2026 NCAA Division II football season

2026 NCAA Division II football season
2026 NCAA Division II football season
Total No. of teams	160
Regular season	August 27 – November 14, 2026
Playoffs	November 21 – December 19, 2026
National Championship	McKinney Independent School District Stadium; McKinney, TX; December 19, 2026
	← 2025; NCAA Division II football seasons;

The 2026 NCAA Division II football season, part of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level, began on August 27 and will end on December 19 with the Division II championship at the McKinney Independent School District Stadium in McKinney, Texas.

Conference changes and new programs

School	Former conference	New conference	Ref
West Florida Argonauts	Gulf South	UAC (FCS)	^[1]

Headlines

April 2 – After falling below the minimum required number of football-sponsoring members, the Gulf South Conference lost automatic qualification status for the NCAA Division II football championship, beginning in the fall of 2026. A request for a waiver for the requirement was denied by the NCAA Division II Championship Committee.^[2]^[3]
August 29 – Shortly after scoring a touchdown for William Jewell in the first quarter of the Cardinals' game against Fort Lewis, running back MicahJo Barnett had a medical emergency on the sideline and was transported to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The game was suspended with William Jewell leading 7–0.^[4]
September 5 – A non-conference game between Colorado Mines and Washburn ended in a 16–16 tie due to extreme heat.^[5]
October 2 – Valdosta State announced its football team will depart the Gulf South Conference after the 2026–27 season, becoming Division II independents.^[6]

Rankings

Conference standings

Super Region 1

2026 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
Virginia State	5	–	0	6	–	1
Johnson C. Smith	4	–	0	5	–	1
No. 24 Virginia Union	4	–	0	5	–	1
Bowie State	3	–	1	3	–	3
Fayetteville State	2	–	2	3	–	3
Shaw	2	–	3	4	–	3
Livingstone	2	–	4	2	–	5
Elizabeth City State	1	–	3	1	–	5
Lincoln (PA)	1	–	3	1	–	5
Bluefield State	0	–	4	0	–	6
Winston-Salem State	0	–	4	0	–	6

$ – Conference champion y – Championship game participant ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant As of October 13, 2026 Rankings from AFCA poll

2026 Mountain East Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
West Liberty	3	–	0	5	–	1
Charleston (WV)	3	–	0	3	–	3
Wheeling	2	–	1	3	–	3
Concord	2	–	2	4	–	2
Frostburg State	2	–	2	3	–	3
West Virginia Wesleyan	2	–	2	3	–	4
Fairmont State	2	–	2	2	–	5
Glenville State	0	–	3	1	–	5
West Virginia State	0	–	4	1	–	5

$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant As of October 13, 2026 Rankings from AFCA poll

2026 Northeast-10 Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
Southern Connecticut	2	–	0	4	–	1
Assumption	2	–	0	3	–	2
Franklin Pierce	2	–	0	3	–	2
Pace	2	–	0	3	–	2
Bentley	0	–	2	2	–	3
American International	0	–	2	2	–	4
Post	0	–	2	0	–	5
Saint Anselm	0	–	2	0	–	5

$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant As of October 13, 2026 Rankings from AFCA poll

2026 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
East Division
No. 3 Kutztown	2	–	0	6	–	0
East Stroudsburg	2	–	0	5	–	1
Shepherd	2	–	1	5	–	1
Bloomsburg	1	–	1	4	–	2
West Chester	1	–	2	3	–	3
Shippensburg	1	–	2	2	–	4
Millersville	0	–	3	0	–	6
West Division
No. 7 Slippery Rock	3	–	0	6	–	0
Lock Haven	3	–	0	4	–	2
No. 19 IUP	2	–	1	5	–	1
Clarion	2	–	1	4	–	2
California (PA)	1	–	2	3	–	3
Seton Hill	1	–	2	2	–	4
Edinboro	0	–	3	2	–	4
Gannon	0	–	3	0	–	6

$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant As of October 13, 2026 Rankings from AFCA poll

Super Region 2

2026 Conference Carolinas football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
Chowan	2	–	0	3	–	3
No. 22 North Greenville	2	–	1	5	–	1
UNC Pembroke	2	–	1	5	–	2
Ferrum*	2	–	1	2	–	4
Shorter	1	–	2	2	–	4
Erskine	0	–	2	2	–	4
Barton	0	–	2	1	–	5

$ – Conference champion y – Championship game participant ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant * – Ferrum ineligible for postseason play due to transition from NCAA Division III As of October 13, 2026 Rankings from AFCA poll

2026 Gulf South Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
No. 21 West Alabama	0	–	0	5	–	1
No. 17 Valdosta State	0	–	0	4	–	1
Delta State	0	–	0	2	–	3

$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant As of October 13, 2026 Rankings from AFCA poll

2026 South Atlantic Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
No. 18 Carson–Newman	4	–	1	6	–	1
Mars Hill	4	–	1	5	–	1
Newberry	3	–	2	4	–	2
Anderson (SC)	3	–	2	4	–	3
Catawba	2	–	3	3	–	4
Emory & Henry	2	–	3	3	–	4
Lenoir–Rhyne	2	–	3	3	–	4
Tusculum	2	–	3	3	–	4
Wingate	2	–	3	3	–	4
UVA Wise	1	–	4	1	–	6

$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant As of October 13, 2026 Rankings from AFCA poll

2026 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
Edward Waters	4	–	0	5	–	1
Kentucky State	4	–	1	5	–	2
Central State (OH)	4	–	1	4	–	3
Benedict	3	–	1	5	–	1
Albany State	3	–	1	3	–	3
Miles	3	–	2	3	–	4
Morehouse	3	–	3	3	–	4
Tuskegee	2	–	2	2	–	4
Allen	1	–	3	2	–	4
Clark Atlanta	1	–	3	1	–	5
Savannah State	1	–	4	1	–	5
Fort Valley State	0	–	3	1	–	4
Lane	0	–	5	0	–	7

$ – Conference champion y – Championship game participant ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant As of October 13, 2026 Rankings from AFCA poll

Super Region 3

2026 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
No. 9 Davenport	2	–	0	6	–	0
No. 1 Ferris State	2	–	0	6	–	0
No. 14 Michigan Tech	2	–	0	5	–	1
No. 13 Grand Valley State	1	–	1	5	–	1
Roosevelt	1	–	1	5	–	1
Saginaw Valley State	0	–	2	2	–	4
Northern Michigan	0	–	2	0	–	6
Wayne State (MI)	0	–	2	0	–	6

$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant As of October 13, 2026 Rankings from AFCA poll

2026 Great Lakes Valley Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
William Jewell	3	–	1	4	–	1
Southwest Baptist	3	–	1	4	–	3
Upper Iowa	2	–	1	3	–	3
Truman	2	–	1	2	–	4
Indianapolis	2	–	2	3	–	4
McKendree	2	–	2	2	–	4
Lincoln (MO)	1	–	2	2	–	3
Quincy	1	–	2	2	–	4
Missouri S&T	0	–	4	0	–	6

$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant # – Albanese Candy Bowl participant As of October 13, 2026 Rankings from AFCA poll

2026 Great Midwest Athletic Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
No. 10 Northwood	4	–	0	6	–	0
No. 16 Findlay	3	–	1	5	–	1
Hillsdale	3	–	1	5	–	1
Tiffin	3	–	1	4	–	2
Walsh	2	–	2	4	–	2
Ohio Dominican	2	–	2	3	–	3
Lake Erie	1	–	3	3	–	3
Ashland	1	–	3	1	–	5
Thomas More	1	–	3	1	–	5
Kentucky Wesleyan	0	–	4	0	–	6

$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant # – Albanese Candy Bowl participant As of October 13, 2026 Rankings from AFCA poll

2026 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
North
No. 23 Minnesota Duluth	5	–	1	5	–	2
MSU Moorhead	4	–	2	5	–	2
Northern State	4	–	2	5	–	2
Mary	2	–	4	3	–	4
Bemidji State	2	–	4	2	–	5
Minot State	2	–	4	2	–	5
Jamestown	0	–	6	0	–	7
South
No. 5 Minnesota State	6	–	0	7	–	0
No. 25 Wayne State (NE)	5	–	1	6	–	1
Augustana (SD)	4	–	2	5	–	2
Sioux Falls	4	–	2	4	–	3
Concordia–St. Paul	2	–	4	3	–	4
Winona State	2	–	4	2	–	5
SW Minnesota State	0	–	6	1	–	6

$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant As of October 13, 2026 Rankings from AFCA poll

Super Region 4

2026 Great American Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
No. 2 Harding	6	–	0	6	–	0
No. 15 Henderson State	6	–	0	6	–	0
East Central	5	–	1	5	–	1
Ouachita Baptist	4	–	2	4	–	2
SE Oklahoma State	4	–	2	4	–	2
Oklahoma Baptist	3	–	3	3	–	3
Arkansas Tech	2	–	4	2	–	4
Southern Arkansas	2	–	4	2	–	4
SW Oklahoma State	2	–	4	2	–	4
Arkansas–Monticello	1	–	5	1	–	5
Southern Nazarene	1	–	5	1	–	5
NW Oklahoma State	0	–	6	0	–	6

$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant As of October 13, 2026 Rankings from AFCA poll

2026 Lone Star Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
No. 20 UT Permian Basin	4	–	0	5	–	1
No. 11 Central Washington	4	–	0	4	–	2
Texas A&M–Kingsville	4	–	0	4	–	2
Midwestern State	3	–	1	4	–	2
Angelo State	2	–	2	2	–	4
Sul Ross	1	–	3	2	–	4
Western New Mexico	1	–	3	2	–	4
West Texas A&M	1	–	3	1	–	5
Western Oregon	0	–	4	2	–	4
Eastern New Mexico	0	–	4	0	–	6

$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant # – Heritage Bowl participant As of October 13, 2026 Rankings from AFCA poll

2026 Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association football standings
v t e	Conf.					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
No. 8 Emporia State	4	–	0	–	0	6	–	0	–	0
No. 12 NW Missouri State	3	–	1	–	0	4	–	1	–	0
Washburn	3	–	1	–	0	4	–	1	–	1
Central Missouri	3	–	1	–	0	4	–	2	–	0
Central Oklahoma	2	–	2	–	0	3	–	3	–	0
Missouri Western	2	–	2	–	0	3	–	3	–	0
Fort Hays State	2	–	2	–	0	3	–	3	–	0
Pittsburg State	1	–	3	–	0	1	–	5	–	0
Missouri Southern	0	–	4	–	0	1	–	5	–	0
Nebraska–Kearney	0	–	4	–	0	0	–	6	–	0

$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant As of October 13, 2026 Rankings from AFCA Poll

2026 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference football standings
v t e	Conf.					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
No. 4 CSU Pueblo	4	–	0	–	0	6	–	0	–	0
No. 6 Western Colorado	4	–	0	–	0	6	–	0	–	0
South Dakota Mines	3	–	1	–	0	5	–	1	–	0
Colorado Mines	3	–	1	–	0	3	–	2	–	1
Black Hills State	2	–	2	–	0	4	–	2	–	0
Colorado Mesa	2	–	2	–	0	3	–	3	–	0
New Mexico Highlands	1	–	3	–	0	3	–	3	–	0
Fort Lewis	1	–	3	–	0	2	–	3	–	0
Chadron State	0	–	4	–	0	1	–	5	–	0
Adams State	0	–	4	–	0	0	–	6	–	0

$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant As of October 13, 2026 Rankings from AFCA poll

2026 NCAA Division II independents football records
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
Northeastern State		–		3	–	3

Postseason

Automatic bids (15)

Automatic bids
Super Region	Conference	School	Record	Appearance	Last
Super Region 1	CIAA
	Mountain East
	Northeast-10
	PSAC
Super Region 2	Carolinas
	South Atlantic
	SIAC
Super Region 3	GLIAC
	GLVC
	Great Midwest
	Northern Sun
Super Region 4	Great American
	Lone Star
	MIAA
	Rocky Mountain

At-large bids (17)

At-large bids
Super Region	School	Conference	Record	Appearance	Last
Super Region 1



Super Region 2




Super Region 3



Super Region 4

Bracket

Host team indicated either by higher seed or * where applicable.

Super Region 1

First Round
November 21, 2026
Campus sites

Second Round
November 28, 2026
Campus sites

Quarterfinals
December 5, 2026
Campus sites

Super Region 2

First Round
November 21, 2026
Campus sites

Second Round
November 28, 2026
Campus sites

Quarterfinals
December 5, 2026
Campus sites

Super Region 3

First Round
November 21, 2026
Campus sites

Second Round
November 28, 2026
Campus sites

Quarterfinals
December 5, 2026
Campus sites

Super Region 4

First Round
November 21, 2026
Campus sites

Second Round
November 28, 2026
Campus sites

Quarterfinals
December 5, 2026
Campus sites

Semifinals & Championship

Teams are re-seeded prior to semifinals.

	Semifinals December 12, 2026 Hosted by higher seeded team					Championship December 19, 2026 McKinney, Texas

Coaching changes

Preseason and in-season

This is restricted to coaching changes that took place on or after May 1, 2026, and will include any changes announced after a team's last regularly scheduled games but before its playoff games.

School	Outgoing coach	Date	Reason	Replacement	Previous position
Jamestown	Brian Mistro	June 8, 2026	Resigned (became school's athletic director)^[7]	Tom Dosch	Jamestown associate head coach and special teams coordinator (2025)
Southwest Minnesota State	Scott Underwood	September 20, 2026	Retired^[8]	Levi Bullerman (interim)	Southwest Minnesota State defensive coordinator (2022–2026)
Tuskegee	Aaron James	October 4, 2026	Fired^[9]	Keith Higdon (interim)	Tuskegee assistant head coach and offensive line coach (2009–2026)
Central Oklahoma	Adam Dorrel	October 5, 2026	Resigned^[10]	Cody Swanson (interim)	Central Oklahoma defensive coordinator (2024–2026)

References

↑ "UWF Athletics announces move to NCAA Division I athletics, joins Atlantic Sun Conference, United Athletic Conference" (Press release). University of West Florida. April 2, 2026. Retrieved May 31, 2026.
↑ "Report of the NCAA Division II Championships Committee April 2, 2026, videoconference" (PDF). NCAA (Press release). April 2, 2026. Retrieved June 8, 2026.
↑ "GSC Loses AQ Status For D2 Football Championship". d2football.com (Press release). April 10, 2026. Retrieved June 8, 2026.
↑ Wawrow, John (August 29, 2026). "Missouri's William Jewell College running back dies after experiencing medical emergency during game". Associated Press. Retrieved August 29, 2026.
↑ Mendoza, Jordan (September 5, 2026). "A college football tie? Why Colorado School of Mines-Washburn ended 16-16". USA Today.
↑ Richard, Gregory. "Valdosta State Announces Move to Peach Belt Conference in 2027-28". vstateblazers.com. Valdosta State athletics. Retrieved 2 October 2026.
↑ "UJ names Brian Mistro Athletic Director" (Press release). University of Jamestown. June 8, 2026. Retrieved June 8, 2026.
↑ "SMSU head football coach Scott Underwood announces retirement effective immediately" (Press release). Southwest Minnesota State University. September 20, 2026. Retrieved September 20, 2026.
↑ "Tuskegee makes football staff changes" (Press release). Tuskegee University. October 4, 2026. Retrieved October 5, 2026.
↑ "UCO Head Football Coach Adam Dorrel Resigns" (Press release). University of Central Oklahoma. October 5, 2026. Retrieved October 5, 2026.

[1] "UWF Athletics announces move to NCAA Division I athletics, joins Atlantic Sun Conference, United Athletic Conference" (Press release). University of West Florida. April 2, 2026. Retrieved May 31, 2026.

[2] "Report of the NCAA Division II Championships Committee April 2, 2026, videoconference" (PDF). NCAA (Press release). April 2, 2026. Retrieved June 8, 2026.

[3] "GSC Loses AQ Status For D2 Football Championship". d2football.com (Press release). April 10, 2026. Retrieved June 8, 2026.

[4] Wawrow, John (August 29, 2026). "Missouri's William Jewell College running back dies after experiencing medical emergency during game". Associated Press. Retrieved August 29, 2026.

[5] Mendoza, Jordan (September 5, 2026). "A college football tie? Why Colorado School of Mines-Washburn ended 16-16". USA Today.

[6] Richard, Gregory. "Valdosta State Announces Move to Peach Belt Conference in 2027-28". vstateblazers.com. Valdosta State athletics. Retrieved 2 October 2026.

[7] "UJ names Brian Mistro Athletic Director" (Press release). University of Jamestown. June 8, 2026. Retrieved June 8, 2026.

[8] "SMSU head football coach Scott Underwood announces retirement effective immediately" (Press release). Southwest Minnesota State University. September 20, 2026. Retrieved September 20, 2026.

[9] "Tuskegee makes football staff changes" (Press release). Tuskegee University. October 4, 2026. Retrieved October 5, 2026.

[10] "UCO Head Football Coach Adam Dorrel Resigns" (Press release). University of Central Oklahoma. October 5, 2026. Retrieved October 5, 2026.

[1]

[2]

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[9]

[10]

v t e NCAA football seasons
Pre-NCAA	1869 1870 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905
NCAA pre-divisional	1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961
NCAA University Division	1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972
NCAA Division I	1973 1974 1975 1976 1977
NCAA Division I-A/FBS	1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026
NCAA Division I-AA/FCS	1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026
NCAA College Division	1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972
NCAA Division II	1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026
NCAA Division III	1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026

Conference changes and new programs

Headlines

Rankings

Conference standings

Super Region 1

Super Region 2

Super Region 3

Super Region 4

Postseason

Automatic bids (15)

At-large bids (17)

Bracket

Super Region 1

Super Region 2

Super Region 3

Super Region 4

Semifinals & Championship

Coaching changes

Preseason and in-season

See also

References