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NCAA Division II
football championship

Current season, competition or edition: 2024 NCAA Division II football season
Sport	American football
Founded	1973; 51 years ago (1973)
First season	1973
No. of teams	28
Country	United States
Most recent champion(s)	Ferris State (2024)
Most titles	Northwest Missouri State (6 titles)
TV partner(s)	ESPN2
Level on pyramid	2
Related competitions	Division III
Official website	ncaa.com/football/d2

The NCAA Division II football championship is an American college football tournament played annually to determine a champion at the NCAA Division II level. It was first held in 1973, as a single-elimination playoff with eight teams. The tournament field has subsequently been expanded three times: to 16 teams in 1988, 24 teams in 2004, and 28 teams in 2016.

The national championship game has been held in eight different cities. Former sites include Sacramento, California (1973–1975); Wichita Falls, Texas (1976–1977); Longview, Texas (1978); Albuquerque, New Mexico (1979–1980); McAllen, Texas (1981–1985); Florence, Alabama (1986–2013); and Kansas City, Kansas (2014–2017). From 1973 through 1985 (with the exception of 1978) the championship game carried a bowl designation (see NCAA Division II bowl games).

Since 2018, the championship game has been played at the McKinney ISD Stadium and Community Event Center in McKinney, Texas. Since 1994, the games have been broadcast on ESPN.

Small-college wire service national champions

Prior to 1973, for what was then called the NCAA College Division, national champions were selected by polls conducted at the end of each regular season by two major wire services, the Associated Press (AP) and United Press International (UPI). In some years, the two polls named different number one teams. From 1964 to 1972, postseason bowl games crowned four regional champions. NCAA Division II bowl games still exist, but only as postseason contests for teams not qualifying for the championship playoffs.

Polls to rank "small college" football teams were conducted by the Associated Press (AP) and United Press International (UPI) during, and at the end of, each regular season. The AP polled a panel of writers, while UPI polled a panel of coaches. When UPI began its poll in 1958, it explained that the poll would cover college football programs not considered "major" by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), with the small schools (then numbering 519) belonging to the NCAA, the NAIA, both, or neither. The AP began its poll in 1960.

National champions per wire service polls

Notes

1. ^ While the NCAA started Division II playoffs in 1973, AP and UPI still conducted their polls during the 1973 and 1974 seasons.

NCAA Division II champions

Since 1973, a post-season tournament has been held to determine the Division II Champion. The current format, in use since 2016, features 28 teams. They are organized into 4 super-regions of 7 teams each, with the top-seeded team in each super-region getting a bye during the first round. Prior to the championship game, all contests are hosted by the higher-seeded team. the semi-final games are held at the home stadiums of the two highest-seeded remaining teams. Since 2018, the championship game has been played at the McKinney Independent School District Stadium, a 12,000 seat facility that opened in August 2018.

Results

Key

• aet – game went to extra time

Notes

1. Mississippi College's 1989 tournament participation, along with its championship, were vacated by the NCAA Committee on Infractions.

Team titles

Current Division II members Team # Years Northwest Missouri State 6 1998, 1999, 2009, 2013, 2015, 2016 Grand Valley State 4 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006 Valdosta State 2004, 2007, 2012, 2018 Ferris State 3 2021, 2022, 2024 Minnesota–Duluth 2 2008, 2010 Pittsburg State 1991, 2011 CSU–Pueblo 1 2014 Delta State 2000 Harding 2023 Northern Michigan 1975 West Florida 2019 Mississippi College 0 1989

Former Division II members Team # Years North Dakota State 5 1983, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1990 North Alabama 3 1993, 1994, 1995 Northern Colorado 2 1996, 1997 Texas State 1981, 1982 Troy 1984, 1987 Cal Poly 1 1980 Central Michigan 1974 Delaware 1979 Eastern Illinois 1978 Jacksonville State 1992 Lehigh 1977 Louisiana Tech 1973 Montana State 1976 North Dakota 2001 Texas A&M–Commerce 2017

Northwest Missouri StateNorth Dakota StateGrand Valley StateValdosta StateNorth AlabamaTexas StateTroyPittsburg StateNorthern ColoradoMinnesota–DuluthFerris StateLouisiana TechCentral MichiganNorthern MichiganMontana StateLehighEastern IllinoisDelawareCal PolyJacksonville StateDelta StateNorth DakotaWest FloridaTexas A&M– CommerceCSU– PuebloHardingclass=notpageimage| Schools that have won the Division II Championship 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1

Championship game appearances

Programs that no longer compete in Division II are indicated in italics.

Of the programs that no longer compete in D-II, Akron, Central Michigan, Jacksonville State, Louisiana Tech, Texas State, Troy and Western Kentucky currently compete in Division I FBS. All others compete in Division I FCS.

Notes

† Mississippi College's 1989 tournament participation, along with its championship, were vacated by the NCAA Committee on Infractions.

• During Texas State's entire tenure in Division II, its name was Southwest Texas State University. The school adopted its current name in 2003.
• During Troy's entire tenure in Division II, its name was Troy State University. The school adopted its current name in 2005.

Teams that moved to Division I

Most of the participants in early national championship games have moved into Division I, the main catalyst for their moves being the creation of Division I-AA, now the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), in 1978. The following Division II title game participants later moved to Division I:

Postseason bowls

Regional bowls

From 1964 to 1972, four regional bowl games were played in order to provide postseason action, however these games took place after the AP and UPI polls were completed, therefore these games did not factor in selecting a national champion for the College Division. The bowl games were:

Winners of regional bowls

Playoff bowls

From 1973 to 1977, some of the tournament games were also known by bowl names;

• In 1973, one of the first-round games was the final playing of the Boardwalk Bowl.
• From 1973 through 1975, the two semifinal games were the Grantland Rice Bowl and the Pioneer Bowl, while the final game was the Camellia Bowl.
• In 1976 and 1977, the two semifinal games were the Grantland Rice Bowl and the Knute Rockne Bowl, while the final game was the Pioneer Bowl.

See also

• List of NCAA Division II football programs
• List of NCAA Division II Football Championship appearances by team
• NCAA Division II bowl games
• College Football Playoff (FBS)
• NCAA Division I Football Championship (FCS)
• NCAA Division III Football Championship
• NAIA Football Championship

References

1. "Kansas City to host 14 NCAA championships". Sporting Kansas City. December 11, 2013.
2. "NCAA seeks new D2 football title game host because Sporting KC will renovate field". KansasCity.com. Kansas City Star. September 4, 2018. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
3. "Small College Football Board Named by UPI". Brownwood Bulletin. Brownwood, Texas. UPI. September 18, 1958. p. 3. Retrieved May 6, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
4. "Ohio U. Leads Small College Grid Poll; Muskingum Gains Ranking". The Daily Reporter. Associated Press. October 6, 1960. p. 18.
5. "Cal Poly-SLO, Martin wreck Eastern Illinois". The Pantagraph. Bloomington, Illinois. AP. December 14, 1980. Retrieved February 26, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
6. ^ "Division II All-Time Championship Results Bracket" (PDF). NCAA. NCAA.org. p. 2. Retrieved March 3, 2014.
7. "North Alabama vs. Northwest Missouri State - Game Summary". ESPN. December 18, 2016.

External links

• Official website

v t e NCAA Division II football conferences
Super Region 1	Great Midwest Athletic Conference Mountain East Conference Northeast-10 Conference Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference
Super Region 2	Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Conference Carolinas (starting in 2025) Gulf South Conference South Atlantic Conference Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Super Region 3	Great American Conference Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Great Lakes Valley Conference Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association
Super Region 4	Lone Star Conference Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference
Division II	Independents
NCAA	Conferences Institutions Football (Championship, Bowl Games)

• NCAA Division II Football Championship
• Sports leagues established in 1973
• 1973 establishments in the United States