NCAA Division II
football championship

Current season, competition or edition: 2025 NCAA Division II football season
Sport	American football
Founded	1973; 53 years ago (1973)
First season	1973
No. of teams	32
Country	United States
Most recent champion	Ferris State (2025)
Most titles	Northwest Missouri State (6 titles)
Broadcaster	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 four times: to 16 teams in 1988, 24 teams in 2004, 28 teams in 2016, and 32 teams in 2025.

The national championship game has been held in eight 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).^[1] 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.^[2] 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 five 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 experts, 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.^[3] The AP began its poll in 1960.^[4]

National champions per wire service polls

Year	Top-ranked team
	per UPI poll	per AP poll
1958	Mississippi Southern	(no poll)
1959	Bowling Green	(no poll)
1960	Ohio
1961	Pittsburg State
1962	Southern Miss	Florida A&M
1963	Delaware	Northern Illinois
1964	Cal State Los Angeles	Wittenberg
1965	North Dakota State
1966	San Diego State
1967	San Diego State
1968	San Diego State	North Dakota State
1969	North Dakota State
1970	Arkansas State
1971	Delaware
1972	Delaware
1973[n 1]	Tennessee State
1974[n 1]	Louisiana Tech	Central Michigan

Notes

1. 1 2 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 2025, features 32 teams organized into 4 super-regions of 8 teams each. 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.

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 2021, 2022, 2024, 2025 Minnesota–Duluth 2 2008, 2010 Pittsburg State 1991, 2011 CSU Pueblo 1 2014 Delta State 2000 Harding 2023 Northern Michigan 1975 West Florida 2019

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 (Southwest Texas State) 1981, 1982 Troy (Troy State) 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 East Texas A&M (Texas A&M–Commerce) 2017 Mississippi College 0 1989

Team titles Northwest Missouri State North Dakota State Grand Valley State Valdosta State North Alabama Texas State Troy Pittsburg State Northern Colorado Minnesota–Duluth Ferris State Louisiana Tech Central Michigan Northern Michigan Montana State Lehigh Eastern Illinois Delaware Cal Poly Jacksonville State Delta State North Dakota West Florida Texas A&M– Commerce CSU Pueblo Harding Schools with national championships – 6 championships, – 5 championships, – 4 championships, – 3 championships – 2 championships, – 1 championship

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, Delaware, Jacksonville State, Louisiana Tech, North Dakota State, Texas State, Troy and Western Kentucky currently compete in Division I FBS, while Mississippi College no longer fields a football team. All others compete in Division I FCS.

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

References

External links

• Official website