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How Many NCAA Division II Football Teams Won 3 Championships In 4 Years?

How Many NCAA Division II Football Teams Won 3 Championships In 4 Years?

Only five schools have won three or more Division II football national titles. Four have won three across four years. Can Ferris State become the next?

Dec 18, 2024 by Matt Cannizzaro
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The first NCAA Division II football national champion – Louisiana Tech – was crowned in 1973, and in 2023, the championship trophy was hoisted for the 50th time, with that honor going to undefeated Harding (15-0). 

In the short history of NCAA Division II football, a few teams have dominated for periods of time, and five schools have won three or more national titles. 

Valdosta State already is on the short list, having won four times, and Ferris State will be looking to become the sixth member of the elite club when the powerhouse teams meet Saturday in the title tilt of the 2024 NCAA Division II Football Championship.

The showdown will take place at McKinney ISD Stadium in McKinney, Texas, with kickoff set for 2 p.m. Eastern. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN2.

Regardless of the outcome, Ferris State still won’t have as many titles as Valdosta State, but the Bulldogs could do something the Blazers haven’t yet accomplished, and that’s winning three times in four seasons. 

Actually, VSU is the only one of the five teams on the aforementioned list not to reach the milestone, with championships coming in 2004, 2007, 2012 and 2018.

Technically, five-time winner North Dakota State accomplished it twice, having won in 1983, 1985, 1986, 1988 and 1990.

North Alabama became the first, and still the only, team to win three consecutive titles, which came in 1993, 1994 and 1995. After winning back-to-back titles in 2021 and 2022, Ferris State’s bid to match the record ended with a first-round exit from the 2023 playoffs.

The team that ousted the Bulldogs, also a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference foe – Grand Valley State – owns its own special place in the record book as one of the most dominant teams of the new century. 

The Lakers won an incredible four championships in five years – 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2006 – while falling short in the final game in 2001 and 2009. 

Rounding Out D2 Football Mount Rushmore Programs

The last team on the Mount Rushmore of Division II football, and one of just two programs to take the hardware on both sides of the new millennium (Pittsburg State is the other in 1991 and 2011), also owns the record for the most championships with six.

Northwest Missouri State won it all in 1998, 1999, 2009, 2013, 2015 and 2016. 

Beyond the small group of elite champions, six other teams have won twice, 15 are credited with one title and one team – Mississippi College in 1989 – won the title and had it vacated by the NCAA Committee due to infractions. 

Ferris State just didn’t have the same magic in 2023, and GVSU simply was too strong, handing the Bulldogs two of their three losses. 

Can Ferris State, which is 13-1 and riding a 13-game winning streak, reach the top of the mountain again? Did we mention that over the last 13 games, the Bulldogs are outscoring their opponents 623-164?

Or will something-to-prove Valdosta State complete one of the most epic turnrounds in college football history and become the third program with five or more Division II championships?

After winning their fourth title in 2018, the Blazers stayed strong and even reached the championship game again in 2021, where they fell to Ferris State, 58-17. 

The next season, however, a chance in coach and culture saw the long-dominant Blazers fall to 5-6 for their 2022 campaign.

New head coach Tremaine Jackson wasted no time getting things back in order, but his team disappointingly was bounced from the national quarterfinals in 2023, ending the year at 12-2.

The Blazers will enter this year’s finale at 13-0. Will they complete their perfect season?

How Many Football National Championships Has Ferris State Won?

The Ferris State Bulldogs have won two football national championships – 2021 and 2022. 

They also reached the title game in 2018 but fell to Valdosta State.

How Many Football National Championships Has Valdosta State Won?

The Valdosta State Blazers have won four Division II national championships – 2004, 2007, 2012, and 2018. 

The Blazers also reached the title game in 2002 and 2021 but fell to Grand Valley State and Ferris State, respectively. 

How Many Teams Made The Division II Playoffs In 2024?

Along with the short list of all-time Division II champions, the format and location for the playoffs/championship also have been consistent.

The postseason originally included eight teams, which went unchanged until it expanded to 16 teams in 1988. In 2004, that number grew to 24. Finally, since 2016, the Division II Playoffs have featured 28 teams.

Since 2018, the championship game has been held at McKinney ISD Stadium, with McKinney being the eighth city in history to host the season finale. 

How To Watch The Division II National Championship Game

The title game of the 2024 NCAA Division II Football Championship between Ferris State and Valdosta State will air on ESPN2 on Saturday, Dec. 21 at 2 p.m. Eastern. 

The game will be played at McKinney ISD Stadium in McKinney, Texas. 

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 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 def. New Haven, 14-7
  • Ashland def. Charleston (W.Va.), 40-38
  • California (Pa.) def. East Stroudsburg, 30-27
  • Miles def. Carson-Newman, 14-13
  • Virginia Union def. Wingate, 34-31
  • Lenoir-Rhyne def. West Alabama, 37-34
  • Central Oklahoma def. Ouachita Baptist, 38-31
  • Grand Valley State def. UIndy, 24-7
  • Harding def. Pittsburg State, 48-3
  • Minnesota State def. Augustana (S.D.), 20-19
  • Western Colorado def. Central Washington, 28-21
  • Bemidji State def. Angelo State, 24-14

Second Round: Saturday, Nov. 30

  • Slippery Rock def. Kutztown, 25-24
  • Valdosta State def. Miles, 33-17
  • Ferris State def. Central Oklahoma, 78-17
  • Minnesota State def. CSU Pueblo, 26-23

Quarterfinals: Saturday, Dec. 7

  • Slippery Rock def. California (Pa.), 31-13
  • Ferris State def. Harding, 41-7
  • Valdosta State def. Virginia Union, 49-14
  • Minnesota State def. Bemidji State, 20-19

Semifinals: Saturday, Dec. 14

  • Ferris State def. Slippery Rock, 48-38
  • Valdosta State def. Minnesota State, 35-21

Final: Saturday, Dec. 21

  • Ferris State vs. Valdosta State, 2 p.m. Eastern (ESPN2)

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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