June 18, 2026
Drive for five: Defending champion Ferris State football team ranked No. 1 in nation in preseason poll
Ferris State University’s football team remains as the top contender in NCAA Division II competition, as the reigning national champion was selected No. 1 in Lindy’s Sports DII Preseason Top 10 poll and first in FloFootball’s “way-too-early” preseason rankings.
Lindy’s Sports is the first preseason national poll of the year, as it unveiled its Division II top 10 rankings in its annual college football yearbook.
FloFootball released its top 25 poll earlier this month, as the Bulldogs were the only Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference program to grace the top 10 of all the listed teams.
The 2025 season was led by several standout Bulldogs, one of which was Wyatt Bower. The red shirt freshman was a highly touted prospect for the 2025 Harlon Hill trophy and rounded out his impressive campaign with five touchdowns in the 2025 National Championship game - three rushed into the end zone and two passing touchdowns.
“Wyatt Bower steps into 2026 carrying the expectations that come with leading Division II’s defending national championship,” FloFootball columnist Tobias Linkin wrote. “Ferris State quarterbacks are always under the national spotlight, and Bower has shown the athleticism and decision-making ability to thrive in that role. If Bower can pair efficient passing numbers with another deep playoff run, he'll quickly establish himself as one of the leading candidates for Division II’s top individual honor.”
Ferris State will begin its 117th season of varsity competition this coming fall with its sights set on making a nation-leading 12th consecutive trip to the NCAA Division II playoffs and potentially achieving a three-peat for the national title.
The Bulldogs enter the 2026 season having won four of the past five NCAA Division II National Championships, including back-to-back titles in 2021 and 2022, and in 2024 and 2025. The team has won 30 consecutive
The program has made seven national semifinal appearances along with five trips to the national championship game through 11 consecutive years of making the playoffs.
Over the past seven seasons of action, the Bulldogs have recorded a 93-7 overall record while ranked as the country's winningest program over the past 11 full seasons in NCAA DII football.
Ferris State also holds the GLIAC's best mark and the best overall record of all collegiate programs in Michigan at 153-21 (.879) overall since the arrival of head coach Tony Annese in 2012.
The Bulldogs will open the 2026 season on the road during a trip to Pittsburg State in Kansas on Thursday, Aug. 27, in a DII National Showdown.
Season and single-game tickets for the 2026 season will go on sale soon.
Lindy’s Sports D2 Preseason Top 10
1. Ferris State
2. Kutztown
3. Harding
4. Minnesota State
5. NW Missouri State
6. Grand Valley State
7. Pittsburg State
8. Indianapolis
9. Western Colorado
10. Frostburg State