INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – On Monday, the No. 1-ranked Valdosta State football team, according to the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), learned it sits third in the NCAA Division II Football Super Region Two rankings in the first numerical region poll.
 
Wingate, who stands at 7-1 in the top team in the region rankings, while West Alabama also is 7-1 and checks in at the No. 2 spot.  VSU is third, followed by Johnson C. Smith and Carson-Newman rounds out the top five.  Virginia Union sits sixth, followed by Winston-Salem State and Lenoir-Rhyne is eighth.  Miles College is ninth and West Florida sits tenth.  
 
This is the second of three publicly announced region polls prior to the NCAA Division II Football Selection Show scheduled for the evening of Nov. 17, and streamed on NCAA.com.  The format is four regions of seven teams with the top-seed in each region earning a first round "bye".  The remaining six teams in each region will open the postseason on Nov. 23, while the top-seed would then open on Nov. 30.  The regional finals are scheduled for Dec. 7, while the national semifinals, which are reseeded, are set for Dec. 14.  The 2024 NCAA Division II Football National Championship game is set for McKinney ISD Stadium in McKinney, Texas, on Dec. 21.
 
The Blazers last played in McKinney in the championship in 2021, finishing as national runner-up, while they won the 2018 national championship in a 49-47 thriller over Ferris State, also in McKinney, for the program's fourth national title in football and eighth national title overall as an institution at that time.  VSU now has nine national titles in school history, winning the 2024 men's tennis national title this past spring. 
 
VSU's six national title appearances (4-2) are tied for third-most all-time in NCAA Division II, as are its four national titles.  Northwest Missouri State leads the way with six national titles and ten appearances, while former D2 member North Dakota State has five championships in seven appearances.  The Blazers and Grand Valley State are tied for third in both.  
 
The Blazers are 31-15 all-time in 19 appearances in the NCAA postseason and the 31 victories are fourth-most all-time in D2 and third-most among active institutions.  The 19 appearances are tied for fifth-most all-time and fourth-most among current D2 schools.  
 
VSU went 2-1 in the postseason in 2023, defeating Limestone 62-41 and winning at Delta State 38-31, before losing to Lenoir-Rhyne 35-7 in the regional final in Valdosta.  The Blazers were the No. 3-seed in the regional in 2023, while they were the top-seed in 2018, 2019 and 2021.  Since 2018, the Blazers are 9-3 in the playoffs with four appearances.  
 
Following the Blazers in the AFCA poll is Ferris State, followed by Kutztown, Harding and Grand Valley State rounds out the top five.  West Alabama is 12^th, while West Florida sits 17^th, with Carson-Newman tied for 21^st with Lenoir-Rhyne and Wingate is tied for 24^th.  Johnson C. Smith, Virginia Union and Miles College all are among others receiving votes. 
 
In the D2Football.com poll, Ferris State takes over the top spot this week following the loss by Pittsburg State to Central Missouri on Saturday.  The Blazers move to second, followed by Kutztown, Grand Valley State and Harding round out the top five.  West Alabama is 14^th, while Wingate is 18^th, Carson-Newman is 22^nd and Johnson C. Smith is 25^th among teams from the region.  
 
The Blazers travel to Delta State for a 3 p.m. ET matchup with the Statesmen on Saturday in a very important Gulf South Conference matchup.  VSU is one of three remaining undefeated teams in the country at 8-0 (Kutztown, Charleston, W.Va.) and owns a 4-0 record in Gulf South Conference play.  Check back with vstateblazers.com for links to live stats, audio/video streaming, ticket information and more on the football schedule page.