It’s here – conference play across the 2024 college football landscape. 

For the teams of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, its conference action the rest of the way, and the race is on to try and keep pace with Grand Valley State and Ferris State, which have been dominating the GLIAC in recent years.

All eight GLIAC teams, including newcomer Roosevelt, kicked things off last weekend, with GVSU, Ferris State, Michigan Tech and Saginaw Valley State picking up wins.

That means Davenport, Roosevelt, Northern Michigan and Wayne State all will have to press a little harder this Saturday to avoid falling out of contention already.

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In 2022 and 2023, Grand Valley State rolled undefeated through conference play, with wins over Ferris State in their annual Anchor-Bone Classic proving to be the difference and relegating the Bulldogs to the No. 2 spot in the standings.

The first time, the loss was just a bump in the road for Ferris State on the way to a second consecutive NCAA Division II national championship. In 2023, the Lakers got the best of the Bulldogs again in the first round of the playoffs, ending their bid for a three-peat.

Could redemption be on the horizon for Ferris State? That will be determined at the 2024 edition of the Anchor-Bone Classic on Oct. 26. 

So far this season, GVSU has cruised to a 5-0 start, but Ferris State (4-1) has followed a season-opening loss to Pittsburg State with four straight victories, during which, the Bulldogs have outscored their opponents 238-26.

However, as FBS No. 1 Alabama learned in last week’s loss to unranked Vanderbilt, anything can happen on the gridiron, and no team is immune to the potential chaos. The loss dropped Alabama from the top of the Associated Press Top 25 to No. 7.

Entering Week 7 of the season, Grand Valley State is ranked second in the American Football Coaches Association Division II Coaches Poll, Ferris State is No. 4 and Davenport received votes. 

The point here is that there’s still a lot of football to be played in the GLIAC before the Anchor-Bone Classic even matters, so let’s focus on what’s happening around the conference on Oct. 12.

Here’s a look at the matchups for the GLIAC teams during Week 7 of the 2024 season, along with predictions for each game.

Note: All start times for Saturday are Eastern. All four games will be streamed live on FloFootball.

GLIAC Teams In Week 7

Saturday, Oct. 12

All Times Eastern

Davenport At Michigan Tech, Noon

This probably is the most evenly matched game on the GLIAC schedule this week.

Davenport (3-2) is coming off two solid seasons, received votes in the latest AFCA Division II Coaches Poll and is on the verge of a breakthrough in a conference dominated by Grand Valley State and Ferris State.

Michigan Tech is a team on the rise in 2024. The Huskies are 4-1 and riding a four-game winning streak that started in Week 2 with a thrilling four-overtime 52-50 win over South Dakota Mines.

Because Davenport’s start hasn’t been as strong as 2022 and 2023, and Michigan Tech already has matched its win total from 2022 (4-7) and is one victory from equaling last season’s effort (5-5), the two squads are trending toward landing together in the middle of the eight-team GLIAC pack - if Davenport can live up to its potential, and if Tech continues to excel.

Sure, Davenport lost its GLIAC opener, but that was to GVSU, the No. 2 team in the latest rankings. 

After falling behind 24-7 at halftime, including surrendering 21 second-quarter points, the Panthers held the Lakers scoreless the rest of the way, so that’s a positive. Unfortunately, Davenport also failed to score in the second half, so the final tally was 24-7 and a seventh loss in seven meetings with GVSU.

There’s no doubt the loss could be seen as frustrating, but will chasing that elusive first win against the Lakers keep pushing Davenport to improve, or will it eventually crush the Panthers’ spirits?

Michigan Tech has been on a skid in conference play since going 5-2 and finishing third in 2021. The Huskies were 2-4 in 2022 and 1-5 in 2023, so to get out to a fast start this time is just confirmation that the team is headed in the right direction, even if it was against winless Wayne State. 

Davenport and Michigan Tech each have won three of their six meetings, with Davenport winning the last two, including a 28-0 rout last September. 

PREDICTION: Michigan Tech has the forward momentum, homefield advantage and the need for redemption after dropping two straight contests against Davenport. The Panthers might be a little disheartened after falling to GVSU again. Michigan Tech 28, Davenport 17

Saginaw Valley State At Roosevelt, 2 p.m.

Saginaw Valley State may have become the most under-the-radar team in the GLIAC. 

Grand Valley State and Ferris State have been taking the spotlight as the powerhouses. Wayne State and Northern Michigan have struggled the most in recent years. Roosevelt is earning attention as the new kid on the block.

SVSU has quietly finished fourth in the conference each of the last three seasons, but the team’s actions in 2024 are speaking pretty loudly so far.

Overall, the Cardinals have put together three consecutive winning seasons since the COVID-canceled 2020 campaign, and they’re headed for a fourth straight, but they just play in a really tough conference. 

SVSU is 4-1 this year and coming into Week 7 on a three-game winning streak that includes a 63-14 performance last week against Northern Michigan to kick off GLIAC play.

This week’s matchup with GLIAC newcomer Roosevelt should give the Cardinals one more chance to tighten things up with less resistance before GVSU comes to town next week. 

Beating Roosevelt and being 2-0 to start the conference slate would be great momentum for SVSU, and it would make the upcoming meeting with the two-time defending GLIAC champions monumentally important. 

Prior to moving to the Division II level and the GLIAC, Roosevelt was 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.

Teams still are getting to know the Lakers, and Roosevelt has struggled to an 0-4 start this year, including a 55-13 loss to Ferris State last week. 

Is this the year Saginaw Valley State steps back out of the shadows, or is this Roosevelt’s opportunity to gain some traction with struggling Northern Michigan ahead on the schedule for next week?

PREDICTION: Saginaw Valley makes a statement and elevates the importance of next week’s visit from GVSU. Roosevelt’s offense finally clicks, but it’s still not enough. SVSU 38, Roosevelt 24

Ferris State At Wayne State, 6 p.m.

There’s not quite as much to say here.

Ferris State is the hottest team in the conference right now and fighting to overcome back-to-back runner-up finishes to Grand Valley State in the GLIAC race.

Since losing their season opener to Pittsburg State (19-3), the Bulldogs have 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.

Based on recent performances from both teams, it’s likely Wayne State will be outmatched when hosting Ferris State this week at Tom Adams Field.

The Warriors have lost seven straight games dating back to last season, including a 63-19 loss to Ferris State to close the 2023 regular season. The week before that was a 66-10 loss to Grand Valley State.

However, despite their 0-5 mark in 2024, the Warriors have shown some improvement. They haven’t been shut out, and they’re holding their opponents to an average of 31.2 points. Last week, Wayne State opened GLIAC play with a 22-7 loss to a surging Michigan Tech team.

There hasn’t really been a good time to face Ferris State in recent years, and the Warriors will have their hands full once again in 2024. 

The last time they beat the Bulldogs was back-to-back wins in 2008 and 2009. Ferris State has won the last nine meetings, scoring at least 35 points each time. 

PREDICTION: Ferris State will figure out what went wrong to limit the Bulldogs to just seven first-quarter points last week against Roosevelt, and their offensive onslaught will begin sooner against Wayne State. They’ll push toward 50 points again, but they’ll give time later in the game to players needing more experience.

Wayne State will continue to progress, and the season’s first win is right around the corner. Just not this week. Ferris State 48, Wayne State 16

Northern Michigan At Grand Valley State, 7 p.m.

Northern Michigan’s last win came nearly 700 days ago. It was a 33-11 victory over Lake Erie College to wrap up a 4-7 campaign. 

The Wildcats were 0-11 in 2023, and they’ve started the 2024 season with five consecutive losses, including a 63-14 result against Saginaw Valley State last week to kick off conference play.

Unfortunately for NMU, up next is the two-time defending GLIAC champion Grand Valley State University Lakers, who own a 17-27-1 advantage in their all-time series. 

That may not sound lopsided, but GVSU has won 19 of their last 20 meetings, including eight in a row, while scoring 45 or more points six times. The last time Northern Michigan beat the Lakers was at home in Marquette, Michigan, in 2012 (38-10).

In their 2023 meeting, also in Marquette, GVSU won 73-14. 

The first time NMU and GVSU met was 1975, with the Wildcats winning. Grand Valley State returned the favor the next year, ending NMU’s 18-game winning streak. The Wildcats must’ve taken it personally, as they won the next 11 times.

Over the long histories of all the college football programs, winning and losing comes in cycles. Right now, GVSU is in its winning era. NMU isn’t.

The Lakers may not be putting up huge numbers this season, but they’re still undefeated, and they definitely have the advantage this week against the struggling Wildcats.

PREDICTION: GVSU takes it a little easier this year, but the Lakers still get the win. Northern Michigan’s struggles continue for another week. GVSU 51, NMU 13

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

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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