Ferris State qualifies for Division II football playoffs, will host first-round game

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The NCAA Division I FBS regular season is gradually winding down, with just two regular season games remaining before the onslaught of conference championship games in the first weekend of December.

For the lower levels of college football, playoffs will begin next weekend. At the Division II level, Ferris State out of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference will represent the state of Michigan in this year’s tournament field, as they get the nod from the selection committee.

Ferris State (9-1) is in the Division II playoffs for a fourth consecutive season and the ninth time in program history. In fact, the other five previous instances also occurred consecutively from 1992-96. The Bulldogs will be seeking that illustrious first ever national title, after making it to the national semifinals in 2016.

Defense has been the calling card for Ferris in 2017. The Bulldogs rank in the top 10 for both scoring defense (14.2 PPG – 9th in NCAA D-II) and total defense (271.6 YPG – 7th). Those numbers are both good for tops in the GLIAC as well.

One would be hard-pressed to find a team playing better than Ferris right now. They finished the season winning seven straight games, including most recently a 49-7 shellacking of in-state conference foe Michigan Tech up in Houghton this past weekend.

Ferris is one of two GLIAC teams making up the field of 28 teams that was announced on Sunday; the other being conference champion and undefeated Ashland (OH).

FSU will now prepare to welcome in Ouachita Baptist University (AK) to Top Taggart Field in Big Rapids on Saturday. The Bulldogs are 9-8 all-time in playoff contests.

HOW IT WORKS: The postseason for the lower levels of NCAA are formatted in a bigger, multi-week playoff system. In Division II where Ferris resides, it is a 28-team field consisting of four regions. The team ranked No. 1 in each region is awarded a first-round bye.

In Ferris’ case, they are a 4-seed hosting 5-seed Ouachita Baptist. The winner would then play the top-seeded Fort Kays State (KS) on the road in the second round.

Two-time defending national champion Northwest Missouri State is back in the field for a 14th straight season. The Bearcats, who are slotted in the same region of the bracket as Ferris, made NCAA history when both their football and men’s hoops programs won national titles.

To view the entire 28-team field for Division II, click here. The action begins this Saturday, November 18. The national championship game will take place in Kansas City on December 16.