The University of Minnesota Duluth football team earned its highest NCAA Division II regional ranking in seven years, coming in at No. 6 in this week’s Super Region Three poll.
The Bulldogs (8-1), ranked No. 13 nationally by the AFCA and No. 10 by D2Football.com, last cracked a regional top 10 in 2022, when they were ninth in the Super Region Four rankings. The current slot marks their best position since 2018, when they reached as high as No. 3 after opening the season ranked No. 1 overall.
UMD is one of three Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference programs in the Super Region Three standings. Augustana (9-0) sits fifth, just ahead of the Bulldogs, while Minnesota State Mankato (7-2) is eighth.
Ferris State (8-0) of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference holds the top spot, followed by Findlay (9-0), Indianapolis (7-1), and Ashland (8-1). The region features four conferences — the NSIC, GLIAC, Great Lakes Valley Conference, and Great Midwest Athletic Conference — with three NSIC schools represented.
The Division II playoffs include 32 teams, with eight from each Super Region qualifying. The NCAA Division II selection show is set for Sunday, Nov. 16, at 5 p.m. CT on NCAA.com.