As expected, Grand Valley State and Ferris State again are at the top of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference standings. 

However, Saginaw Valley State is right there with them, as the three teams are 2-0 in conference play, and there is potential for the power to shift completely this week when SVSU welcomes GVSU to University Center, Michigan, for the 2024 edition of the storied Battle of the Valleys.

But before we look ahead to Week 8 and what COULD happen, we’ll first have to look back at what transpired in Week 7 to get the drama and excitement rolling.

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After two weeks of conference action, the three front-runners have done their thing, as mentioned above. 

Dark horse Davenport is 1-1, along with Michigan Tech, which just saw a four-game winning streak come to an end – at the hands of Davenport.

Roosevelt, Northern Michigan and Wayne State all are 0-2 at the bottom of the GLIAC standings, but newcomer Roosevelt and NMU will be playing each other this week, with one guaranteed to climb out of the cellar.

Is Saginaw Valley State a true contender in 2024? Are the Ferris State Bulldogs getting run down? Is Grand Valley State surging at the right time?

We tackle these questions and share some of the GLIAC takeaways heading into Week 8 of the 2024 college football season:  

Saginaw Valley State’s Success Might Be Misleading

Yes, Saginaw Valley State is 2-0 in GLIAC play and sharing the top rung of the standings with perennial powerhouses Grand Valley State and Ferris State, but does that make SVSU a contender in 2024, or is it a testament to the quality of the Cardinals’ first two conference opponents?

Well, SVSU has lost three conference games each of the last three seasons, with two each time being courtesy of Ferris State and GVSU. The last two years, Davenport was a roadblock, too.

What that says is that there’s some clear separation in the talent levels in the GLIAC, but Saginaw Valley State has been stuck in the middle, as the Cardinals have found success against the same teams in recent years, too.

So far in 2024, SVSU has picked up a huge win over Northern Michigan (63-14) and newcomer Roosevelt (27-14). Since Northern Michigan hasn’t won a single game – conference or otherwise – since 2022, and Roosevelt is new to Division II football and the GLIAC, those results probably were expected.

However, SVSU has a huge opportunity this week to show that its steady improvement in recent seasons is ready to be kicked up a notch. 

The Cardinals will be hosting Grand Valley State, the No. 2 team in the most recent American Football Coaches Association Division II Coach Poll. A win for SVSU would make a statement and be a huge blow toward keeping the Lakers from a GLIAC three-peat.

The last time SVSU beat GVSU was a 55-52 shootout to close the 2012 regular season, but the Lakers got redemption the following year and have been relentless since. 

In the 2013 campaign, the Cardinals played well again. They were 9-1 in conference games and 9-3 overall, but two of those losses came in consecutive weeks to Grand Valley State to close out the regular season and eliminate the Cardinals from the NCAA Division II Playoffs.

SVSU struggled most of the years that followed, with steady improvement showing in the time since the COVID-canceled 2020 season.

Again, though, beating GVSU would just be one step. 

The Cardinals have beaten two of conference’s struggling teams, but there are more balanced battles ahead. Plus a Nov. 9 meeting with Ferris State, owner of three GLIAC titles and two national championships since 2018. The last time SVSU defeated Ferris State was its spectacular 2013 campaign.

So, while the two conference wins so far for SVSU are good for momentum and confidence, this week’s visit from Grand Valley State will go a long way to gauging the Cardinals’ progress.

GVSU won their 2023 meeting 55-14.

Is Ferris State Dog-Tired After Win Over Wayne State?

Ferris State (5-1, 2-0) seemed untouchable in the four games that followed an opening-week loss to Pittsburg State, but the Bulldogs’ momentum appeared to be slowed by a pair of unlikely opponents in Week 7.

Across a five-game winning streak that includes Ferris State outscoring its opponents 265-40, it was the winless Wayne State Warriors (0-6, 0-2) who put up the biggest fight so far, scoring a pair of third-quarter touchdowns to put the pressure on the Bulldogs.

The Warriors got some help from Mother Nature after falling behind 10-0 in the second quarter Saturday. The momentum, and the game, were halted by lightning over Wayne State’s Tom Adams Field, giving the home team a chance to rest and regroup, before the contest resumed Sunday morning.

Wayne State fell behind 17-0 when play resumed but got the game to as close as 17-14. Though Ferris State went on to win 27-14, it had to be a motivating experience for the Warriors, who haven’t had much to celebrate.

Ferris State head coach Tony Annese credited Wayne State for its resilience but also saw some things the Bulldogs will need to clean up, namely careless penalties. Ferris State had 16 penalties for 139 yards, compared to two penalties for 25 yards for the Warriors.

Despite the setbacks, Ferris State more than doubled WSU’s offensive output (510 total yards vs. 234), while the FSU defense slowed any Wayne State hope with three interceptions in the game. 

The story here? Ferris State likely got a bigger test than it expected against struggling Wayne State, and it took two days. Double the anticipation. Double the preparation. Double everything, and there’s no doubt it took a lot out of the Bulldogs.

The good news is, they have another week before they have to worry about their biggest rival, Grand Valley State. 

The bad news is, a surging Michigan Tech team is up next in a conference game that is crucial if next week’s Anchor-Bone Classic is going to carry the same importance as it usually does.

Is Ferris State going to be dog-tired when Michigan Tech comes to town Saturday, or did the Bulldogs have enough time recover and get back on track ahead of the Huskies?

Is Grand Valley State vs. Ferris State Clash Going To Be As Big As Anticipated?

Not counting the first week of the season, where Grand Valley State rolled to a 58-0 win over Central State and Ferris State suffered an uncharacteristic touchdown-less loss to Pittsburg State (19-3), it has been Ferris State with all the firepower this season – at least on the scoreboard.

Sure, GVSU is undefeated overall (6-0), perfect in GLIAC play (2-0) and still ranked No. 2 in the AFCA Division II Coaches Poll, but the Lakers just haven’t been putting up overwhelming numbers of points. 

Does that say anything? Does winning by 50 points every week matter more? Clearly not, based on the poll, but it does seem to create a perception about who’s got the hot hand and all the momentum.

Ferris State’s numbers have been impressive, with the Bulldogs outscoring their opponents 265-40 since the season-opening loss, and their 27-14 squeaker over struggling Wayne State may just have been a result of the unique situation that saw their game played over two days. 

A win is a win, and that’s even more important when it happens in a conference game.

The Bulldogs opened their conference schedule against newcomer Roosevelt and eased to victory, as expected.

GVSU got past Davenport, which had become the closest competitor to the top tier of the GLIAC, and then crushed Northern Michigan, which last won a conference game in 2022.

What happens in Week 8 will set the stage for the Oct. 26 Anchor-Bone Classic between Ferris State and Grand Valley State again being what decides the GLIAC champion, but both teams will face their biggest conference tests so far ahead of their annual clash.

Ferris State will host a much-improved Michigan Tech team (4-2, 1-1) that won four consecutive games, before losing to Davenport last weekend (24-20).

GVSU will visit a Saginaw Valley State squad (5-1) that’s perfect in conference games (2-0). Even if those wins were against two of the GLIAC’s weakest teams, victories and the home-field advantage are great for confidence.

FSU and Grand Valley State have proven they can put up big numbers when conditions allow and that they can grind out victories when the offense encounters adversity.

Though their opponents this week will be a little more formidable, they’re both the better teams in those matchups, and they both should continue the success they’ve enjoyed in recent weeks.

That means the upcoming Anchor-Bone Classic will be every bit as important as it has been and again should be the unofficial championship game for the conference.

How Did The GLIAC Football Teams Perform In Week 7?

All eight GLIAC teams saw conference action on Oct. 12.

• Davenport def. Michigan Tech, 24-20
• Saginaw Valley State def. Roosevelt, 27-14
• Ferris State def. Wayne State 27-14
• Grand Valley State def. Northern Michigan, 49-17

Curious About The NCAA Division II Football Scores In Week 7?

Read more: NCAA Division II Scores, Biggest Upsets In Week 7: Central Washington Falls

GLIAC Football Schedule For Week 8

Saturday, Oct. 19

All Times Eastern

• Roosevelt at Northern Michigan, 1 p.m.
• Michigan Tech at Ferris State, 1 p.m.
• Wayne State at Davenport, 2 p.m.
• Grand Valley State at Saginaw Valley State, 3 p.m.

AFCA Division II Football Rankings For Week 8

Oct. 14, 2024

1. Harding (Ark.) (30) - Prev. 1
2. Grand Valley St. (Mich.) - Prev. 2
3. Valdosta St. (Ga.) - Prev. 3
4. Ferris St. (Mich.) - Prev. 4
5. Kutztown (Pa.) - Prev. 5
6. Slippery Rock (Pa.) - Prev. 6
7. Pittsburg St. (Kan.) - Prev. 7
8. Western Colorado - Prev. 8
9. Ouachita Baptist (Ark.) - Prev. 10
10. West Alabama - Prev. 11
11. Central Oklahoma - Prev. 12
12. Colorado School of Mines - Prev. 13
13. Charleston (W.Va.) - Prev. 14
14. Colorado St.-Pueblo - Prev. 16
15. Minnesota St. - Prev. 15
16. Emporia St. (Kan.) - Prev. 18
17. Lenoir-Rhyne (N.C.) - Prev. 17
18. Carson-Newman (Tenn.) - Prev. 23
19. Indianapolis (Ind.) - Prev. 21
20. Johnson C. Smith (N.C.) - Prev. 22
21. Central Washington - Prev. 9
22. Frostburg St. (Md.) - Prev. 24
23. West Florida - NR
24. Southern Arkansas - NR
25. Henderson St. (Ark.) - NR

Dropped Out: Delta State (Miss.) (19), Findlay (Ohio) (20), Indiana (Pa.) (25)

Others Receiving Votes: Augustana (S.D.), 34; Delta St. (Miss.), 19; Virginia Union, 19; Findlay (Ohio), 17; New Haven (Conn.), 12; Wayne St. (Neb.), 12; Angelo St. (Tex.), 11; Colorado Mesa, 8; Emory & Henry (Va.), 8; Saginaw Valley St. (Mich.), 8; Assumption (Mass.), 7; Limestone (S.C.), 7; Sioux Falls (S.D.), 7; Fort Hays St. (Kan.), 6; Ashland (Ohio), 2; Davenport (Mich.), 2; Wingate (N.C.), 2; West Virginia St., 1.

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