Blue Bloods

[Brandon]

Start of the NCAA tournament means that the term 'blue bloods' will be thrown around a lot.


Who are your four blue buds of Division 2 football and what criteria did you use to make those choices?

[Buffalo/Islander Alum]

Currently two of them would have to be Harding and Ferris State due to their recent matchups and national championship runs.

For the "long haul" I would choose Northwest Missouri and Grand Valley as the other two.

[4nick8]

Currently two of them would have to be Harding and Ferris State due to their recent matchups and national championship runs.

For the "long haul" I would choose Northwest Missouri and Grand Valley as the other two.

To me, blue bloods infers long term success so I’d replace Harding and Ferris with Pitt St and Valdosta

[Predatory Primates]

To me it means usually at least has a shot at the playoffs. Has natties, runner ups or at least super deep runs in multiple eras. (Or maybe has one dynastic run.)

Definites:
VSU, Pitt, NW, GV, Ferris

Maybes:
Harding, UWF, Duluth


To some it would be the schools with the support and resources that make it way more surprising if they have a bad year or 2 than if they make a run.

Under that definition, the field expands a little more.

[Rational Observer]

NWMSU is clearly at the top of the list with six championships and 10 championship game appearances.

Valdosta State and GVSU each have four championships. VSU has seven appearances. GVSU has six, with one of those being a head-to-head win over VSU.

Ferris State has four titles, all in this decade. They have a fifth appearance, being a loss to VSU, but they also have a win over VSU.

Pitt State is the final member of my list with two championships and five appearances.

[GrifFan]

In no particular order, GV, NW, Pitt State and Valdosta. Ferris is obviously shining brightly now, but they haven’t had the sustained success under different coaches. ND State would probably be the other contender if they hadn’t moved up.

[SW_Mustang]

Northwest Missouri, Grand Valley, Valdosta, and Ferris are locks - titles are paramount.

The question then becomes - do we expand the list beyond four? If so - the two candidates are PSU and UMD. I would then give PSU the nod because they have more title game appearances, and have done a better job of sustaining their success.

[Eagle74]

1 National Championship in the past 10 years qualifies a school as being a Blue Blood?

[SW_Mustang]

1 National Championship in the past 10 years qualifies a school as being a Blue Blood?

Indiana hasn't won a title in basketball since 1987 and UCLA in 1995 - but they're both Blue Bloods.

I know it's a very apples-to-oranges comparison, but there are only 10 DII football teams that have titles. It's slim pickins'.

[KPKCBC]

If you take a look through the "modern era" of D2 football when the playoff system began in 1973 you have 6 schools that have won mulitple Naional Championships that still remain at the D2 level. I know you asked for 4 but I would like to present 6 teams to you for consideration as the current Blue Bloods in Division II football.


Northwest Missouri State: The "Gold Standard" of the playoff era. They hold the record for the most national titles (6) and have maintained elite status across multiple coaching regimes—a key requirement for blue blood status.

Pittsburg State: The "Old Money" of the division. They are the winningest program in D2 history with over 760 wins. Their history spans over a century, and they remain a perennial top-10 team even when not winning titles.

Grand Valley State: The "Measuring Stick." Despite a younger history (started in 1971), they hold the highest winning percentage (.744) in D2 history and redefined the division’s expectations during their early-2000s dynasty.

Valdosta State: The "Title Machine." They are known for winning championships at a high rate (4 titles) despite starting their program much later than the others (1982). They represent the elite tier of the powerful Gulf South Conference.

Ferris State: The "Modern Dynasty." As the 2025 National Champion, they have won four of the last five titles. Their recent sustained excellence has solidified them in this elite club.

Minnesota Duluth: The "Northern Power." While they have fewer titles than the "Big Four," their two championships and consistent dominance in the Northern Sun conference keep them in the elite conversation.

[Predatory Primates]

NW should move up. They already did the natty thing so much that they got bored and stopped trying.

I think they are focused on trying to blow stuff up with their minds and upside down speed painting now.

[SW_Mustang]

If you take a look through the "modern era" of D2 football when the playoff system began in 1973 you have 6 schools that have won mulitple Naional Championships that still remain at the D2 level. I know you asked for 4 but I would like to present 6 teams to you for consideration as the current Blue Bloods in Division II football.

What's interesting is between 1973 and 1998, only two current DII teams won titles - Northern Michigan (1975) and PSU (1993) - so there's really only 28 years of title history with the current crowd, and two outliers.

[KPKCBC]

NW should move up. They already did the natty thing so much that they got bored and stopped trying.

I think they are focused on trying to blow stuff up with their minds and upside down speed painting now.

I just wish they would hold onto the football.

[Thelakerman]

If you take a look through the "modern era" of D2 football when the playoff system began in 1973 you have 6 schools that have won mulitple Naional Championships that still remain at the D2 level. I know you asked for 4 but I would like to present 6 teams to you for consideration as the current Blue Bloods in Division II football.


Northwest Missouri State: The "Gold Standard" of the playoff era. They hold the record for the most national titles (6) and have maintained elite status across multiple coaching regimes—a key requirement for blue blood status.

Pittsburg State: The "Old Money" of the division. They are the winningest program in D2 history with over 760 wins. Their history spans over a century, and they remain a perennial top-10 team even when not winning titles.

Grand Valley State: The "Measuring Stick." Despite a younger history (started in 1971), they hold the highest winning percentage (.744) in D2 history and redefined the division’s expectations during their early-2000s dynasty.

Valdosta State: The "Title Machine." They are known for winning championships at a high rate (4 titles) despite starting their program much later than the others (1982). They represent the elite tier of the powerful Gulf South Conference.

Ferris State: The "Modern Dynasty." As the 2025 National Champion, they have won four of the last five titles. Their recent sustained excellence has solidified them in this elite club.

Minnesota Duluth: The "Northern Power." While they have fewer titles than the "Big Four," their two championships and consistent dominance in the Northern Sun conference keep them in the elite conversation.

Flawless reasoning! Can’t argue with any of it. While some may argue that the Ferris run may be too new to qualify, the run will continue at least until Tony Annese retires. Don’t know if they’ll win more Natty’s (hoping GV will have something to say about that) but they’ll be in the mix.

[KPKCBC]

Flawless reasoning! Can’t argue with any of it. While some may argue that the Ferris run may be too new to qualify, the run will continue at least until Tony Annese retires. Don’t know if they’ll win more Natty’s (hoping GV will have something to say about that) but they’ll be in the mix.

For me Ferris is a lock. Too many titles to keep them out even if it were just recent success. Rings make Royalty. If anyone gets the boot it has to be Pitt St and UMD. I personally think they both belong in the conversation.