October 31st, 2025 1:00pm
By Chuck Bitner, D2Football.com
With just three Saturdays remaining in the regular season, every game matters and most especially for the teams vying for post season berths. The week nine schedule is full of critical conference matchups that will shape the conference championship races and impact the next round of regional rankings due to be released on Monday.
Four Top 25 Matchups highlight the November 1 schedule.
At noon eastern, The Great Midwest Athletic Conference takes center stage as unbeaten Findlay (8-0) visits Northwood (7-1). The Oilers have been steadily climbing the Top 25 since entering the poll after week three and currently sit at No. 14. Northwood entered the rankings the first time since 2007 this week. The Timberwolves debuted at No. 24. Findlay is currently tied with Ashland at the top of the GMAC standings with a 6-0 record. Northwood is one game behind at 5-1 in conference play. Northwood’s only loss of the season was a 21-13 setback to Ashland back in week four. The team from D1Rejects will be on-site for a live broadcast of their Small School Saturday pregame show. Be sure to tune in at 9am, eastern. Coverage of the game will be on FloCollege.
At 3pm, eastern / 1pm, mountain, a huge clash will take place in the RMAC. No. 5 Western Colorado (8-0) hosts No. 8 CSU Pueblo (7-1). Both teams are 6-0 in RMAC play and the winner will emerge with sole possession of first place. For more on this game, check out our national columnist game preview and the breakdown from our RMAC specialists on RMAC Weekly. The can be found on the RMAC Digital Network.
At 4pm, eastern / 3pm, central, the GSC action picks up with No. 4 West Florida traveling to No. 16 Delta State. West Florida is unbeaten at 8-0 and coming off a non-conference win over West Virginia State. Delta State stands at 7-1 and enter the contest following a dramatic 41-38 win West Alabama. Delta State’s only defeat of the season was in week two at UNC Pembroke. All GSC games can be found on FloCollege.
The action will continue well into the night as No. 7 Central Washington hosts No. 18 Angelo State. Kickoff is at 6pm, Pacific time in Ellensburg, Washington. Central Washington is 7-1 overall but 7-0 against Division II competition and 6-0 in LSC play. Angelo State endured a two-game losing streak at mid-season but has rebounded with two straight wins. They are most likely facing a must win scenario to keep their playoff aspirations alive. This game will air live on FloCollege.
Elsewhere in the Top 25
No. 3 Kutztown (8-0) will face their toughest challenge since week zero with East Stroudsburg (6-2) coming to town. This has been penciled in as the game the year in the PSAC east division but some of the luster wore off with ESU’s loss to Shepherd last Saturday.
No. 9 Augustana will face their tallest order since the Key to the City game with Northern State coming to town. The Wolves still have playoff hopes to play for and recent wins over Minnesota Duluth and Minnesota Moorhead have them playing with confidence.
No. 11 Northwest Missouri State will go with an eighth straight win against MIAA rival Emporia State. The Hornets have had ups and downs this year but enter th game after a 31-27 victory over Central Missouri a week ago.
No. 15 Ashland (7-1) will attempt to stay perfect in GMAC play as they host Walsh. Don’t gift this one to the ranked team just yet. The Cavaliers are 6-2 and looking to make it two in a row over Ashland. They upset the Eagles last year by two touchdowns.
No. 19 Johnson C. Smith (7-1) has been rolling since a week three loss to Virginia Union. The Golden Bulls are 7-1 but travel to Fayetteville State (5-3) who is always a tough out.
No. 21 Minnesota State (6-2) needs a bounce back performance after an unexpected loss to Wayne State (Neb.) last week. The Mavericks are hosting Southwest Minnesota State.
No. 23 West Alabama (5-2) started the season 5-0 but has dropped the last two games to GSC rivals West Florida and Delta State. They will try to bounce back against a Valdosta State squad coming off its best performance of the season.
Newly ranked No. 25 Frostburg State (7-1) will look to bank up their position with a late season non-conference game at California.
Outside the Top 25
In the Northeast 10, Assumption (6-1) has been the class of the field, but could have their hands full with a Southern Connecticut team that upset Saint Anselm last week.
Saginaw Valley State (5-3) remains unbeaten in GLIAC play and with automatic bids now in play, that means playoffs are still a possibility. The Cardinals go to Davenport this Saturday. The Panthers are 4-3 but always hard to get by.
Playoffs are conference titles are out the picture for Shepherd (4-4) but the Rams have turned their season around after an 0-4 start. They’ll go for a fifth straight win against a struggling Shippensburg team.
Upper Iowa (6-2) still has reasons to believe they can be in the playoff hunt. The Peacocks host McKendree (4-3).
Carson-Newman (5-2) and Catawba (6-2) have both had highs and lows but the winner of this game stays alive in the SR2 playoff race.
Clarion has only beaten PSAC West rival Slippery Rock once in the last 15 years but the Golden Eagles are 6-2 overall and tied with the Rock in the division standings.
Glenville State (5-3) has quietly won four straight games since a close loss to Charleston. The Pioneers are tied for second in the MEC standings at 4-1. They travel to West Virginia State who is looking to recover from the road trip to West Florida.
New Mexico Highlands (5-3) is one game away from a winning season. They try to earn that win at Colorado Mines (5-3). The last time the Cowboys finished with a winning record was 2012.
Wingate (6-2) still looks like a strong bet for the post season but an old rival comes to town looking to knock them out of the playoff picture. Lenoir-Rhyne is disappointing 5-4 but coming off a 45-0 beat team of Mars Hill.
Western Oregon hasn't had much love in the national conversation but at 6-2 overall and 5-1 in Division II play, they are very much in the running for a post season spot. They host Midwestern State (2-6) Saturday evening.
Texas A&M Kingsville (3-5) and West Texas A&M (4-4) have both been hard to figure out this year. A winning record is still doable, but this is a must win.