The Who's who of D2

[canadarican]

Before anyone says it yes we all realize that half of the bottom 15 are from SR1. Hopefully the new century will bring new opportunities.

Hey 6 of the top 25 are SR1. Gotta look on the brightish side

[CALUPA69]

Hey 6 of the top 25 are SR1. Gotta look on the brightish side

I'll take whatever works to bring a NC trophy to someone, ANYONE, in SR1 !!!

[ForeverGreen]

Several years ago I came up with a points system based off regular season win percentage and playoff performance. I started it in 2007, when I was a freshman at Carson-Newman. so about 12 years of data.

1	NORTHWEST MISSOURI	MIAA	158	22	0.878		351	351.878
2	VALDOSTA STATE	GSC	116	35	0.768		207	207.768
3	MINNESOTA DULUTH	NSIC	137	28	0.830		153	153.830
4	MINNESOTA STATE	NSIC	135	30	0.818		105	105.818
5	GRAND VALLEY	GLIAC	131	32	0.804		94	94.804
6	WEST FLORIDA	GSC	35	17	0.673		94	94.673
7	CSU-PUEBLO	RMAC	117	27	0.813		90	90.813
8	SHEPHERD	PSAC	123	30	0.804		80	80.804
9	North Alabama Lions	GSC	100	34	0.746		77	77.746
10	TEXAS A&M-COMMERCE	LSC	88	63	0.583		77	77.583
11	FERRIS STATE	GLIAC	111	47	0.703		74	74.703
12	PITTSBURG STATE	MIAA	106	46	0.697		69	69.697
13	DELTA STATE	GSC	93	55	0.628		62	62.628
14	CAL U.	PSAC	119	36	0.768		57	57.768
15	LENOIR-RHYNE	SAC	94	57	0.623		51	51.623
16	WINSTON-SALEM	CIAA	84	30	0.737		50	50.737
17	WEST GEORGIA	GSC	77	71	0.520		34	34.520
18	IUP	PSAC	111	41	0.730		32	32.730
19	SLIPPERY ROCK	PSAC	109	45	0.708		31	31.708
20	WAYNE STATE (MICH.)	GLIAC	81	66	0.551		31	31.551
21	CARSON-NEWMAN	SAC	103	47	0.687		30	30.687
22	WEST TEXAS A&M	LSC	104	51	0.671		29	29.671
23	WEST CHESTER	PSAC	108	47	0.697		27	27.697
24	HARDING	GAC	100	50	0.667		26	26.667
25	NOTRE DAME	MEC	69	47	0.595		22	22.595

NWMSU should move up.

[boyblue]

So here's my top 21 teams currently playing D2. The 21 is accidental because this list represents every team currently still in D2 that have appeared in the NC. Every team got 2 points for appearing in the game and an additional 4 points for winning. In the event of a tie, recency is the tie breaker. I would have cut the list off at 20 but I would have been removing only one team from a complete list of appearances, and that is the only occasion in which the SIAC appeared in the NC. I couldn't do it :-). The numbers in parenthesis = (appearances-wins).
.

1	Northwest Missouri State (10-6)	MIAA	44
2	Grand Valley State (6-4)	GLIAC	28
3	Valdosta State (5-4)	GSC	26
4	Pittsburg State (5-2)	MIAA	18
5		NSIC	12
6	Delta State (2-1)	GSC	8
7	West Florida (2-1)	GSC	8
8		SAC	6
9		RMAC	6
10		LSC	6
11		NSIC	4
12	Indiana (PA) (2-0)	PSAC	4
13	Ferris State (1-0)	GLIAC	2
14	Shepherd (1-0)	PSAC	2
15		SAC	2
16	Winston-Salem State (1-0)	CIAA	2
17	Wayne State (MI) (1-0)	GLIAC	2
18	Bloomsburg (1-0)	PSAC	2
19	New Haven (1-0)	NE-10	2
20		LSC	2
21	Central State (1-0)	SIAC	2

.
I did have to remove Mississippi College because their 1989 title was vacated.

[canadarican]

So here's my top 21 teams currently playing D2. The 21 is accidental because this list represents every team currently still in D2 that have appeared in the NC. Every team got 2 points for appearing in the game and an additional 4 points for winning. In the event of a tie, recency is the tie breaker. I would have cut the list off at 20 but I would have been removing only one team from a complete list of appearances, and that is the only occasion in which the SIAC appeared in the NC. I couldn't do it :-). The numbers in parenthesis = (appearances-wins).
.

1	Northwest Missouri State (10-6)	MIAA	44
2	Grand Valley State (6-4)	GLIAC	28
3	Valdosta State (5-4)	GSC	26
4	Pittsburg State (5-2)	MIAA	18
5		NSIC	12
6	Delta State (2-1)	GSC	8
7	West Florida (2-1)	GSC	8
8		SAC	6
9		RMAC	6
10		LSC	6
11		NSIC	4
12	Indiana (PA) (2-0)	PSAC	4
13	Ferris State (1-0)	GLIAC	2
14	Shepherd (1-0)	PSAC	2
15		SAC	2
16	Winston-Salem State (1-0)	CIAA	2
17	Wayne State (MI) (1-0)	GLIAC	2
18	Bloomsburg (1-0)	PSAC	2
19	New Haven (1-0)	NE-10	2
20		LSC	2
21	Central State (1-0)	SIAC	2

.
I did have to remove Mississippi College because their 1989 title was vacated.

I feel proud when people post stuff like this lol. Nice work amigo!

[4_tattoos]

What conference was Central State in when they played in a championship game? Because they only recently joined the SIAC.

[Inkblot]

They were independent. Four years later they switched to NAIA Division I and were a championship contender there for a decade... until the NAIA Division I football championship ended after the 1996 season and Central State elected to drop football. They re-added football when they moved back to D2.

[twolfbenchwarmer]

SR4 - NSIC:

-Mankato and Duluth are the big dogs of the conference. Duluth has two National Titles (2008, 2010) and still consistently makes the playoffs. Mankato has two runners up (2014, 2019).
-Sioux Falls was a hot commodity moving from the NAIA to D2. They've cooled off a bit in the past couple of seasons, but they're still a team to watch.

Won't speak on the other conferences in the SR4.

[cwfenn]

I'll take whatever works to bring a NC trophy to someone, ANYONE, in SR1 !!!

Personally I would like to see New Haven get in so I can feel better about them when they move up to D1.

[CALUPA69]

Personally I would like to see New Haven get in so I can feel better about them when they move up to D1.

Unfortunately these upgrades seem to happen to get a slice of the March Madness pie. Football programs, even strong ones, usually get chewed up for 0-7 yrs before they reach competitive, if they ever do. Two programs I know you're familiar with, North Alabama and LIU (C.W.POST) made that jump and, to date, the results are underwhelming. The Lions of UNA have had a particularly hard time considering their status in D2. Since switching in '18 they've gone 7-3, 4-7, 0-4, 0-6--11-20. The Sharks of LIU have had it even worse 0-10, 2-2, 0-4 with that great Western Pa football power St Francis of Loretto stomping them 10-55 last Saturday. Honestly there are many programs in all divisions that should be downgraded or eliminated. Good luck to the CHARGERS !!

[canadarican]

Unfortunately these upgrades seem to happen to get a slice of the March Madness pie. Football programs, even strong ones, usually get chewed up for 0-7 yrs before they reach competitive, if they ever do. Two programs I know you're familiar with, North Alabama and LIU (C.W.POST) made that jump and, to date, the results are underwhelming. The Lions of UNA have had a particularly hard time considering their status in D2. Since switching in '18 they've gone 7-3, 4-7, 0-4, 0-6--11-20. The Sharks of LIU have had it even worse 0-10, 2-2, 0-4 with that great Western Pa football power St Francis of Loretto stomping them 10-55 last Saturday. Honestly there are many programs in all divisions that should be downgraded or eliminated. Good luck to the CHARGERS !!

I just don't understand the lure of moving up for the most part. Other than march madness money. Another example of a school that moved up and probably shouldn't have was Presbyterian. They werent winning in the SAC most of the time, moved up and got destroyed for years. Now they play non-scholly in the Pioneer league or whatever it is.

[Mk63NuclearBomb]

I just don't understand the lure of moving up for the most part. Other than march madness money. Another example of a school that moved up and probably shouldn't have was Presbyterian. They werent winning in the SAC most of the time, moved up and got destroyed for years. Now they play non-scholly in the Pioneer league or whatever it is.

They also hired the "never punt" HS coach from Arkansas, and it's honestly been pretty fun to watch as a neutral observer

[Runnin' Cat]

Unfortunately these upgrades seem to happen to get a slice of the March Madness pie. Football programs, even strong ones, usually get chewed up for 0-7 yrs before they reach competitive, if they ever do. Two programs I know you're familiar with, North Alabama and LIU (C.W.POST) made that jump and, to date, the results are underwhelming. The Lions of UNA have had a particularly hard time considering their status in D2. Since switching in '18 they've gone 7-3, 4-7, 0-4, 0-6--11-20. The Sharks of LIU have had it even worse 0-10, 2-2, 0-4 with that great Western Pa football power St Francis of Loretto stomping them 10-55 last Saturday. Honestly there are many programs in all divisions that should be downgraded or eliminated. Good luck to the CHARGERS !!

NDSU, UND, and both SD and SDSU have had FCS success.

Agree that most schools suffer.

[Wildcat Khan]

I did come up with a "bottom" of D2 over past 12 years. These are all teams that have not made the postseason and have won less than 20% of their games. I will cut Wheeling and Franklin Pierce some slack due to only having 1 season. This also includes former DII football teams Brevard, Malone, Minnesota Crookston and Cheyney.

MILLERSVILLE	PSAC	28	115	0.196		0	0.196
BREVARD	SAC	21	87	0.194		0	0.194
MINOT STATE	NSIC	19	79	0.194		0	0.194
PACE	NE-10	25	108	0.188		0	0.188
SHORTER	GSC	14	73	0.161		0	0.161
SOUTHERN NAZARENE	GAC	14	74	0.159		0	0.159
SIMON FRASER	IND	16	85	0.158		0	0.158
LINCOLN (MO.)	MIAA	20	119	0.144		0	0.144
LOCK HAVEN	PSAC	19	122	0.135		0	0.135
LINCOLN (PA.)	CIAA	16	103	0.134		0	0.134
MALONE	GMAC	8	63	0.113		0	0.113
MINNESOTA-CROOKSTON		13	129	0.092		0	0.092
FRANKLIN PIERCE	NE-10	1	10	0.091		0	0.091
WHEELING	MEC	1	10	0.091		0	0.091
CHEYNEY	PSAC	6	115	0.050		0	0.050

Simon Frasier is GNAC, not independent. GNAC is also strong in sports other than football, meaning most of the conference doesn't have football. Alaska Anchorage though is bringing its hockey back.

[canadarican]

Simon Frasier is GNAC, not independent. GNAC is also strong in sports other than football, meaning most of the conference doesn't have football. Alaska Anchorage though is bringing its hockey back.

Typo. My bad boss.