We’re only one week into Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play, but are things already starting to a look a bit familiar in the GLIAC?

It’s a new season, but after a quick drive-by SWOT analysis, it’s clear that little has changed when it comes to the conference’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. 

There are two familiar front-runners, one team that’s still like a little brother waiting for a growth spurt, a couple teams fighting and clawing to get off the bottom – and everyone else. 

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Barring a catastrophic upset, one game likely will determine the conference champion, just as it has in recent years. That will come on Oct. 26. 

Another matchup could determine who lands in the last spot in the standings, but that game won’t take place until the final week of the season on Nov. 16.

Will it all turn out that predictably and black and white? Will 2024 being another copy-and-paste season in the GLIAC, or is there finally a shakeup on the horizon?

We tackle these questions and share some of the GLIAC takeaways heading into Week 7 of the 2024 college football season:  

Ferris State Has The Momentum And The Advantage In 2024

It’s true, the Ferris State Bulldogs had a less-than-ferocious start to their 2024 campaign, managing just 171 yards and three points in a 19-3 loss to Pittsburg State, but the opening-week stunner clearly lit a fire under 12th-year head coach Tony Annese and his team.

Over their next four games, the Bulldogs outscored their opponents 238-26, including a record-setting 84-7 win over American International on Sept. 28 and a 55-13 rout of GLIAC and Division II newcomer Roosevelt on Oct. 5.

While the Ferris State offense put up insane numbers against AIC, the team’s defense was there to carry the load during a slower offensive start against Roosevelt. The performance included three interceptions and a defensive score.

Ferris State’s momentum is undeniable, and the balanced attack gives the Bulldogs a clear advantage in this year’s GLIAC title race, but there’s a challenge on the horizon – maintaining the trajectory for another few weeks and not playing down to the level of Wayne State and Michigan Tech on Oct. 12 and Oct. 19, respectively. 

Wins in those games, plus wins by undefeated Grand Valley State against Northern Michigan and Saginaw Valley State during the same time frame, should mean the winner of the annual Anchor-Bone Classic between Ferris State and GVSU on Oct. 26 also will hoist the GLIAC trophy at the end of the season.

Sure, it sounds like a lot of moving pieces, but on paper, those really aren’t the strongest opponents around, making it a believable scenario once again – just like 2021, 2022 and 2023.

If things continue as they have been, this is the year Ferris State climbs back on top after finishing second behind GVSU in 2022 and 2023. 

While the Lakers are 5-0 overall this season, they’re not displaying the same firepower as past years, and they definitely haven’t been as dominant as Ferris State in 2024.

If anyone was going to challenge for the title this year, it was going to be Davenport, but the Panthers lost to Grand Valley State this week. 

It’s certainly not impossible with it being so early in the conference slate, but it probably would require GVSU to beat Ferris State and then Davenport to do the same on Nov. 16 – plus any other surprises and upsets. 

After the first week of GLIAC games, GVSU, Ferris State, Michigan Tech and Saginaw Valley State all are 1-0. That means Davenport, Roosevelt, Wayne State and Northern Michigan are 0-1.

If you lose one conference game, there’s still an outside chance you can win the title, or at least a share of it. Lose twice, and you probably should start looking ahead to next season. 

𝗚𝗟𝗜𝗔𝗖 𝗙𝗼𝗼𝘁𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸

Trinidad Chambliss // Ferris State

🔗 https://t.co/oJSUobngKy#WhereChampionsCompete #GLIACFB🏈 pic.twitter.com/PYUKC0Eqqp

— GLIAC (@GLIACsports) October 7, 2024

Is Roosevelt Football Ready For The GLIAC?

Roosevelt is new to Division II football. Roosevelt is new to the GLIAC. Roosevelt is 0-4 to start the 2024 campaign.

All of those things are true, and a learning curve could be expected, but there’s no denying that Roosevelt was a solid performer prior to moving, going 6-4 in 2023, 7-3 in 2022, 8-8 in 2021 and 5-1 in 2020. That means there’s a positive track record and potential. 

The Lakers ultimately may have been blown out by Ferris State this week, but the 55-13 final score doesn’t tell the whole story. At the same time, Ferris State is an incredible team and No. 4 Division II team in the nation.

Roosevelt scored more points than three of the Bulldogs’ four other opponents, and Roosevelt dominated the time of possession against Ferris State. Those are positives. 

At the same time, Roosevelt quarterback Carson Budke threw three interceptions, and his offense never made any of the big, momentum-swinging plays for which the Bulldogs have become famous.

Roosevelt has a solid kicking game thanks to junior kicker Mauricio Escudero, who was the GLIAC Special Teams Player of the Week for Week 3, and if Budke can clean up some things, the Lakers have a chance to land solidly in the middle of the GLIAC pack this year. 

The Lakers aren’t title contenders, and they shouldn’t be. But they’re also better than some teams already in the conference. 

There’s no doubt a few teams ahead on the schedule will allow the Lakers to gain some much-needed experience and confidence, and success in those contests would help them climb their way up the standings.

Among the teams that continue to struggle in the GLIAC are Northern Michigan and Wayne State, as they're a combined 0-10 this year. Eventually, they’ll have to play each other, and that will happen during the final week of the season on Nov. 16. That could determine who finishes last in the conference this year, though there are no gimmes on the schedule, and a lot can happen before then. 

For now, Ferris State and Grand Valley State remain in control of the GLIAC. Michigan Tech is enjoying a promising rise in 2024, Davenport will need to regroup and fight on to remain in the conversation and Roosevelt must learn from each opportunity and understand that it will take time. 

Davenport Stumbles, But That Can Be Motivating

Earlier in the year, I suggested that Davenport was a win or two away from a breakthrough season, but that surge of success would have to happen against Ferris State or Grand Valley State – or both. 

I still think that’s true, and I still consider the Panthers the easy No. 3 team in the conference behind the perennial powerhouses mentioned above. 

Davenport was 8-2 last year, with the losses coming to Ferris State and GVSU in the season’s final weeks. 

The Panthers were 8-3 in 2022, with the losses coming in consecutive weeks to Ferris State and Grand Valley State to close the regular season and then to Ferris State in the opening round of the Division II Playoffs. It was the first postseason appearance for the Davenport program, which only has been around since 2016. 

Davenport started 2024 with two wins, but the Panthers now sit at 3-2. While their losses have been against ranked teams – No. 11 Central Missouri State (32-31 on Sept. 21) and No. 2 GVSU (24-7 on Oct. 5) – losing so early in the conference schedule can be paralyzing. 

Again, a lot can happen in the coming weeks, but the Davenport offense will need to figure out a way to put more points on the board. So far this season, the Panthers have managed 96 points through five games. 

That might work against some GLIAC opponents, but the current output wasn’t enough against GVSU, and it absolutely won’t be enough against the high-scoring Ferris State Bulldogs on Nov. 16. Ferris State nearly reached Davenport’s season point total in one game.

It’s early enough for that game to have life-changing possibilities for Davenport, and if that scenario still is true when the Panthers arrive in Big Rapids, Michigan, that day, they’ll likely need to score more points than they ever have in a single game.

Long story short, Davenport still is the third-best team in the GLIAC, but this probably won’t be the year the Panthers break through for their first conference title.

How Did The GLIAC Football Teams Perform In Week 6?

All eight GLIAC teams saw conference action on Oct. 5.

• Grand Valley State def. Davenport, 24-7
• Michigan Tech def. Wayne State, 22-7
• Saginaw Valley State def. Northern Michigan 63-14
• Ferris State def. Roosevelt 55-13

Curious About The NCAA Division II Football Scores In Week 6?

Read more: See who won and who lost in Week 6 of the 2024 college football season

GLIAC Football Schedule For Week 7

Saturday, Oct. 12

All Times Eastern

• Davenport at Michigan Tech, Noon
• Saginaw Valley State at Roosevelt, 2 p.m.
• Ferris State at Wayne State, 6 p.m.
• Northern Michigan at Grand Valley State, 7 p.m.

AFCA Division II Top 25 – Oct. 7, 2024

Others Receiving Votes: Central Missouri, 45; Augustana (S.D.), 28; West Florida, 19; Texas A&M-Kingsville, 17; Virginia Union, 13; Southern Arkansas, 11; Henderson St. (Ark.), 9; Northwest Missouri St., 5; New Haven (Conn.), 4; Sioux Falls (S.D.), 4; Wayne St. (Neb.), 4; Assumption (Mass.), 3; Colorado Mesa, 2; Davenport (Mich.), 2; Michigan Tech, 2; Angelo St. (Tex.), 1; Fort Hays St. (Kan.), 1; Limestone (S.C.), 1.

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