#397	Concordia St. Paul	3-6	−6.8	19	--	+0.00	0-4 over the last 4 (L5 L6 L8 L9)
#398	Jamestown	0-9	−6.8	1	--	+0.00	0-4 over the last 4 (L5 L6 L8 L9)
#426	Southwest Minnesota State	1-8	−9.4	6	--	+0.00	0-4 over the last 4 (L5 L6 L8 L9)