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3 Things To Know About GVSU Football In The NCAA Division II Playoffs

3 Things To Know About GVSU Football In The NCAA Division II Playoffs

Grand Valley State is 21-3 all-time against UIndy. Can the Lakers add another win to kick off the 2024 Division II Playoffs on Nov. 23?

Nov 20, 2024 by Matt Cannizzaro
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Grand Valley State may not have won its third consecutive Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football title, but the Lakers remain in contention for this year’s NCAA Division II national championship.

The 2024 playoff teams were announced Sunday, and the first round of postseason play now is less than a week away.

There will be 24 teams in action Nov. 23, including GVSU, which will host the University of Indianapolis at Lubbers Stadium in Allendale, Michigan, at 1 p.m. Eastern. 

The No. 1 team in each of the four super regions earned a first-round bye.

Grand Valley State has won four national championships since the turn of the century – 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2006 – and finished as the runner-up on two occasions – 2001 and 2009. 

In 52 years of action, GVSU also has won 19 conference championships and is the winningest FBS/FCS/Division II program in the country with a 453-152-3 record all-time, a winning percentage of nearly 75%.

A 34-21 victory over Roosevelt during the final week of the 2024 regular season gave the Lakers a 10-win season for the 20th time, including 18 times since 2001. They’re 10-1 overall this year and were 6-1 in GLIAC games. The lone conference loss was to Ferris State.

Now that the playoffs are here, though, every week is a clean slate, and past success means nothing. It’s win or go home from here on out, as the postseason is five weeks of single-elimination bracket play. 

Do some teams have more momentum than others heading into the playoffs? What does having won, or not won, a conference title this year do for a team’s confidence at this point? How important is past experience? Home-field advantage? What do we need to know about each team heading into the playoffs?

We tackle these questions and share some facts about Grand Valley State football heading into the opening round of the 2024 Division II Playoffs:

GVSU Football Against Ranked Teams And As A Ranked Team

In the latest American Football Coaches Association Division II Coaches Poll, which came out after the final game of the 2024 regular season, Grand Valley State landed back in the No. 5 spot, while the Lakers’ first-round opponent for the playoffs, UIndy, is No. 14.

Both teams finished the regular season with 10-1 records, but UIndy did something GVSU couldn’t do this year – win its conference championship.

The Greyhounds were 8-0 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference, easily taking the crown for the third straight season and 10th time since 2012.

GVSU’s bid for a three-peat in the GLIAC was derailed by Ferris State, which beat the Lakers in this year’s edition of the Anchor-Bone Classic on Oct. 26 (34-7).

Again, does any of that even matter at this point? It’s win or go home.

However, here are a couple of interesting GVSU stats ahead of the UIndy game:

  • Since 2009, Grand Valley State is 37-20 against ranked teams. 
  • Since 2001, GVSU is 230-39 as a ranked team.

Grand Valley State Football Vs. UIndy All-Time

This week’s meeting between Grand Valley State and Indianapolis will be the first postseason showdown for the two squads, though they’ve seen each other on the gridiron many times.

The two have faced off 24 times, with GVSU holding a 21-3 advantage in the series, including an 11-1 mark at home at Lubbers Stadium. 

The last time they met was 2018, with the Lakers winning 30-7.

  • 2018 – GVSU 30, UIndy 7
  • 2017 – UIndy 24, GVSU 20
  • 2011 – UIndy 34, GVSU 33
  • 2010 – GVSU 38, UIndy 31
  • 2009 – GVSU 26, UIndy 10
  • 2008 – GVSU 49, UIndy 21
  • 2007 – GVSU 41, UIndy 17
  • 2006 – GVSU 33, UIndy 7
  • 2005 – GVSU 29, UIndy 13
  • 2004 – GVSU 35, UIndy 9
  • 2003 – GVSU 53, UIndy 10
  • 2002 – GVSU 50, UIndy 13
  • 2001 – GVSU 63, UIndy 27
  • 2000 – GVSU 56, UIndy 21
  • 1999 – UIndy 30, GVSU 14
  • 1998 – GVSU 28, UIndy 17
  • 1997 – GVSU 23, UIndy 14
  • 1996 – GVSU 28, UIndy 14
  • 1995 – GVSU 56, UIndy 0
  • 1994 – GVSU 35, UIndy 24
  • 1993 – GVSU 31, UIndy 7
  • 1992 – GVSU 21, UIndy 7
  • 1991 – GVSU 31, UIndy 13
  • 1990 – GVSU 30, UIndy 12

What Happened In The Last Two Editions Of The Division II Playoffs?

Grand Valley State and UIndy both entered the 2022 and 2023 Division II Playoffs as the reigning champion in their respective conferences. But what happened once they got into bracket play?

GVSU definitely will be looking to improve on its last two playoff appearances.

In 2022, the Lakers received a first-round bye and then snuck past Northwest Missouri State. Unfortunately, Ferris State was waiting in the next round and looking for redemption after losing to GVSU in the regular season. The Bulldogs got the win (24-21) and went on to win their second consecutive national championship.

Last year, GVSU ended Ferris State’s bid for a three-peat with an opening-round win and then took out Pittsburg State. Again, though, the Lakers were bounced from the national quarterfinals, this time by eventual national champion Harding (7-6).

Pittsburg State has been a thorn for UIndy, eliminating the Greyhounds from the playoffs each of the last two seasons, both times in the opening round.

In 2022, UIndy lost 35-0. The 2023 result wasn’t too different, with the Greyhounds falling 35-14. Both times, however, Pittsburg State lost to a GLIAC powerhouse in the next round – eventual national champion Ferris State in 2022 and Grand Valley State in 2023.

If UIndy can get past GVSU this week, there could be a chance at redemption against the Gorillas in the second round. Pittsburg State will face Harding in the first round.

How Did The GLIAC Football Teams Perform In Week 12?

All eight GLIAC teams saw conference action on Nov. 16.

  • Michigan Tech def. Saginaw Valley State, 32-28
  • Ferris State def. Davenport, 24-9
  • Wayne State def. Northern Michigan, 30-14
  • Grand Valley State def. Roosevelt, 34-21

GLIAC Football Schedule 

Saturday, Nov. 23

All Times Eastern

  • UIndy at Grand Valley State, 1 p.m.
  • Ferris State gets first-round bye as the No. 1 team in Super Region Three.

When Are The NCAA Division II Football Playoffs?

  • First round: Saturday, Nov. 23
  • Second round: Saturday, Nov. 30 
  • Quarterfinals: Saturday, Dec. 7 
  • Semifinals: Saturday, Dec. 14
  • National championship: Saturday, Dec. 21

When Is The NCAA Division II Football National Championship Game?

The NCAA Division II championship game is set for Saturday, Dec. 21 in McKinney, Texas.

NCAA Division II Football Playoff Schedule

First Round: Saturday, Nov. 23

  • Slippery Rock vs. New Haven
  • Charleston (W.Va.) vs. Ashland
  • California (Pa.) vs. East Stroudsburg
  • Miles vs. Carson-Newman
  • Wingate vs. Virginia Union
  • West Alabama vs. Lenoir-Rhyne
  • Central Oklahoma vs. Ouachita Baptist
  • Grand Valley State vs. UIndy
  • Pittsburg State vs. Harding
  • Augustana (S.D.) vs. Minnesota State
  • Western Colorado vs. Central Washington
  • Angelo State vs. Bemidji State

Second Round: Saturday, Nov. 30

  • Kutztown vs. Slippery Rock/New Haven
  • Valdosta State vs. Miles/Carson-Newman
  • Ferris State vs. Central Oklahoma/Ouachita Baptist
  • CSU Pueblo vs. Augustana (S.D.)/Minnesota State

AFCA Division II Football Rankings

As of Nov. 18, 2024

  1. Valdosta St. (Ga.) (27) 10-0
  2. Ferris St. (Mich.) (3) 10-1
  3. Kutztown (Pa.) 11-0
  4. Harding (Ark.) 10-1
  5. Grand Valley St. (Mich.) 10-1
  6. Charleston (W.Va.) 11-0
  7. Colorado St.-Pueblo 10-1
  8. Central Oklahoma 10-1
  9. Ouachita Baptist (Ark.) 10-1
  10. Western Colorado 10-1
  11. Slippery Rock (Pa.) 9-1
  12. West Alabama 9-1
  13. Pittsburg St. (Kan.) 8-2
  14. Indianapolis (Ind.) 10-1
  15. Lenoir-Rhyne (N.C.) 9-2
  16. Angelo St. (Tex.) 9-2
  17. Wingate (N.C.) 9-1
  18. Colorado School of Mines 8-3
  19. Central Washington 8-3
  20. California (Pa.) 8-2
  21. West Florida 7-3
  22. Augustana (S.D.) 8-3
  23. Southern Arkansas 9-2
  24. Carson-Newman (Tenn.) 9-2
  25. Central Missouri 8-3

Dropped Out: Minnesota St. (18), Findlay (Ohio) (22).

Others Receiving Votes: Fort Hays St. (Kan.), 65; East Stroudsburg (Pa.), 45; Virginia Union, 38; Miles (Ala.), 36; Minnesota St., 34; New Haven (Conn.), 21; Findlay (Ohio), 18; Bemidji St. (Minn.), 9; Sioux Falls (S.D.), 4; Davenport (Mich.), 3; Ashland (Ohio), 2; Glenville St. (W.Va.), 1.

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

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