The Who's who of D2

[Eagle74]

Top 10 Programs per region since 1973. Solely based off playoff success and win percentage.

Super Region 1					Super Region 2					Super Region 3					Super Region 4
1	Indiana Crimson Hawks	PSAC	261		1	Valdosta State Blazers	GSC	594		1	Northwest Missouri Bearcats	MIAA	1025		1	Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs	NSIC	274
2	Shepherd Rams	PSAC	172		2	Carson-Newman Eagles	SAC	256		2	Grand Valley Lakers	GLIAC	692		2	Texas A&M-Kingsville Javelinas	LSC	210
3	Bloomsburg Huskies	PSAC	118		3	Delta State Statesmen	GSC	238		3	Pittsburg State Gorillas	MIAA	461		3	Minnesota State Mavericks	NSIC	186
4	New Haven Chargers	NE-10	110		4	West Florida Argonauts	GSC	178		4	Ferris State Bulldogs	GLIAC	193		4	CSU-Pueblo ThunderWolves	RMAC	147
5	California Vulcans	PSAC	86		5	Mississippi College Choctaws	GSC	165		5	Northern Michigan Wildcats	GLIAC	161		5	West Texas A&M Buffaloes	LSC	51
6	Slippery Rock The Rock	PSAC	80		6	Winston-Salem Rams	CIAA	102		6	Wayne State Warriors	GLIAC	57		6	Angelo State Rams	LSC	49
7	West Chester Golden Rams	PSAC	76		7	Lenoir-Rhyne Bears	SAC	82		7	Harding Bisons	GAC	45		7	Colorado Mines Orediggers	RMAC	38
8	Notre Dame Falcons	MEC	38		8	Central State Marauders	SIAC	65		8	Saginaw Valley Cardinals	GLIAC	32		8	Chadron State Eagles	RMAC	25
9	East Stroudsburg Warriors	PSAC	36		9	West Georgia Wolves	GSC	62		9	Central Oklahoma Bronchos	MIAA	25		9	Central Washington Wildcats	LSC	23
10	Shippensburg Raiders	PSAC	31		10	Catawba Indians	SAC	46		10	Northeastern State RiverHawks	MIAA	24		10	Midwestern State Mustangs	LSC	14

It would be interesting to see the top 10 teams from more recent years, such as the past 5 years or past 10 years instead of starting 50 years ago.

[Purple Mav Man]

*cupcake...but Vandy doesn't care if it's good at football.

**Cupcakes.
Missouri is trash and lost to Army in their bowl game.
FloridaMississippi State is terrible. Got blown out by Houston in their bowl game.
Tennessee is ok at best. Lost to Purdue in bowl game.
AuburnLSU

[Tech Boys]

Because those 8 league games are usually 5 or 6 games tougher than the other major conferences play all year...outside of the Big Ten.

Those games are perceived "tougher" because of the inflated records with HOME OOC games against the likes of New Mexico State. Missouri cancelled a game at Middle Tennessee State for a home game with Louisiana Tech. Arkansas has shown the mighty sec is beatable outside their comfort zone when they came to the MTZ and lost to Colorado State (that was a great day). It's all espn over-hype.

[ctrabs74]

Do you want Arkansas tech or Louisiana Monroe to pull off the upset? The SEC schedule is 8 conference games, 3 cupcakes, and the occasional showcase game the first week of the season. They get the best players and have the best teams but also have inflated records relative to the other major conferences.

Yet, somehow, the SEC represents five of the eight national champions (including the last three - Georgia, Alabama and LSU) under the CFP scheme (2014-present) and nine of the 16 national champions under the BCS scheme (1998-2013), which includes seven straight between 2006 and 2012 (capped off by Alabama's three titles in four years - 2009, 2010 and 2012).

Bowl Championship Series

1998: Tennessee
1999: Florida State
2000: Oklahoma
2001: Miami
2002: Ohio State
2003: LSU
2004: USC
2005: Texas
2006: Florida
2007: LSU
2008: Florida
2009-2010: Alabama
2011: Auburn
2012: Alabama
2013: Florida State

College Football Playoff

2014: Ohio State
2015: Alabama
2016: Clemson
2017: Alabama
2018: Clemson
2019: LSU
2020: Alabama
2021: Georgia

If you're scoring at home, that's 14 of the last 24 national champions represented by the SEC. By contrast, the SEC captured four outright national titles (sharing a fifth) in the previous 24 years (1974-1997):

1978: Alabama (shared with USC)
1979: Alabama
1980: Georgia
1992: Alabama
1996: Florida

[ctrabs74]

**Cupcakes.
Missouri is trash and lost to Army in their bowl game.
FloridaMississippi State is terrible. Got blown out by Houston in their bowl game.
Tennessee is ok at best. Lost to Purdue in bowl game.
AuburnLSU

Missouri actually led Army for most of the game before the Knights rallied late for the win on a walk-off field goal. Florida might be closer to a cupcake than the others, especially since they're in the "softer" SEC East, which isn't sitting too well in Gainesville. Mississippi State appears to be all bark, with little bite, despite the rantings of Mike Leach. Tennessee is improving; not quite at the UGA/Kentucky level yet, but they're heading in the right direction. Auburn appears to be on their way to firing their head coach, so it's going to be as big a dumpster fire, if not worse, than Florida. LSU? The Les said the better.

On the opposite side, I don't see Kentucky as a sustainable or credible long-term threat; same with South Carolina (though "the other USC" is improving). Between Ole Miss and TAMU-College Station, one of those two probably stands the best chance of knocking Alabama off the top of the SEC West.

Meanwhile, with the way things are playing out in Austin and Norman, you could theoretically add Texas and Oklahoma as SEC "cupcakes" (more so Texas and No-U).

[twolfbenchwarmer]

Yet, somehow, the SEC represents five of the eight national champions (including the last three - Georgia, Alabama and LSU) under the CFP scheme (2014-present) and nine of the 16 national champions under the BCS scheme (1998-2013), which includes seven straight between 2006 and 2012 (capped off by Alabama's three titles in four years - 2009, 2010 and 2012).

Bowl Championship Series

1998: Tennessee
1999: Florida State
2000: Oklahoma
2001: Miami
2002: Ohio State
2003: LSU
2004: USC
2005: Texas
2006: Florida
2007: LSU
2008: Florida
2009-2010: Alabama
2011: Auburn
2012: Alabama
2013: Florida State

College Football Playoff

2014: Ohio State
2015: Alabama
2016: Clemson
2017: Alabama
2018: Clemson
2019: LSU
2020: Alabama
2021: Georgia

If you're scoring at home, that's 14 of the last 24 national champions represented by the SEC. By contrast, the SEC captured four outright national titles (sharing a fifth) in the previous 24 years (1974-1997):

1978: Alabama (shared with USC)
1979: Alabama
1980: Georgia
1992: Alabama
1996: Florida

[canadarican]

It would be interesting to see the top 10 teams from more recent years, such as the past 5 years or past 10 years instead of starting 50 years ago.

I can do this one day this week. I've done past 10 before. I'll do it from 2015, when the playoffs expanded to 28

[ctrabs74]

I have my doubts... the SEC schools (notably TAMU) have already gamed that system. Throw in the transfer portal and how out of control it's become and we may be stuck in an SEC cycle for years to come.

[Inkblot]

I can do this one day this week. I've done past 10 before. I'll do it from 2015, when the playoffs expanded to 28

Other logical starting points could be the expansion to 24 (2004) and the Dayton Rule (1993).

[canadarican]

Other logical starting points could be the expansion to 24 (2004) and the Dayton Rule (1993).

I've basically done 2004 to now in my 2007 to now rankings (when I started at Carson-Newman). I think he was saying 5 years just as a "what have you done recently" train of thought.

[canadarican]

It would be interesting to see the top 10 teams from more recent years, such as the past 5 years or past 10 years instead of starting 50 years ago.

As you requested, this is the past 5 years (6 actually) and includes schools no longer in D2.

1	Shepherd	PSAC	111		1	West Florida	GSC	178		1	NW Missouri	MIAA	261		1	Texas A&M-Commerce	LSC	140
2	Slippery Rock	PSAC	46		2	Valdosta State	GSC	177		2	Ferris State	GLIAC	238		2	Minnesota State	NSIC	89
3	Notre Dame	MEC	38		3	North Alabama	GSC	58		3	Harding	GAC	43		3	Colorado Mines	RMAC	32
4	IUP	PSAC	32		4	West Georgia	GSC	32		4	Grand Valley	GLIAC	39		4	CSU-Pueblo	RMAC	20
5	Assumption	NE-10	16		5	Lenoir-Rhyne	SAC	23		5	Emporia State	MIAA	15		5	Tarleton State	LSC	12
6	Kutztown	PSAC	13		6	Bowie State	CIAA	18		6	Ouachita Baptist	GAC	10		6	Angelo state	LSC	11
7	Cal U	PSAC	9		7	Tuskegee	SIAC	15		7	Indianapolis	GLVC	7		7	Sioux Falls	NSIC	7
8	New Haven	NE-10	8		8	North Greenville	GSC	11		8	Central Missouri	MIAA	5		8	Midwestern State	LSC	6
9	West Chester	PSAC	6		9	West Alabama	GSC	9		9	Lindenwood	GLVC	5		T9	Bemidji State	NSIC	4
T10	Ashland	GMAC	5		T10	Wingate	SAC	6		T10	Henderson State	GAC	4		T9	Humboldt State	GNAC	4
T10	Findlay	GMAC	5		T10	Newberry	SAC	6		T10	Nebraska Keanrey	MIAA	4		T11	Minnesota Duluth	NSIC	3
T10	LIU Post	NE-10	5		12	Carson-Newman	SAC	5		12	Fort Hays	MIAA	2		T11	Augustana	NSIC	3

[canadarican]

My apologies to all the Nebraska-Kearney fans and supports. I realized as I hit enter that I incorrectly spelled "Kearney".

[canadarican]

Off topic, but I made a D2 Basketball version of my rankings. Of course it took forever with more than double the number of teams in the tournament. This only is from 2003-2021, when the tournament expanded to 64 teams for Division II.

This is the top 10 in each region going into this season, and does NOT include schools who are no longer in Division II, such as former powerhouse Bellarmine, or other schools with scores above 100: Kennesaw State, Tarleton State, BYU-Hawaii, Bryant.

Atlantic Regional					Central Regional					East Regional					Midwest Regional
1	Virginia Union	CIAA	384		1	Northwest Missouri St.	MIAA	823		1	Bentley	NE-10	175		1	Findlay	G-MAC	330
2	West Liberty	MEC	380		2	Winona St.	NSIC	651		2	Stonehill	NE-10	151		2	Drury	GLVC	295
3	IUP	PSAC	285		3	Central Missouri	MIAA	382		3	Saint Anselm	NE-10	90		3	Ferris St.	GLIAC	287
4	Fairmont St.	MEC	133		4	Augustana	NSIC	286		4	Bloomfield	CACC	63		4	Southern Indiana	GLVC	234
5	Bowie St.	CIAA	78		5	Northeastern St.	MIAA	248		5	St. Thomas Aquinas	ECC	51		5	Kentucky Wesleyan	G-MAC	138
6	Gannon	PSAC	42		6	Northern St.	NSIC	156		6	Southern Connecticut St.	NE-10	42		6	Grand Valley St.	GLIAC	59
7	East Stroudsburg	PSAC	41		7	Minnesota St.-Mankato	NSIC	117		7	Southern New Hampshire	NE-10	41		7	Michigan Tech	GLIAC	30
8	Mercyhurst	PSAC	36		8	St. Cloud St.	NSIC	73		8	Franklin Pierce	NE-10	34		8	Indianapolis	GLVC	29
	Millersville	PSAC	34			Nebraska-Kearney	MIAA	47			Le Moyne	NE-10	30			Truman St.	GLVC	27
	Alderson Broaddus	MEC	34			Central Oklahoma	MIAA	45			Saint Rose	NE-10	29			Saginaw Valley St.	GLIAC	26

South Regional					South Central Regional					Southeast Regional					West Regional
1	Florida Southern	SSC	303		1	Metro St.	RMAC	309		1	Barton	CC	291		1	Cal Poly Pomona	CCAA	437
2	Montevallo	GSC	233		2	West Texas A&M	LSC	218		2	Lincoln Memorial	SAC	260		2	Western Washington	GNAC	326
3	Alabama-Huntsville	GSC	99		3	Midwestern St.	LSC	106		3	Augusta	PBC	239		3	Point Loma Nazarene	PWC	123
4	Lynn	SSC	79		4	Colorado Mines	RMAC	74		4	Queens	SAC	163		4	Seattle Pacific	GNAC	105
5	Rollins	SSC	78		5	Fort Lewis	RMAC	29		5	USC Aiken	PBC	104		5	Cal State San Bernardino	CCAA	88
6	Barry	SSC	67		6	Angelo St.	LSC	25		6	Mount Olive	CC	60		6	Cal Poly Humboldt	CCAA	79
7	Eckerd	SSC	64		7	Texas A&M-Commerce	LSC	21		7	Flagler	PBC	54		7	Western Oregon	GNAC	70
8	Christian Brothers	GSC	40		8	St. Mary's	LSC	18		8	Wingate	SAC	44		8	Alaska-Anchorage	GNAC	68
	Valdosta St.	GSC	34			Lubbock Christian	LSC	16			Anderson	SAC	42			Chico State	CCAA	62
	Tuskegee	SIAC	27			St. Edwards	LSC	15			Clayton St.	PBC	19			Azusa Pacific	PWC	35

[canadarican]

And obviously (because someone is bound to ask) here is a national Top 25 of that same span

1	Northwest Missouri St.	MIAA	823
2	Winona St.	NSIC	651
3	Cal Poly Pomona	CCAA	437
4	Virginia Union	CIAA	384
5	Central Missouri	MIAA	382
6	West Liberty	MEC	380
7	Findlay	G-MAC	330
8	Western Washington	GNAC	326
9	Metro St.	RMAC	309
10	Florida Southern	SSC	303
11	Drury	GLVC	295
12	Barton	CC	291
13	Ferris St.	GLIAC	287
14	Augustana	NSIC	286
15	IUP	PSAC	285
16	Lincoln Memorial	SAC	260
17	Northeastern St.	MIAA	248
18	Augusta	PBC	239
19	Southern Indiana	GLVC	234
20	Montevallo	GSC	233
21	West Texas A&M	LSC	218
22	Bentley	NE-10	175
23	Queens	SAC	163
24	Northern St.	NSIC	156
25	Stonehill	NE-10	151