Saginaw Valley State has an opportunity to make a huge statement this weekend against Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference giant Grand Valley State.

It’s not unfamiliar territory for the Cardinals, but they’ll need to accomplish something they haven’t done in more than a decade.

That is just one of the compelling storylines among the four GLIAC games this week.

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Additionally, it wouldn’t be a huge surprise if the plastic tarps, goggles and sparkling cider the Detroit Tigers aren’t going to need for the rest of this year’s MLB postseason were on hand for the Roosevelt-Northern Michigan game, where one of the teams is going to be celebrating a monumental victory.

Here’s a look at the matchups for the GLIAC teams during Week 8 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 8

Saturday, Oct. 19

All Times Eastern

Roosevelt At Northern Michigan, 1 p.m.

It has been more than 700 days since Northern Michigan won a football game. Roosevelt is new to Division II football and the GLIAC and still is searching for its first conference victory.

No matter who wins, it will be a historic day. 

The Wildcats’ last victory came against Lake Erie College (33-11) on Nov. 12, 2022, to close out a 4-7 campaign. The season also included a 1-5 record in GLIAC play, with the lone win coming against Wayne State to open the conference slate.

That win kept NMU from the last spot in the GLIAC standings, but the Wildcats haven’t able to get off the bottom since. They were winless in 2023 (0-11, 0-6) and have yet to find the win column in 2024 (0-6, 0-2).

Early in the 2024 schedule, however, they have some company – Northern Michigan, Wayne State and newcomer Roosevelt all are winless overall and 0-2 in conference action.

The situation is guaranteed to change Saturday for at least one of the teams, as Roosevelt will be visiting the Superior Dome in Marquette, Michigan, for the first time.

Roosevelt may be new to Division II and the GLIAC, but the Lakers are not unfamiliar with winning. 

Since a merger with Robert Morris University brought the two schools and athletic programs together in 2020, Roosevelt has not had a losing season – and there’s still time to salvage this one.

The Lakers, who are coming off a 27-14 loss to Saginaw Valley State, have held their own in navigating their way through their new digs, and this could be their best chance so far to enjoy their first GLIAC win. 

Northern Michigan has given up at least 33 points in every game this season, including 49 in a 49-17 loss to Grand Valley State last weekend. 

Are the Wildcats tired of being picked on? Did last week’s drubbing help toughen them up? Is Northern Michigan ready to take out all of its frustration on the new kid in town? 

There was a time, in a previous iteration of the GLIAC, when Northern Michigan won the conference title (1987), and a run back to the top has to start somewhere.

PREDICTION: Northern Michigan has had enough, and perhaps Roosevelt hasn’t yet realized the role the Wildcats have played in the GLIAC in recent years. The home crowd is the difference here, and NMU finally gets it done. Northern Michigan 21, Roosevelt 17

Michigan Tech At Ferris State, 1 p.m.

Michigan Tech recently enjoyed a four-game winning streak that suggested the Huskies are continuing to get better and are working their way into the top half of the GLIAC standings.

That run came to an end last week at the hands of Davenport (24-20), which entered the year as a dark horse to at least threaten to challenge Ferris State and Grand Valley State and their GLIAC dynasties. 

It’s likely the Huskies (4-2, 1-1) will get back on track and win more games than they did when they were 6-4 during the 2021-2022 campaign, but they’ll have to wait another week, as the tide won’t change in their favor Saturday on the road at Ferris State.

Since suffering a season-opening loss to Pittsburg State, Ferris State has outscored its opponents 265-40 across five consecutive wins. Though winless Wayne State put up the biggest fight against the Bulldogs, only losing 27-14, a win is a win, and Ferris State is right where it wants to be right now.

The Bulldogs (5-1, 2-0) are ranked No. 4 in the latest AFCA Division II Coaches Poll, two spots behind the GVSU Lakers, whom they’re expected to battle next week for control of the conference and a beeline to the title. 

PREDICTION: The Huskies have improved and definitely won’t just roll over in this one, but Ferris State still is the alpha dog heading into this one. The question is, was the unique weather delay what slowed down the Bulldogs against Wayne State, or did they peak too early in the season? Ferris State 42, Michigan Tech 21

Wayne State At Davenport, 2 p.m.

Wayne State is battling to stay out of last place in the GLIAC, and even though the Warriors ended up losing to Ferris State last week (27-14), that’s the closest anyone has come to touching the Bulldogs since they lost their season opener on Aug. 31.

The Warriors were winless in the GLIAC in 2022 but rallied for a pair of wins to climb out of the basement in 2023, finishing ahead of Michigan Tech and Northern Michigan.

This time around, Wayne State (0-6 overall) is stuck at the bottom with NMU and newcomer Roosevelt at 0-2, but with those two teams playing each other, someone will be making a move in the standings. 

If the Warriors can harness whatever positives they found against Ferris State and get past Davenport, there will be a tandem move off the bottom rung of the standings.

Davenport started the 2022 and 2023 campaigns at 8-0, before Grand Valley State and Ferris State ruined what could’ve been magical seasons, handing the Panthers their only five losses across those years (8-3 and 8-2, respectively).

This year isn’t going quite as well for the Panthers (4-2, 1-1), especially at home, where they’re 0-2.

This is great news for Wayne State, which will be visiting Davenport’s home field, the Farmers Insurance Athletic Complex in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

PREDICTION: Both teams have momentum coming into this one. Sure, Wayne State lost, but the team's performance against Ferris State was admirable. Then, Davenport is coming off a 24-20 conference win over a streaking Michigan Tech squad and will be celebrating homecoming this week. Unfortunately, home is the last place the Panthers should want to be right now. Wayne State 24, Davenport 17

Grand Valley State At Saginaw Valley State, 3 p.m.

No one in the GLIAC has been able to stop Grand Valley State the last two seasons, and other than some lower point totals in 2024, the Lakers haven’t shown that they’re slowing down at all.

The two-time defending conference champions, who have won nine GLIAC titles since 2005, are in a three-way tie atop the standings early in this year’s conference schedule, and this week will provide an opportunity for them to break free.

At the same time, Saginaw Valley State (5-1, 2-0) will enter the game thinking the same thing, as this could be the contest that changes the dynamic of the conference.

As it stands now, GVSU, SVSU and Ferris State all are 2-0 in GLIAC action this year, with expectations originally being that next week’s Anchor-Bone Classic between GVSU and FSU would be what ultimately decides the conference champion, as it has the last few years.

SVSU can throw a wrench in that with a win at home over Grand Valley State on Saturday and be one enormous hurdle closer to at least challenging for GLIAC glory in 2024. 

In the modern era of the GLIAC, the Cardinals managed to hoist the hardware on two occasions – 2000 (co-champions with Northwood) and 2003 – likely before the majority of the current players were born. 

Otherwise, while Ferris State and GVSU have been dominating in recent seasons, SVSU has been stuck in the middle of the pack. 

Saginaw Valley State 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.

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 in the NCAA Division II Playoffs.

Now back on the radar after some tough seasons, the Cardinals couldn’t be in a better position, even if their two conference wins this year have come against winless Northern Michigan and Roosevelt.

Grand Valley State also is in an ideal spot. The Lakers are undefeated (6-0, 2-0) and ranked second in the latest AFCA Division II Coaches Poll. They’re coming off conference wins over Davenport (24-7) and Northern Michigan (49-17).

PREDICTION: This one is dubbed the Battle of the Valleys, but long as Grand Valley State takes SVSU seriously and doesn’t start looking ahead to next week’s showdown with Ferris State, it won’t be much of a battle, and the Lakers should be fine against the Cardinals. Despite its record, SVSU just hasn’t seen talent near GVSU’s level, and the Lakers will cruise in this one. GVSU 52, SVSU 14 

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

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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