Division II football is picking its playoff field a new way this fall. In January, Division II members adopted the NCAA Power Index, or NPI, for championship selection in team sports beginning with the 2026-27 school year. Division III has used the same system since 2024-25.

The latest rankings cover all 160 Division II football programs and reflect games played through Oct. 17. For the division’s two HBCU conferences, the picture splits sharply.

The SIAC holds the top three spots in Super Region 2. The CIAA’s best team, unbeaten Virginia State, ranks fourth in Super Region 1, behind three teams from the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference.

How the NPI Works

Every game a team plays is assigned a value based on two things: the result and the opponent’s own NPI. In this system, strength of schedule does not come from opponents’ winning percentages. It comes from the NPI values of the teams on the schedule, so a team’s number keeps moving through the season as its opponents’ numbers change.

The Division II football committee has set the weights for this season at 25% for the result and 75% for the opponent’s NPI. A win is worth 25 points plus 75% of the opponent’s NPI value. A loss is worth only 75% of the opponent’s NPI. A team’s NPI is built from the values of the games it plays.

Wins over teams with an NPI above 52.0 also earn a quality-win bonus equal to half the amount by which that opponent’s NPI exceeds 52.0. Road wins carry slightly more weight than home wins, and an overtime win counts the same as a regulation win.

The opponent matters so much that a loss can be worth more than a win. In the current rankings, a loss to No. 1 Slippery Rock is worth 49.621, while a win over Lane is worth 48.363 and a win over Bluefield State is worth 45.631. To keep low-value wins from dragging a team down, the formula requires only 5.5 retained wins, and teams can leave out wins beyond that if they would lower their number.

When the field is selected, automatic qualifiers are set first. The NPI then identifies teams for the at-large spots, and Division II also follows its regional allocation structure.

Only games against Division II opponents count. Virginia State is 7-1 overall, but its NPI record is 7-0, because its one loss, 66-0 at South Carolina State, came against an FCS team. That matters this season because the SIAC and CIAA are 0-19 against FCS opponents, losing those games by a combined 826-208. None of those results show up in the rankings.

Because 75% of each game’s value comes from the opponent’s NPI, record alone doesn’t set the order. Virginia State is the only team in either conference without a Division II loss, yet three one-loss SIAC teams rank ahead of it nationally.

The SIAC Owns the Top of Super Region 2

Edward Waters is No. 12 nationally, the highest-ranked team in either conference, and No. 1 among the 33 teams in Super Region 2. Kentucky State is right behind at No. 13, and Benedict is No. 16. Central State is No. 29, giving the SIAC four of the region’s top eight spots.

The top three teams have already met, and the results run in a circle. Edward Waters handed Kentucky State its only Division II loss, 61-42 in Jacksonville on Oct. 3. Benedict then beat Edward Waters 45-24 on Oct. 17. Benedict’s own loss came at Tuskegee, 20-17, on Sept. 24.

That head-to-head result has not flipped the order. Benedict beat Edward Waters and has the better Division II record, 6-1 to 4-1, yet ranks four spots lower. The index weighs a team’s full season and its schedule, not any single game.

Edward Waters has topped the nation with its offense. It leads the SIAC with 441.3 total yards and 330.9 passing yards per game, and quarterback Tavion Faulk has thrown for 2,259 yards with 20 touchdowns and four interceptions.

The defense has been less steady. Edward Waters has allowed 269 points in seven games, the third-most in the 13-team league. Its two Division II games were a 42-28 win over Florida Memorial and a 66-14 loss at Jackson State. Edward Waters Turns Down Division I Paydays and Explains Why Football Already Pays for Itself looks at what the university’s president said after that game.

Kentucky State has the SIAC’s best scoring margin, outscoring opponents 274-167 across eight games, and it leads the league with 25 sacks. It won its last two games, 46-0 over Miles and 55-22 over Lane.

Benedict leads the SIAC in rushing, averaging 210.1 yards per game, and is tied for the league lead with 10 interceptions. Central State converts 52.0% of its third downs, the best rate in the conference, and quarterback Jackson Wasik has thrown for 2,033 yards with 23 touchdowns and three interceptions.

Those four teams are also the ones chasing a spot in the SIAC Football Championship. The conference has set the title game for Nov. 14 on ESPNU, with the No. 1 seed hosting the No. 2 seed. The SIAC standings list no divisions this season, so the race runs through one 13-team table.

Kentucky State leads at 5-1 in league play. Benedict, Edward Waters and Central State are all 4-1, and Albany State, Miles and Tuskegee are a game back at 3-2.

Kentucky State has two games left, and neither is against a contender. It hosts Savannah State on Oct. 24 and Morehouse on Nov. 7.

Central State has the hardest road. It plays at Miles on Oct. 24, hosts Edward Waters on Oct. 31, and closes at Benedict on Nov. 7. Benedict also visits Albany State on Oct. 24 and hosts Savannah State on Oct. 31. Edward Waters hosts Clark Atlanta on Oct. 24 and Allen on Nov. 7 around its trip to Central State.

The CIAA’s Problem Is Its Neighbors

Virginia State is No. 24 nationally and leads the CIAA in scoring, total offense, and passing, at 42.5 points, 468.4 yards, and 302.4 passing yards per game. It has thrown 26 touchdown passes against five interceptions, and it won its last two games, 59-7 over Livingstone and 76-13 at Shaw.

Its position within its region is the issue. Super Region 1 has 43 teams, 15 from the PSAC, and three PSAC teams rank above Virginia State: No. 1 Slippery Rock, No. 8 Kutztown, and No. 15 East Stroudsburg.

Virginia Union (No. 31) and Johnson C. Smith (No. 36) are seventh and eighth in the region. Each lost once, to a team outside the conference. Virginia Union fell 45-3 at Lenoir-Rhyne in the opener, and JCSU lost 32-10 at Benedict.

JCSU’s case rests on defense. It allows a league-best 10.1 points and 221.1 yards per game, and opponents have completed 41.7% of their passes against it. On the other side of the ball, its offensive line has allowed three sacks in seven games. Virginia Union leads the CIAA with 29 sacks.

The three leaders have dominated the league. Virginia State, JCSU and Virginia Union are 16-0 combined in CIAA play, winning conference games by averages of 33.0, 31.8 and 27.8 points, respectively.

Two of them still meet. Virginia State visits JCSU on Oct. 31, and Virginia Union plays at Virginia State on Nov. 7. JCSU and Virginia Union are not scheduled to play each other.

Those two games carry extra weight this year. The CIAA has expanded its Championship Weekend at Durham County Memorial Stadium. On Friday, Nov. 13, the teams finishing third and fourth in the final regular-season standings will play in a newly added game. The top two teams meet the next day in the 56th CIAA Football Championship.

With three teams still unbeaten in league play, only two of Virginia State, JCSU and Virginia Union can play for the title on Saturday. The third is headed to Friday unless it falls out of the top four.

The race for the last spot in Durham is just as open. Fayetteville State and Bowie State are both 3-2 in CIAA play, ahead of Livingstone and Shaw at 2-4, and Bowie State plays at Fayetteville State on Oct. 31.

Conference vs. Conference

Averaged across all members, the SIAC ranks seventh of 16 conferences, with a mean NPI of 49.36. The CIAA ranks 14th at 45.26.

Most of that gap comes from the bottom of the CIAA. Five of its 11 teams rank 133rd or lower, and Bluefield State is last among all 160 teams. The SIAC has two teams in that range: Savannah State and Lane, which is 0-6 against Division II opponents.

The two leagues have also settled some of it on the field. The SIAC went 3-1 against the CIAA this season. Fort Valley State won 17-14 at Elizabeth City State, Benedict beat JCSU 32-10, and Allen won 37-16 at Livingstone. JCSU’s 27-7 win over Albany State in Canton, Ohio, was the CIAA’s only win in the series.

The rankings update as results are posted, so the SIAC’s grip on Super Region 2 and Virginia State’s chase of the PSAC will both be tested over the final weeks. Data Driven HBCU will be following each new NPI release and the rest of the CIAA and SIAC seasons through both championship weekends.

For a look at the spending behind these programs, Which Division II HBCUs Are Built for the Jump to the MEAC or SWAC? ranks them on athletic budgets, football spending, and athletic aid.