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3 GLIAC Takeaways From Week 10 Of The 2024 Football Season

3 GLIAC Takeaways From Week 10 Of The 2024 Football Season

It’s hard to believe the college football regular season is winding down. Here are some takeaways from Week 10 of the 2024 campaign.

Nov 7, 2024 by Matt Cannizzaro
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Only two weeks remain in the 2024 regular season for teams in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

Ferris State needs to win one of its two remaining games to lock up at least a share of the conference title, while Grand Valley State and Saginaw Valley State are fighting to stay in the conversation. 

Oh, and two GLIAC teams still are winless.

The bad news for SVSU is that it all goes through Ferris State. The Cardinals head to Big Rapids, Michigan, this week to take on the red-hot Bulldogs, who easily could finish the regular season at the top of both major Division II polls.

Can SVSU pull off the major upset on the road?

Is Michigan Tech the much-improved dark horse that officially will shut the door on GVSU’s hopes for a conference three-peat?

Will Northern Michigan vs. Wayne State in Week 12 be the GLIAC game everyone has their eyes on to close the regular season?

We tackle these questions and share some of the GLIAC takeaways heading into Week 11 of the 2024 college football season:  

Up Up And Away, Ferris State

Ferris State has reestablished itself as the super force of the GLIAC, and the Bulldogs are moving full speed toward the Division II playoff bracket, where they’ll take aim at their third national title in four years (2021, 2022).

But whatever the Bulldogs can do, Valdosta State can do one better, apparently. 

The two have been jockeying for the top of the Division II polls, and to kick off this election week in the United States, they got there. 

Both teams picked up huge wins in Week 10 – Ferris State defeated Northern Michigan 55-9, and Valdosta State topped Chowan 52-0 – so there was no change in the American Football Coaches Association Division II Coaches Poll, but there was movement in the D2Football.com Top 25 Poll.

Valdosta State, at 8-0, stayed in the No. 1 spot in the AFCA rankings. Ferris State, at 8-1 with a shocking loss to Pittsburg State to open the season, stayed at No. 2.

In the D2Football.com Top 25 Poll, however, Ferris State ascended to No. 1 following a loss by the previously top-ranked Pittsburg State. The Bulldogs moved from No. 2 to No.1, while Valdosta State slid from No. 3 to No. 2.

What does all this mean? Nothing really, outside of pride and proof of progress. 

Since the opening-week loss, Ferris State has outscored its opponents 405-69, surging to an 8-1 overall record and 5-0 mark in conference action. That’s some serious proof. And something of which to be proud.

Valdosta State continues to show its upward trajectory after a coaching change and a disaster of a 2022 season. The Blazers are looking to win it all, as they did in 2004, 2007, 2012 and 2018. Oh, and maybe avenge their championship-game loss to Ferris State in 2021.

But it’s in the all-important regional rankings where Ferris State’s progress really is being rewarded. 

The Bulldogs are in the top spot in Super Region Three, which would come with a first-round bye for the playoffs, if things stay as they are. Valdosta State is third in Super Region Two right now behind Wingate and West Alabama. 

Ahead for Ferris State are games against Saginaw Valley State and Davenport, both of which entered the year with playoff potential. Either, or both, could test the Bulldogs to close the season.

Valdosta State also has a couple of challenges in Delta State and West Florida, two perennial contenders for the Gulf South Conference title. 

The Superhero And The Spoiler

So far this year, Saginaw Valley State has proven to be a contender in the GLIAC, and while the Cardinals nearly took down powerhouse Grand Valley State on Oct. 19, there just doesn’t seem to be any stopping Ferris State right now.

What does that mean for SVSU? It means a conference title probably won’t be happening in 2024, but there’s still the chance of sneaking into the playoffs for another step in the right direction. 

The Cardinals did handle Davenport last weekend, which proved there’s a shift of power happening in the conference’s No. 3 spot, and SVSU will end the year against surging Michigan Tech. 

If the SVSU can hold its own against Ferris State this week and take care of the Huskies to end the regular season, it should mean good things for the Cardinals.

Speaking of Michigan Tech, the Huskies are 6-3 overall and 3-2 in conference play. They’re riding a two-game winning streak, and while it was against the GLIAC’s lower tier (Northern Michigan and Roosevelt), that’s still great momentum for a much-improved team that’s preparing to take on Grand Valley State.

GVSU has shown vulnerability and an uncharacteristic lack of offensive firepower at times this year. The Lakers probably should’ve lost to Saginaw Valley State but held on to win 16-9. The following week, GVSU was steamrolled by Ferris State, 34-7.

Putting up 51 against Wayne State last week was a nice rebound, but allowing the winless Warriors to score 28 – all in the second half – should be concerning for the Lakers. 

Michigan Tech is a much better team than it was the last couple of years, and definitely is better than Wayne State in 2024. The Huskies have the potential to turn the GLIAC on its head this year by handing GVSU a second conference loss for the first time since 2019.

Northern Michigan Or Wayne State?

With two weeks to go in the season, there are two winless teams in the GLIAC. And there’s a chance we’ll be saying the same thing again next week, though the year can’t end that way, as the two struggling squads will be playing each other.

Northern Michigan (0-9, 0-5) continues to be in the toughest spot, having not won a game since 2022, and the Wildcats should be outmatched by Davenport this week. Those are just the facts.

Davenport has been a clear No. 3 team in the GLIAC the last couple of years, and while the Panthers have slipped a little in 2024, NMU just can’t seem to get the points on the board.

Wayne State (0-9, 0-5) gave Ferris State a run last month (27-14) and put up its second-highest point total of the season against Grand Valley State last weekend in a 51-28 loss.

If Wayne State can perform that way offensively against two of the nation’s best teams, the Warriors should be able to outperform the conference’s lowest-scoring teams in Roosevelt and Northern Michigan, right? And, if the Wayne State defense can click at the same time, the Warriors could go from winless to a two-game winning streak to end the year.

After seeing Wayne State in recent weeks, it’s the Warriors’ time to shine. 

How Did The GLIAC Football Teams Perform In Week 10?

All eight GLIAC teams saw conference action on Nov. 2.

  • Saginaw Valley State def. Davenport, 24-14
  • Ferris State def. Northern Michigan, 55-9
  • Michigan Tech def. Roosevelt, 20-7
  • Grand Valley State def. Wayne State, 51-28

GLIAC Football Schedule For Week 11

Saturday, Nov. 9

All Times Eastern

AFCA Division II Football Rankings For Week 11

1. Valdosta St. (Ga.) (24) 8-0 - Prev. 1

2. Ferris St. (Mich.) (6) 8-1 - Prev. 2

3. Kutztown (Pa.) 9-0 - Prev. 4

4. Harding (Ark.) 8-1 - Prev. 6

5. Grand Valley St. (Mich.) 8-1 - Prev. 7

6. Charleston (W.Va.) 9-0 - Prev. 9

7. Colorado St.-Pueblo 8-1 - Prev. 10

8. Central Oklahoma 8-1 - Prev. 13

9. Ouachita Baptist (Ark.) 8-1 - Prev. 3

10. Slippery Rock (Pa.) 7-1 - Prev. 14

11. Western Colorado 8-1 - Prev. 8

12. West Alabama 7-1 - Prev. 15

13. Pittsburg St. (Kan.) 7-2 - Prev. 5

14. Colorado School of Mines 7-2 - Prev. 18

15. Indianapolis (Ind.) 8-1 - Prev. 19

16. Augustana (S.D.) 7-2 - Prev. 20

17. West Florida 6-2 - Prev. 21

18t. California (Pa.) 7-1 - Prev. 23

18t. Minnesota St. 7-2 - Prev. 22

20. Emporia St. (Kan.) 7-2 - Prev. 11

21t. Carson-Newman (Tenn.) 8-1 - Prev. 24

21t. Lenoir-Rhyne (N.C.) 7-2 - Prev. 12

23. Angelo St. (Tex.) 7-2 - Prev. NR

24t. Findlay (Ohio) 8-1 - Prev. 25

24t. Wingate (N.C.) 7-1 - Prev. NR

Dropped Out: Johnson C. Smith (N.C.) (16), Central Washington (17)

Others Receiving Votes: Johnson C. Smith (N.C.), 74; Central Washington, 41; Virginia Union, 40; Sioux Falls (S.D.), 24; Fort Hays St. (Kan.), 23; Ashland (Ohio), 18; Colorado Mesa, 15; Central Missouri, 13; Saginaw Valley St. (Mich.), 7; Southern Arkansas, 7; New Haven (Conn.), 4; Miles (Ala.), 1.

To see the D2Football.com Top 25 Poll, click here.

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