WACO, TEX.– Three Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) programs now find themselves highly ranked inside the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division II Coaches' Top 25 Poll heading into the stretch run of the 2017 season.
Grand Valley State sits No. 7 following a 42-7 road victory at Truman State last Saturday, while No. 12 Ferris State handled Saginaw Valley by a 49-17 margin. The Lakers and Bulldogs will square off this Saturday at 1 PM in the highly anticipated Anchor-Bone Classic in Big Rapids. The contest will be televised across the country on WatchESPN and the ESPN App as part of the NCAA Division II Football Showcase. Both teams head into Saturday's contest ranked among the top 15 teams in the nation and it will represent the ninth time in series history in which both squads have been ranked in the major D2 national poll at kickoff.
No. 13 Ashland heads to Tiffin to battle the Dragons in a battle between the lone Ohio schools in the conference. With four weeks remaining in the season, each week will prove pivotal as the three GLIAC teams contending for NCAA tournament berths all currently have one loss.
| AFCA WEEK 7 POLL | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RANK | SCHOOL | RECORD | POINTS | PREVIOUS |
| 1 | Northwest Missouri State (34) | 7-0 | 850 | 1 |
| 2 | Shepherd | 6-0 | 791 | 2 |
| 3 | Indiana (Pa) | 7-0 | 782 | 3 |
| 4 | Minnesota State | 7-0 | 754 | 4 |
| 5 | Midwestern State | 5-0 | 682 | 6 |
| 6 | Indianapolis | 7-0 | 678 | 5 |
| 7 | Grand Valley State | 6-1 | 635 | 7 |
| 8 | Fort Hays State | 7-0 | 616 | 8 |
| 9 | Central Washington | 7-0 | 572 | 10 |
| 10 | Texas A&M-Commerce | 5-1 | 541 | 11 |
| 11 | Winona State | 7-0 | 494 | 13 |
| 12 | Ferris State | 5-1 | 424 | 15 |
| 13 | Ashland | 6-1 | 423 | 16 |
| 14 | Assumption | 6-0 | 406 | 17 |
| 15 | Sioux Falls | 6-1 | 352 | 18 |
| 16 | Colorado Mesa | 6-1 | 307 | 20 |
| 17 | Slippery Rock | 6-1 | 288 | 9 |
| 18 | West Alabama | 6-1 | 271 | 23 |
| 19 | Delta State | 6-1 | 263 | 21 |
| 20 | Wingate | 6-0 | 243 | 24 |
| 21 | Virginia State | 6-0 | 165 | NR |
| 22 | Humboldt State | 5-1 | 154 | 25 |
| 23 | Bowie State | 6-1 | 95 | 14 |
| 24 | Eastern New Mexico | 6-1 | 66 | NR |
| 25 | Southeastern Oklahoma State | 6-1 | 64 | 19 |
Dropped Out: Colorado State-Pueblo (12), West Georgia (22)
Others Receiving Votes: Colorado State-Pueblo, 46; Notre Dame (OH), 28; California (Pa), 16; Findlay, 16; Central Missouri, 15; West Georgia, 11; Virginia Union, 1; Washburn, 1.
