INDIANAPOLIS – Valdosta State, ranked No. 2 nationally in the latest American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Top 25, learned Monday afternoon that it is the top team in the first NCAA Division II Super Region Two rankings, released by the NCAA.
Following the Blazers, Bowie State sits at No. 2 and Albany State at No. 3 in the region rankings. West Georgia is fourth, followed by West Florida for fifth. Wingate is sixth and Mars Hill sits seventh. Newberry is eighth, followed by West Alabama and Fayetteville State rounds out the top ten.
The Blazers and West Georgia tee it off in arguably the biggest game of the season to date on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium. UWG enters at No. 3 in the AFCA Top 25 as the game has huge Gulf South Conference title and NCAA postseason implications. It also is for the Annual Peach Basket and for the newly announced Red Clay Rivalry series.
VSU has wins over No. 3 Albany State and No. 9 West Alabama this season already and will face UWG this weekend and at West Florida on Nov. 13 to conclude the regular season.
This year's bracket will feature the top seven teams in the final rankings, scheduled to be released on Nov. 14 live on NCAA.com. The top team in the region will get a "bye" for the first round, while Nos. 2-4 seeds will host Nos. 5-7, on Nov. 20 for the first round. The second round is scheduled for Nov. 27, while the third round is set for Dec. 4 and the national semifinals are Dec. 11.
Once again, the NCAA Division II National Championship will return to McKinney, Texas, and scheduled for Dec. 18. VSU won the national championship in McKinney in 2018 with a thrilling 49-47 victory over Ferris State for the school's first 14-0 record. The Gulf South Conference has had a team play for the national championship each of the past four playing seasons, dating back to 2016.
The Blazers are one of four teams remaining in the country with an unblemished record at 7-0 and 4-0 in GSC play. VSU is 26-13 all-time in the NCAA postseason and looking for its 18th trip to the postseason in program history and third-straight.
Check back next Monday for the second region rankings. Click on the link to the right of this story for this week's rankings and for information on the new Red Clay Rivalry series.
