With Week 0 right around the corner, the wonderfully weird and chaotic D2 football season is barrelin' down the track. As always—no matter the conference or region—things tend to go off the rails pretty quickly.

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For example, there’s the backup QB who took his team to a national championship last year and is now on the depth chart at Ole Miss, or the fact that we would add two more 2,000-yard rushers to the all time list. You can't predict twists like that—but that’s never stopped us from trying. 

So, in the spirit of preseason delusion, here are eight predictions for the 2025-26 D2 football season (that might actually happen).

Ex-FBS Quarterback Is Named A Harlon Hill Trophy Nominee

Jack Turner is hiding in plain sight in Kingsville. 

The former Louisiana Tech quarterback followed OC Scott Parr to Texas A&M-Kingsville and was pretty quickly anointed QB1. Turner even showed up as a representative for Kingsville's media day. 

The 6-foot-6, 224-pound Turner didn't get a lot of chances to show his worth in Ruston, but he'll get plenty of opportunities in Kingsville. If you're looking for a dark-horse Harlon Hill nominee with FBS arm talent and a head start in his scheme, look no further than the Javelinas.

Crucial Stats: Turner's best games in D1.

• 27/42, 292 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT (vs. Nebraska)
• 19/36, 281 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT (vs. NC State)

UNC Pembroke Makes The Playoffs

UNC Pembroke ended the 2024-25 season on an absolute tear. Say what you will, but when the Braves are putting up 60 or 70 points in wins, we're paying attention. Mark Hall begins his third season as head coach, and UNCP begins their new chapter as a football member of the Conference Carolinas. 

The Braves have some key positions to lock in, but they were voted No. 1 in the CC preseason coaches poll. They'll be challenged immediately as they go up against Wingate, one of the best defenses from 2024-25.

Crucial Stats: UNC Pembroke went 5-1 to close out the 2024-25 season. Here's their last five wins.

• 67-20 vs. West Liberty
• 62-17 vs. West Virginia State
• 79-20 vs. West Virginia Wesleyan
• 58-17 vs. Frostburg State
• 63-7 at Concord

Carson Gulker Scores More Rushing TDs Than Trinidad Chambliss

There's a bit of trickery here, so let's unpack it. 

Ferris State’s Carson Gulker suffered a season-ending injury a few games into last year. That opened the door for Trinidad Chambliss, who stepped in, rushed for 25 touchdowns, and led the Bulldogs to a national championship. Chambliss has since transferred to Ole Miss.

Now, Gulker—who was supposed to be the guy in 2024—finally gets his shot. Though he's been at FSU for four years, he’s mostly played backup QB and served as a 240-pound battering ram. But with the starting role, expect the numbers to follow.

Here's the trickery: Gulker has already outperformed Chambliss in a single season. Back in 2022-23, he racked up 30 rushing touchdowns. In 2023-24, he added 14 more—despite an early injury limiting him to just 10 carries that season. Still, expect Gulker to put up big numbers in 2025-26.

Crucial Stats: Gulker has 45 touchdowns on 341 carries in his career.

• That's one touchdown every 7.6 attempts.

Carson Gulker really put the team on his back in Ferris State’s bounce back win over the Huskies 😳#GLIAConFlo pic.twitter.com/SEOBQwgIZ0

— FloCollege | Football (@FloCollegeFB) October 24, 2023

Three Teams From The LSC Make The Playoffs

Angelo State has Braeden Fuller and a stacked defense. Central Washington continues to be formidable. Kingsville has a new gunslinger. UTPB is on the bounce-back. Western Oregon is on the rise. 

The Lone Star Conference is one of the more fun and volatile leagues in D2 football, and with more playoff slots available than ever, three teams getting in doesn't feel like a hot take.

Crucial Stat: LSC last had three teams make the D2 playoffs in 2010.

• West Texas A&M
• Texas A&M-Kingsville
• Abilene Christian

UT Permian Basin Returns To 2023 Form

In 2023, UT Permian Basin went 10-2 and reached the D2 playoffs.

The 2024 version of UTPB never quite found its footing. Dylan Graham was the apparent heir to Kenny Hrncir, but Graham suffered a season-ending injury six games into the season. Throw in some inconsistency and a couple of tightly-contested toss-ups, and you can see where UTPB has a chance to bounce back.

They'll have to figure out a new starting QB, but they transferred in Kanon Gibson (WTAMU), and recruited Mikey Cota (Odessa) and Aaron DeLeon (Houston Stratford). More importantly, they return 1,000-yard runner Kory Harris, who should stabilize the offense behind a solid O-line. 

They're queued up for a rebound year. The basin demands it. 

Crucial Stats: UTPB went 7-5 in 2024-25, but maintained a top 20 offense.

• Total Yards: 5,149
• Total TDs: 53 (45 passing, 8 rushing)
• No. 17 in total offense
• No. 14 in scoring offense

A Six-Win Team Gets An Automatic Qualification

I don't know why I'm putting this vibe out into the ether, but it feels like a case of beautiful disorder. 

With automatic qualifiers now a reality and the playoff field expanded to 32, someone’s going to win a messy conference with a 6–5 record. I'm not going to throw any conferences out there, because it doesn't matter, but the first round of the playoffs just got a whole lot more interesting.

Expect a team with a barely-over-.500 record to sneak in.

Crucial Stat: While plenty of eight-win teams have made the playoffs the last few years, only one seven-win team has qualified in recent memory.

• 2023: Central Washington (7-3)
• CWU made it all the way to the D2 Quarterfinals and ended with an overall record of 9-4.

A New 2,000-Yard Rusher Emerges In D2

Chavon Wright is gone. Jada Byers is gone. Who’s next to 2,000 yards?

The names to keep an eye on: LJ Turner, who ran for 1,224 yards in eight games last year at Catawba before transferring to Lenoir-Rhyne.

Ronald Blackman at Tiffin, who ran for 1417 yards, and Jaylen Cottrell at Central Oklahoma, who rushed for 1284 yards.

Also: a workhorse at Harding. The Bisons led the nation with 818 rushes last season, almost 200 more than the next team. However, they tend to spread rushing attempts around (they had two 1,000-yard runners last year). But if they find a primary back in 2025-26, that person could easily surpass 2,000 yards.

A sleeper pick? Kevin Lalin, who transferred out of Limestone after the school closed down. He's at Catawba this year (replacing Turner). In 2024, Lalin rushed 219 times for 1209 yards. 

Crucial Stats: 2024-25 Yards Per Game

• LJ Turner: 153.0 y/g
• Kevin Lalin: 120.9 y/g
• Ronald Blackman: 118.1 y/g
• Jaylen Cottrell: 98.8 y/g

𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐎𝐑𝐃𝐒 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐌𝐀𝐃𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐁𝐄 𝐁𝐑𝐎𝐊𝐄𝐍‼️

LJ Turner broke a 34-year-old @CatawbaFootball rushing record in the Indian’s 44-41 OT win over Anderson. #SACFB | @SAC_Athletics | @LJTurner04 pic.twitter.com/Thj7ugO2xi

— FloCollege | Football (@FloCollegeFB) October 10, 2024

Northern Michigan Wins A Game In 2025-26

The 1,000 days of darkness will come to an end for Northern Michigan, as the team wins a game for the first time since 2022. 

Keep an eye on Northwood (Sep. 6) and Roosevelt (Oct. 18). The Lakers' only win last season came against the Wildcats in overtime. 

Crucial Stats: Current Longest Losing Streaks in D2 Football

• West Virginia Wesleyan: 24 games (last won Oct. 22, 2022 vs. Alderson Broaddus)
• Northern Michigan: 22 games (last won Nov. 12, 2022, vs. Lake Erie College)

FloCollege D2 Football Rankings 2025: Preseason

1. Ferris State
2. Harding
3. Grand Valley State
4. Slippery Rock
5. Valdosta State
6. Central Oklahoma
7. West Florida
8. Kutztown
9. Virginia Union
10. Minnesota State
11. Angelo State
12. Charleston (WV)
13. CSU Pueblo
14. Western Colorado
15. Indianapolis
16. Bemidji State
17. Pittsburg State
18. Lenoir–Rhyne
19. Ouachita Baptist
20. Central Missouri
21. West Alabama
22. Truman
23. Miles
24. Southern Arkansas
25. UNC Pembroke

26. Central Washington, 27. California (PA), 28. UT Permian Basin, 29. Ashland, 30. Colorado Mines, 31. Carson–Newman, 32. Wingate, 33. East Stroudsburg

D2 College Football Week 0 Games 2025

Thursday, August 28, 2025

• 4:00 p.m. ET – Colorado Mesa vs Central Washington (FloCollege)
• 6:00 p.m. ET – Northeastern State vs Saginaw Valley (FloCollege)
• 6:00 p.m. ET – MSU Moorhead vs Northern Michigan (FloCollege)
• 7:00 p.m. ET – Pittsburg State vs Ferris State (FloCollege)
• 7:00 p.m. ET – Bemidji State vs Michigan Tech (FloCollege)
• 7:00 p.m. ET – West Liberty vs Walsh (FloCollege)
• 7:00 p.m. ET – Central Missouri vs Delta State (FloCollege)
• 8:00 p.m. ET – New Mexico Highlands vs Eastern New Mexico (FloCollege)
• 6:00 p.m. ET – McKendree vs Indiana State
• 6:00 p.m. ET – Wheeling vs Clarion
• 6:00 p.m. ET – UIndy vs Marian (IN)
• 7:00 p.m. ET – Virginia State vs Barton
• 7:00 p.m. ET – Edinboro vs East Stroudsburg
• 7:00 p.m. ET – Fairmont State vs Seton Hill
• 7:00 p.m. ET – Livingstone vs Charleston (WV)
• 7:00 p.m. ET – Nebraska-Kearney vs Wayne State (NE)
• 7:00 p.m. ET – Northwest Missouri State vs Minnesota State
• 7:30 p.m. ET – Midland vs Mary
• 7:30 p.m. ET – Upper Iowa vs Drake
• 7:30 p.m. ET – Concordia-St. Paul vs Quincy
• 8:00 p.m. ET – Angelo State vs Fort Hays State
• 8:00 p.m. ET – South Dakota Mines vs CSU Pueblo
• 8:00 p.m. ET – Minot State vs Emporia State
• 8:00 p.m. ET – West Texas A&M vs Western Colorado
• 8:00 p.m. ET – Sioux Falls vs Black Hills State
• 8:00 p.m. ET – Winona State vs Minnesota Duluth

Friday, August 29, 2025

• 7:00 p.m. ET – Lenoir-Rhyne vs West Florida (FloCollege)

Saturday, August 30, 2025

• 11:00 a.m. ET – West Virginia State vs Carson-Newman (FloCollege)
• 12:00 p.m. ET – Lincoln (PA) vs Grand Valley State (FloCollege)
• 5:00 p.m. ET – Saint Anselm vs Pace (FloCollege)
• 5:15 p.m. ET – Fort Valley State vs West Alabama (FloCollege)
• 6:00 p.m. ET – UNC Pembroke vs Wingate (FloCollege)
• 6:00 p.m. ET – Concord vs UVA Wise (FloCollege)
• 6:00 p.m. ET – Ferrum vs Catawba (FloCollege)
• 7:00 p.m. ET – Central Oklahoma vs Texas Permian Basin (FloCollege)
• 8:00 p.m. ET – Adams State vs Western New Mexico (FloCollege)
• 11:00 a.m. ET – Davenport vs Gannon
• 11:00 a.m. ET – Anderson (SC) vs Shorter
• 1:00 p.m. ET – Albany State (GA) vs Shaw
• 1:00 p.m. ET – Kentucky State vs Central State (OH)
• 1:00 p.m. ET – Emory & Henry vs Glenville State
• 1:00 p.m. ET – West Virginia Wesleyan vs Post
• 1:15 p.m. ET – Clark Atlanta vs Valdosta State
• 1:00 p.m. ET – William Jewell vs Fort Lewis
• 1:00 p.m. ET – Washburn vs Truman State
• 1:00 p.m. ET – Missouri Western vs Augustana (SD)
• 2:00 p.m. ET – Chadron State vs Northern Colorado
• 2:00 p.m. ET – Morehouse vs Johnson C. Smith
• 6:00 p.m. ET – Edward Waters vs Savannah State
• 6:00 p.m. ET – Allen vs Morehead State
• 6:00 p.m. ET – Shepherd vs Frostburg State
• 6:00 p.m. ET – Elizabeth City State vs Chowan
• 7:00 p.m. ET – Thomas More vs Southern Illinois
• 7:00 p.m. ET – Tusculum vs Bluefield State
• 7:00 p.m. ET – Central Methodist vs Missouri S&T
• 7:30 p.m. ET – Lincoln (CA) vs Lincoln (MO)
• 8:00 p.m. ET – Midwestern State vs Missouri Southern State
• 8:00 p.m. ET – Sul Ross State vs UTRGV

Sunday, August 31, 2025

• 3:00 p.m. ET – Miles vs Virginia Union
• 7:00 p.m. ET – Tuskegee vs Winston-Salem

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