November 15th, 2026 3:00pm
By Chuck Bitner, D2Football.com
Thirty two teams will compete for the NCAA Division II national championship of 2026. The field for the tournament was announced on Sunday, Nov. 15 by the NCAA. The four super region brackets are made up of eight total partipants with four seeded teams and four unseeded teams. All regional playoff games will be hosted on-campus by the higher seeded team.
The first three rounds of the tournament will be played within the super region brackets. For the national semifinals, the four regional champions will be revaluated to deterime the semifinal host locations.
The Regional Brackets
In Super Region One, the top seed was earned by Slippery Rock. The Rock completed an undefeated regular season on Saturday with a dominant 44-14 win over East Stroudsburg in the PSAC Championship game. From a national perspective, Slippery Rock ranks second in NPI, trailing only Ferris State. Defending SR1 champion Kutztown takes the No. 2 seed, followed by PSAC East champion East Stroudsburg at No. 3 and No. 4 seed Virginia Union. The Panthers won their third CIAA championship in the past four years on Saturday with a 15-14 win over Johnson C. Smith. In the unseeded part of the bracket, Fayetteville State made the tournament after defeating Virignia State in the CIAA's first ever match up the third and fourth place teams in the final standings. It was the sixth straight win for the Broncos. California rallied from a midseason record of 2-3 to win six straight games and make their way into the field. Assumption completed an undefeated NE10 championship with a second half come from behind win at Pace in the season finale. The Greyhounds finished 8-2 overall to claim the league's automatic qualifying bid. Charleston finished in a tie for the MEC championship, but held all the tie breaking advantage to take the MEC's spot in the bracket.
Super Region One first round
Charleston (6-5) at No. 1 Slippery Rock (11-0)
California (8-3) at No. 4 Virginia Union (10-1)
Fayetteville State (8-3) at No. 2 Kutztown (10-1)
Assumption (8-2) at No. 3 East Stroudsburg (9-2)
Super Region Two is led by top seed Benedict. The Tigers prevailed in a wild SIAC championship game on Saturday. Benedict trailed Kentucky State by 24 points in the third quarter but ralllied to tie the game and eventually won it in first overtime period. Valdosta State takes the No. 2 seed after claiming what will be the final football championship for the Gulf South Conference. While the Blazers are a seeded team, they are in the tournament with an at-large bid. The Gulf South Conference did not receive an automatic qualifying bid due to the declining membership. The SIAC made it three of the four seeded slots with Kentucky State at No. 3 and Central State at No. 4. The unseeded portion of the bracket is made of up Conference Carolinas champion UNC Pembroke, SAC co-champions Newberry and Carson-Newman and Edward Waters. The Edward Waters program is making its first every appearance in the Division II playoffs. Newbery is the defending regional champion.
Super Region Two first round
Newberry (9-2) at No. 1 Bendict (10-1)
UNC Pembroke (9-2) at No. 4 Central State (6-4)
Edward Waters (7-4) No. 2 Valdosta State (8-1)
Carson-Newman (9-2) at No. 3 Kentucky State (8-3)
Super Region Three will once again go through Big Rapids, Michigan as defending national champion Ferris State is the No. 1 team. The Bulldogs also place first among all Division II teams in the NPI rankings. Northwood completed an undefeated season as the champions of the G-MAC. The Timberwolves earned the No. 2 seed in the process. Michigan Tech at No. 3 and Findlay at No. 4 finished second in their conference races and will be the other first round hosts. The unseeded teams are led by co-champions of the NSIC, Augustana and Minnesotat State. Both finished the season at 9-2 overall. Grand Valley State overcame a midseason three-game losing streak to take an at-large spot. The final spot in the SR3 field goes to Truman State who received the automatic qualifying bid for the GLVC.
Super Region Three first round
Truman State (7-4) at No. 1 Ferris State (11-0)
Augustana (9-2) at No. 4 Findlay (10-1)
Grand Valley State (8-3) at No. 2 Northwood (11-0)
Minnesota State (9-2) at No. 3 Michigan Tech (9-2)
Super Region Four will be the only bracket that has all four AQ teams hosting first round games. CSU Pueblo's season-ending victory over Western Colorado delivered the program's third straight RMAC championship. It was also enough of an NPI bump to move into the No. 1 seed. The Thunderwolves trailed Harding heading into week 11. The Bisons, undefeated champions of the Great American Conference, slot into the No. 2 seed. Undisputed MIAA Champ Northwest Missouri will be the No. 3 seed with LSC Champion Central Washington in fourth. The Wildcats opened the year 0-2 with competitive losses to FCS Cal Poly and Ferris Sate. They enter the playoffs with a nine game winning streak. 10-1 Western Colorado slipped to an unseeded bid after suffering their only loss of the season in week 11. Washburn makes the field with an 8-2-1 record. The Ichabods won only three games last year. Ouachita Baptist is back in the field after capping a 9-2 season with a victory in the 99th Battle of the Ravine and Midwestern State is in the playoffs for the first time since 2017.
Super Region Four first round
Midwestern State (9-2) at No. 1 CSU Pueblo (11-0)
Western Colorado (10-1) at No. 4 Central Washington (9-2)
Washburn (8-2-1) at No. 2 Harding (11-0)
Ouachita Baptist (9-2) at No. 3 Northwest Missouri (9-1)
