As the NCAA Division II Football season enters the final half of the 2024 season, the postseason becomes the primary focus for every top team in the level. 

And while the AFCA Coaches Poll and the D2 Football rankings are good barometers of who are the best teams in Division II football, those polls don’t matter much once the first set of regional rankings are released in November. 

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Much like the FBS College Football Playoffs, a new more official, ranking takes over. For Division II, the country is split in four divisions as the teams race to the start of the playoffs during Thanksgiving. 

Here’s what to know about the NCAA Division II regional rankings and how they work. 

When Are The First NCAA Super Regional Rankings?

The first regional rankings will be released each week during the final three weeks of the season on Sundays. The first rankings for the 2024 season will be available on Nov. 3. 

How Many Teams Advance To The NCAA Division II Football Playoffs? 

There are 28 teams that make the playoffs in NCAA Division II Football with seven teams from each region advancing. 

How The Super Regional NCAA Division II Football Playoffs Work

The Super Region ranking system is how teams make the playoffs in NCAA Division II football. There are no automatic qualifiers for conference wins and the teams. 

A top-10 Super Regional ranking of all the conference’s members in a particular Super Region is released each of the final three weeks of the regular season. At the end, the teams considered by the selection committee to make up the top 7 in each Super Region, qualify for their Super Region’s playoff bracket, where the No. 1 seed receives a first-round bye. 

What Are The NCAA Division II Football Super Regionals?

There four regions: 

• Super Region I (East)
• Super Region II (South)
• Super Region III (Midwest)
• Super Region IV (West Coast and Texas)

AFCA NCAA Division II Football Rankings In Week 9

1. Grand Valley St. (Mich.) (27) - Prev. 2
2. Valdosta St. (Ga.) (3) - Prev. 3
3. Ferris St. (Mich.) - Prev. 4
4. Kutztown (Pa.) - Prev. 5
5. Ouachita Baptist (Ark.) - Prev. 9
6. Pittsburg St. (Kan.) - Prev. 7
7. Harding (Ark.) - Prev. 1
8. Western Colorado - Prev. 8
9. Central Oklahoma - Prev. 11
10. Colorado School of Mines - Prev. 12
11. Charleston (W.Va.) - Prev. 13
12. Colorado St.-Pueblo - Prev. 14
13. Minnesota St. - Prev. 15
14. Emporia St. (Kan.) - Prev. 16
15. Slippery Rock (Pa.) - Prev. 6
16. Lenoir-Rhyne (N.C.) - Prev. 17
17. Carson-Newman (Tenn.) - Prev. 18
18. West Alabama - Prev. 10
19. Johnson C. Smith (N.C.) - Prev. 20
20. Central Washington - Prev. 21
21. Indianapolis (Ind.) - Prev. 19
22. Southern Arkansas - Prev. 24
23. West Florida - Prev. 23
24. Delta St. (Miss.) - Prev. NR
25. Augustana (S.D.) - Prev. NR

Dropped Out: Frostburg St. (Md.) (22), Henderson St. (Ark.) (25)

Others Receiving Votes: Angelo St. (Tex.), 22; Findlay (Ohio), 22; California (Pa.), 21; Virginia Union, 20; Wayne St. (Neb.), 16; Wingate (N.C.), 10; Sioux Falls (S.D.), 8; Colorado Mesa, 7; Indiana (Pa.), 7; New Haven (Conn.), 7; Davenport (Mich.), 6; Frostburg St. (Md.), 6; Saginaw Valley St. (Mich.), 4; Fort Hays St. (Kan.), 3; Ashland (Ohio), 2; Emory & Henry (Va.), 1; Western Oregon, 1.

When Is The Anchor Bone Classic

Division II football fans are now less than a month away from one of the biggest rivalry games in the sport. The Lakers will host Ferris State at 3 p.m. ETS on Oct. 26. The game is streaming on FloFootball and the FloSports app.