Picking the winners over the last two weeks of Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference action has been pretty black and white based on numbers and logic, though it still may not be as much fun as guessing when a team is going to deliver a shock win. 

Heading into Week 11 of the 2024 college football season, perhaps the only shock in the GLIAC would be if Saginaw Valley State somehow got past Ferris State. 

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A little less shocking, but not surprising based on recent weeks, would be Michigan Tech upsetting Grand Valley State.

Then, there are the two winless teams – Wayne State and Northern Michigan. 

Wayne State has more than enough firepower to get past GLIAC newcomer Roosevelt. Northern Michigan getting past Davenport for its first win since 2022 definitely could qualify as an upset, but not a shocking one, as Davenport isn’t the team it was in 2022 and 2023.

Here’s a look at the matchups for the GLIAC teams during Week 11 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 11

Saturday, Nov. 9

All Times Eastern

Northern Michigan At Davenport, Noon

Poor Northern Michigan. The Wildcats have lost 20 consecutive games. But why? 

NMU is scoring points. The Wildcats have only been shut out once during their losing streak. 

Unfortunately, Northern Michigan ranks last in the conference in points scored (14.1 ppg), total offense (236.1), passing yards per game (87.2), yards per kick return (12.5), scoring defense (41 ppg), total defense (445.9 ypg), passing defense (262.4 ypg) and sacks (48).

However, the Wildcats have the No. 4 rushing offense in the conference (148.9 yards per game) and are perfect on field goals this year (7 for 7).

Beating Davenport this week probably is a longshot, but it might be a good time to try some things with a possibly winnable game against Wayne State on the horizon. That will be the Wildcats’ last hope for avoiding a second straight winless campaign.

So, keep the ball on the ground. Run, and run hard. Maybe someone will break free. Keep the chains moving. Kick field goals. Tighten things up before the season finale against Wayne State, while maybe something magical happens on the road against the Panthers.

Davenport is 6-3 overall and 3-2 in conference play this year, but the Panthers aren’t putting up huge numbers. They’ve only scored more than 25 points two times this year, and one was in a losing effort. 

Honestly, in looking at Davenport and Wayne State’s output this year, THIS might be Northern Michigan’s best chance at a win, not next week against the Warriors. 

PREDICTION: I want Northern Michigan to get a win. I really do. I picked the Wildcats for the upset multiple time this year, and they let me down. Taking advantage of a down year from Davenport is possible here, but I just don’t think NMU can finish the job on the road. Davenport 27, Northern Michigan 13

Grand Valley State At Michigan Tech, Noon

Again, thinking with your heart would suggest that this is the best season in recent years to get one over on Grand Valley State. 

Michigan Tech is the strongest it has been, and the Lakers, while 8-1, have slowed offensively, compared to their dominant 2022 and 2023 seasons.

The last three weeks have been a roller coaster ride for GVSU, which snuck past Saginaw Valley State (16-9), got rolled by Ferris State (34-7) and let Wayne State score more points than it should have at Lubber Stadium (51-28). 

Michigan Tech has won six of its last eight games, with the losses coming to Davenport (24-20) and Ferris State (51-13). Both of those results and scores make sense based on where the teams are in 2024 and where they have been in recent years.

However, Michigan Tech’s recent two-game winning streak has come against two of the conference’s weakest teams, Northern Michigan (39-9) and Roosevelt (20-7). 

That leaves the question: have the Huskies been challenged enough the last two weeks to keep their momentum going in the right direction? Have they been tested enough to be as sharp as they’ll need to be against GVSU?

Is Grand Valley State experiencing the opposite? Did the Lakers learn from their meetings with SVSU and Ferris State and reignite their own fire against Wayne State to be able to put 51 on the scoreboard?

PREDICTION: This one will be closer than GVSU’s 44-13 rout last year, but the Lakers still will defeat the Huskies for the ninth consecutive time and 28th time in their 31 meetings since 1976. The last time Michigan Tech beat GVSU was 2014. Grand Valley State 38, Michigan Tech 24

Roosevelt At Wayne State, 1 p.m.

Roosevelt will continue to learn and improve in its transition to Division II and the GLIAC, and this week’s visit to Wayne State will be a memorable one.

It won’t be memorable because Roosevelt is going to pick up its second victory of the year, it’ll be memorable because Wayne State is going to give its home fans a late-season thrill and finally get in the win column.

Yes, the Warriors are 0-9 overall and 0-5 in conference play, but they’ve played some tight games against ranked, or almost-ranked, teams this year. 

They started the year with three consecutive losses to top-30 teams, and none of them were blowouts. They also held their own against Ferris State and Grand Valley State, both of which have been at the top of one, or both, Division II polls this year.

Wayne State probably should’ve beaten Davenport on Oct. 19, but the game just got away in the second half.

All of that is proof that the Warriors have the potential to win games, but they’re just not playing complete games. 

Another example – the Warriors did not score in the first half against GVSU, while giving up 37 points. In the second half, WSU outscored the Lakers 28-14, but the damage already was done. GVSU escaped 51-28.

Roosevelt isn’t putting up huge numbers, but also isn’t letting teams run up the score. Except for a 55-13 rout by Ferris State, the Lakers have kept each contest within a score or two.

If the Wayne State offense that combined for 42 points against Ferris State and GVSU, two of the best teams on both sides of the ball, can show up against Roosevelt, the Warriors officially will be out of their shared spot in the GLIAC cellar. 

However, that also means the defense that held Ferris State to 27 points and shut down Grand Valley State in the second half also needs to be present.

PREDICTION: A complete performance will be required, as Roosevelt is not a layup, but the way the Warriors have been tested the last four weeks against the four best teams in the conference will have them ready for battle. Wayne State 36, Roosevelt 13

Saginaw Valley State At Ferris State, 1 p.m.

Saginaw Valley State really has proven itself this year as a solid No. 3 team in the GLIAC, and the Cardinals probably are destined for a playoff spot, but this is where their hope for a share of the conference title goes away.

Since an opening-week loss to Pittsburg State, Ferris State has outscored its opponents 405-69, surging to an 8-1 overall record and 5-0 mark in conference action. 

SVSU has improved this year, but not enough to slow the Bulldogs and their momentum. 

FSU obviously isn’t invincible, but the talent needed to hand the Bulldogs a second loss won’t be on the other side of the field until sometime in the playoff bracket.

The best SVSU should hope for is slowing Ferris State as much as possible and having the confidence to finish strong next week against Michigan Tech. Grand Valley State somehow losing again also would be great for the Cardinals and their reemergence as a GLIAC threat.

Hopefully, the Cardinals also can learn from their meeting with GVSU, where they shut down the Lakers offense but couldn’t get the job done when it was their turn to have the ball.

PREDICTION: Ferris State continues to roll and locks up at least a share of the conference title. Ferris State 49, SVSU 14

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

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.

When Do The NCAA Division II Football Playoffs Start?

The playoffs begin on Nov. 23 and end on Dec. 21 at District Stadium in McKinney, Texas. 

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