The Top 10 of DII football dominated Week 8. With No. 10 MSU Texas idle, the remaining nine teams went 9-0 and outscored their opponents 339-189. Those strong performances led to little change toward the top of the poll.
However, there is still plenty to note in the Week 8 AFCA poll. With just a few weeks remaining in the regular season, the postseason picture is starting to take shape. These are the teams who are now on watch for a title run come November.
| RANK | SCHOOL | RECORD | POINTS | PREVIOUS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minnesota State (30) | 8-0 | 821 | 1 |
| 2 | Ferris State | 8-0 | 768 | 2 |
| 3 | West Georgia | 8-0 | 755 | 3 |
| 4 | Ouachita Baptist | 8-0 | 678 | 4 |
| 5 | Minnesota Duluth | 8-0 | 670 | 5 |
| 6 | Colorado School of Mines | 8-0 | 646 | 6 |
| 7 | Valdosta State | 8-0 | 630 | 7 |
| 8 | Tarleton State | 7-0 | 582 | 9 |
| 9 | Grand Valley State | 7-1 | 541 | 8 |
| 10 | MSU Texas | 6-1 | 524 | 10 |
| 11 | Northwest Missouri State | 7-1 | 513 | 11 |
| 12 | West Chester | 7-0 | 459 | 12 |
| 13 | Colorado State-Pueblo | 7-1 | 414 | 13 |
| 14 | Notre Dame (OH) | 8-0 | 406 | 14 |
| 15 | Kutztown | 7-0 | 342 | 15 |
| 16 | Indianapolis | 6-1 | 338 | 16 |
| 17 | Tiffin | 8-0 | 303 | 17 |
| 18 | Texas A&M-Commerce | 6-2 | 241 | 18 |
| 19 | LIU Post | 7-0 | 237 | 20 |
| 20 | Central Washington | 6-2 | 175 | 21 |
| 21 | Southern Arkansas | 7-1 | 171 | 22 |
| 22 | Indiana (Pa) | 6-2 | 109 | 23 |
| 23 | Harding | 6-2 | 95 | 24 |
| 24 | Lenoir-Rhyne | 7-1 | 83 | NR |
| 25 | Hillsdale | 7-1 | 47 | NR |
The DII football top 10 remains the same, almost
There was almost no change within the top 10. No. 1 Minnesota State continues its strong run. The Mavericks last regular-season loss came almost two years ago, on Oct. 29, 2016, to Sioux Falls. Their only loss during that span was in the playoffs last season to the eventual national champion Texas A&M-Commerce Lions. With the Mavericks three remaining opponents having a combined 10-14 record, they have as good a chance as any to run the table.
MORE: Adam Thielen was a star at Minnesota State. Here's what you need to know.
The only change in the top 10 was that No. 8 Tarleton State and No. 9 Grand Valley State flip-flopped from Week 7. Davenport gave the Lakers everything they could handle, and it took a 53-yard touchdown reception in the final two minutes by star wide receiver Nick Dodson to get Grand Valley State past the Panthers. Tarleton State just continues to roll, this week putting up 59 points. It sets up an exciting top 10 matchup with MSU Texas this week that has tremendous Lone Star Conference implications.
Welcome to the top 25
One word comes to mind with this week's newcomers to the DII football poll.
Finally.
MORE: DII football Week 8 by the numbers
Both No. 24 Lenoir-Rhyne and No. 25 Hillsdale have had strong seasons. The Bears have seven straight wins since dropping their opener to then-ranked West Alabama. With Catawba and Carson-Newman left on the schedule, the Bears control their own destiny in the South Atlantic Conference. A win over Carson-Newman in two weeks essentially gives them the SAC title.
BREAKING: Bears nationally ranked for the first time since 2015! LR comes in at No. 24 in the AFCA Top 25. #GOBEARS pic.twitter.com/zE3Hkimn2M
â LR Athletics (@BearsSports) October 22, 2018
Hillsdale also has an impressive resume. The Chargers are 7-1, dropping a Week 2 out-of-conference game to Michigan Tech. They have signature wins against Great Midwest Athletic Conference front-runners Ohio Dominican and Findlay and have undefeated Tiffin left on the schedule on Nov. 3. That game will be for the G-MAC and should be an exciting one.
Undefeated DII football teams
Here are the remaining undefeated teams in the top 25.
| SCHOOL | RECORD |
|---|---|
| Minnesota State | 8-0 |
| Ferris State | 8-0 |
| West Georgia | 8-0 |
| Ouachita Baptist | 8-0 |
| Minnesota Duluth | 8-0 |
| Colorado School of Mines | 8-0 |
| Valdosta State | 8-0 |
| Tarleton State | 7-0 |
| West Chester | 7-0 |
| Notre Dame (OH) | 8-0 |
| Kutztown | 7-0 |
| Tiffin | 8-0 |
| LIU-Post | 7-0 |
We know for certain there will be one less undefeated team in DII football come Week 9. West Chester heads to Andre Reed Stadium for a huge Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference showdown this weekend. Colorado School of Mines has no easy task running the table. While they have wins against conference foes Colorado State-Pueblo and Colorado Mesa already, the three remaining teams on the Orediggers schedule -- South Dakota Mines (4-4), Dixie State (5-3), and Chadron State (5-2) -- all present tough challenges and have shown they have the talent to hang with anyone. Should the Orediggers pull through undefeated, you may have to consider them a serious contender to head to Texas in December.
MORE: Here are DII football's 7 most dangerous dual-threat quarterbacks
