WEEK 8 SCHEDULE (Oct. 25)
#17 Delta State at #11 West Alabama | 2 pm CT | FloCollege
#3 West Florida vs. West Viriginia State | 2 pm CT | FloCollege
Valdosta State vs. North Greenville | 3 pm ET | FloCollege
NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS
GSC teams are scheduled to play 29 non-conference games in 2025 and are a combined 19-5 this season. The Gulf South began the season with a 112-62 record in the regular season non-conference games, dating back to 2016. Last season was the fifth time during that span with 15 or more wins.
GSC vs. SUPER REGION 2
The GSC is 15-3 against non-conference Super Region 2 teams this season as its 11-2 versus Conference Carolinas, 3-0 versus SIAC, and 1-1 SAC teams. The Gulf South began the season with a 111-36 record, dating back to 2015. Since 2004, GSC teams have won 17 of 20 region titles.
GSC WEEKLY AWARDS
Three teams were represented as the Gulf South Conference announced its Football Players of the Week following Week 7 performances of the 2025 season. West Florida’s Marcus Stokes (offensive) and Michael Shine (special teams) as well as West Alabama’s JT Hooten (defensive) and Delta State’s Dean Roberts (freshman) were each recognized.
GSC TRIO RANKED IN AFCA TOP 25
Three GSC teams were ranked in the AFCA D2 Rankings (Oct. 13) – No. 3 West Florida, No. 11 West Alabama and No. 17 Delta State. This is the eight consecutive poll release this season with three or more Gulf South teams among the top-25 in the same poll release.
This is the 19th time since the start of the 2022 season that at least two GSC teams were among the top-10 in the same poll. It occurred just once last season with the Week 6 release (Oct. 14) – No. 3 Valdosta State, No. 10 West Alabama.
Since 2000, the GSC has appeared in 323 of 325 AFCA Top 25 polls, including 228 times among the top-five and 72 weeks at No. 1. The GSC has had two or more teams ranked in the same poll 302 times.
RANKINGS ROUND-UP
D2Football.com had three GSC teams ranked – West Florida (No. 4), West Alabama (No. 17) and Delta State (No. 19). The FloCollege D2 Football Rankings had the same teams in its top 25–West Florida (No. 4), Delta State (No. 13), West Alabama (No. 16).
GSC COACHING NOTES
The GSC welcomes two new head coaches to the league for the 2025 season–Scott Cochran (West Alabama) and Graham Craig (Valdosta State). Both coaches earned their first career win on Sept. 30 at the Week Zero Labor Day Classic. Among active D2 coaches, Delta State’s Todd Cooley is ranked 26th in career wins (81) and began the season listed 22nd in win percentage (.623). Cooley is five wins from moving into a tie for fifth on the GSC career wins coaching list.
GSC ADOPTS AQ POLICY
The GSC regular season champion will earn the conference's automatic qualifier (AQ) bid to the NCAA Division II Football Championship. In the event of a tie, the GSC adopted the following AQ tie-breaking procedures, which will be applied sequentially until the tie is resolved:
1. Head-to-head competition results;
2. Highest final NCAA Division II KPI (Key Performance Indicator) rating;
3. If two teams remain tied in KPI, head-to-head results between those teams;
4. If three teams remain tied in KPI, the GSC Executive Committee will select a representative.
KPI is a results-based metric that evaluates team performance on a game-by-game basis and managed by a third-party provider. For 2025, the GSC will use faktorsports.com as for KPI rankings.
The policy will only apply in determining who earns the conference's AQ. The title of GSC champion will continue to be to determined by league winning percentage, and may result in multiple winners, as agreed upon by conference's football-playing members.
GSC ON FLOCOLLEGE
FloCollege will be the exclusive home for all GSC games for the 2025 season. Fans who subscribe through the GSC Landing Page will receive a special GSC discounted rate. Additional savings will be offered to fans that subscribe with a .EDU email from a GSC institution. Visit gscsports.org/flosportsFAQ for more info.