GLIAC Football

5 Things To Know About Valdosta State vs. Ferris State 2024 D2 Title Tilt

5 Things To Know About Valdosta State vs. Ferris State 2024 D2 Title Tilt

Valdosta State and Ferris State are about to play for the NCAA Division II football title for the third time since 2018. Here are some things to know.

Dec 20, 2024 by Matt Cannizzaro
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It would be hard to talk about NCAA Division II football over the last decade – or maybe even 20 years – without mentioning Valdosta State and Ferris State, as they’ve been two of the most dominant teams in the country. 

The pair have claimed three of the five national titles awarded since 2018, and they faced each other in two of those contests, with each winning one.

The rubber match between the two powerhouses again will come with a national title on the line. 

The Blazers and Bulldogs will meet Saturday in the title game of the 2024 NCAA Division II Football Championship. Kickoff at McKinney ISD Stadium in McKinney, Texas, the same place they met in 2018 and 2021, is set for 2 p.m. Eastern, live on ESPN2. 

Regardless of who wins Saturday, some sort of history will be made. 

Valdosta State could become the third program to win five or more Division II national titles. Ferris State could become the sixth team to win three or more times and the fifth to win three times in four years.

As the teams continue to prepare for the big game, we should, too. 

Let’s take a look at some interesting things to know ahead of the Valdosta State-Ferris State championship showdown:

Valdosta State And Ferris State Have Very Different Histories

The Valdosta State football program has only been in action since 1982, but the team’s success has been quick and consistent, with 20 appearances in the Division II Playoffs, 11 Gulf South Conference titles and four national championships (2004, 2007, 2012, 2018).

Valdosta State is 34-15 all-time in the Division II Playoffs and now has reached the championship game seven times. 

Ferris State was a late-bloomer. 

The FSU program is in its 115th year, and the team has won more than 500 games, but the Bulldogs’ surge into the national spotlight has come in the last 10 years or so.

In that time, Ferris State is 121-14 overall, has won two national championships and six conference titles, has had five undefeated regular seasons and has reached the national quarterfinals six times. 

This year also marks a record 10 consecutive appearances in the Division II Playoffs for the Bulldogs, which includes four trips to the championship game since 2018, with wins in 2021 and 2022.

Valdosta State And Ferris State With The National Title On The Line

Including this season, Valdosta State and Ferris State have combined for 11 appearances in the Division II championship game. This will be the third time they’re playing each other – the only three times they’ve ever met.

Here’s how those championship-game appearances turned out for each team:

Valdosta State

  • 2002 – Grand Valley State def. Valdosta State, 31-24
  • 2004 – Valdosta State def. Pittsburg State, 36-31
  • 2007 – Valdosta State def. Northwest Missouri State, 25-20
  • 2012 – Valdosta State def. Winston-Salem State, 35-7
  • 2018 – Valdosta State def. Ferris State, 49-47
  • 2021 – Ferris State def. Valdosta State, 58-17
  • 2024 – Valdosta State vs. Ferris State, TBD

Ferris State

  • 2018 – Valdosta State def. Ferris State, 49-47
  • 2021 – Ferris State def. Valdosta State, 58-17
  • 2022 – Ferris State def. Colorado School of Mines, 41-14
  • 2024 – Ferris State vs. Valdosta State, TBD

What Do The Polls Say About Valdosta State And Ferris State?

Ferris State started the 2024 campaign with a shocking loss to Pittsburg State but then spent the rest of the regular season proving it belonged among the top teams in Division II – if there even was a question.

The Bulldogs rolled through the rest of the regular season and finished at 10-1. Valdosta State cruised from start to finish and closed the regular season at 10-0, though what might’ve been the Blazers’ biggest test, a Sept. 28 matchup with West Alabama, was canceled due to the potential impact of Hurricane Helene. 

VSU won the Gulf South Conference title. FSU got back on top in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

In the final American Football Coaches Association Division II Football Rankings on Nov. 18, the surging Bulldogs landed at No. 2, behind Valdosta State.

In the simultaneous D2Football.com Top 25 Poll, the roles were reversed, with Ferris State holding on to the top spot, ahead of Valdosta State.

Ultimately, Valdosta State (Super Region Two) and Ferris State (Super Region Three) each earned the No. 1 positions in their respective regions, which earned them first-round byes for the playoffs.

In the weeks since, Valdosta State (now 13-0) has defeated Miles College (33-17), Virginia Union (49-14) and Minnesota State (35-21).

Ferris State (now 13-1) has put up some huge numbers in the playoffs, taking down Central Oklahoma (78-17), defending national champion Harding (41-7) and Slippery Rock (48-38).

Through Dec. 14, Ferris State has the No. 2 scoring offense in Division II football with 44.7 points per game, while Valdosta State is seventh at 42.2. Ferris State also has the No. 3 offense (493 yards per game), while VSU is 10th at 459.2.

Valdosta State owns the better scoring defense (No. 2 at 11ppg), with FSU seventh on the list at 13.07. In total defense, the Blazers sit at No. 9, giving up 254.5 points per game, while the Bulldogs are No. 13 at 260.7.

Obviously, all of the numbers listed above truly are too close to give one team an advantage over the other.

There’s no doubt it’s going to be a hard-fought contest, and it could be a high-scoring shootout, just as easily as it could be a defensive battle.

Behind Every Great Team Is A Great Coach – Valdosta State And Ferris State Coaches Shine

There was a learning curve for Valdosta State when new head coach Tremaine Jackson joined the program for the 2022 season. 

He took over a team that won 22 games and a pair of conference titles the two years prior and had just played for the 2021 Division II national championship, ultimately losing to Ferris State in the finale.

It’s hard to come in and change things when the program has known nothing but winning for nearly two decades, but Jackson was very focused on bringing a new mentality to the locker room and beginning the process of building a more well-rounded program.

The team struggled in 2022, going from 10-1 and 12-2 seasons to a 5-6 performance in Jackson’s first year. 

Things turned around quickly, however, and the Blazers were back to the postseason and a 12-2 mark in 2023. And, obviously, 2024 has been even better, including a second consecutive conference championship.

Jackson’s progress and success in 2024 earned him GSC Co-Coach of the Year honors, which he shared with West Alabama’s Brett Gilliland, but Valdosta State’s leader wasn’t done there.

Jackson also was named the AFCA National Division II Coach of the Year, the fourth such time for a VSU head coach, but first since 2012.

Ferris State head coach Tony Annese was named the 2024 GLIAC Coach of the Year for all of the things mentioned in this story and in much of the FloFootball coverage heading into the championship game.

Now in his 12th season at the helm of the Ferris State program, Annese is 136-21-0 and is the school’s winningest football coach, a mark he claimed during the 2022 title run when he passed Keith Otterbein, who won 102 games with the Bulldogs. 

As a high school and collegiate head coach, Annese has won more than 360 games, three high school state championships, two junior college national titles and the two Division II crowns with Ferris State.

This And That About Valdosta State And Ferris State

  • Valdosta State is looking for its third 14-win season. The Blazers were 14-1 in 2002 and 14-0 in 2018. They were the national runners-up in 2002 (to Grand Valley State) and defeated Ferris State to win the national title in 2018.

  • Ferris State was a record-tying 15-1 during that 2018 season. The Bulldogs got their perfect season in 2021, going 14-0, including a win over Valdosta State in the championship game. Since 2013, Ferris State has more wins than any Division II team (121-14). If Ferris State wins the national title Saturday, it will be the Bulldogs’ fourth season with 14 or more wins – 2018, 2021 and 2022 (14-1).

  • Valdosta State and Ferris State each have one of the eight finalists for the 2024 Harlon Hill Trophy, which goes to the NCAA Division II Player of the Year. VSU senior quarterback Sammy Edwards made the list, along with FSU’s junior gunslinger, Trinidad Chambliss. The eight finalists advanced to a national ballot, where representatives from each Division II school and conference select a winner. This year’s winner will be announced Dec. 20.

Ferris State vs. Valdosta State Tidbits

The first year of Ferris State football was 1900. …This year marks the 15th overall playoff appearance for the Bulldogs. ….20 Ferris State players received All-GLIAC honors this season. ….Valdosta State is 34-7 all-time as the No. 1-ranked team. …Tremaine Jackson has never coached VSU at a neutral site. …Sammy Edwards was named the GSC Offensive Player of the Year. …Valdosta State has 17 players receive All-GSC first- or second-team honors in 2024.

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 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. 

Watch The 2024 Anchor-Bone Classic (Ferris State Vs. Grand Valley State) For Free

This game was pivotal in Ferris State's rise back to the top of the GLIAC.


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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