WEEK 9 SCHEDULE
#21 West Alabama at Valdosta State | 1 pm CT | FloCollege
#3 West Florida at No. 15 Delta State | 3 pm CT | FloCollege
QUICK HITS
- This will be the third consecutive week with a top-20 matchup featuring a pair of GSC teams.
- West Florida will travel to Cleveland, Miss., in the marquee matchup of the weekend. The Argonauts are one of just seven teams in Division II without a loss this season and will look to improve to 4-0 on the road and 9-0 on the year. The Statesmen have been rolling of late and ride a five-game win streak. DSU is 2-0 this season against top-25 opponents and are coming of an exciting 41-38 win against then-No. 11 West Alabama last week.
- West Alabama will look to snap a two-game skid in conference play, while host Valdosta State tries to build momentum after a solid performance last week for its first GSC win of the season.
NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS
GSC teams are scheduled to play 29 non-conference games in 2025 and are a combined 21-5 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 16-3 against non-conference Super Region 2 teams this season as its 12-2 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 TRIO AMONG NCAA REGION RANKINGS
The first of three 2025 NCAA Division II Region Rankings were released this week. In Super Region 2, three GSC teams were under consideration–Delta State, West Alabama and West Florida. The first ranking was presented in alphabetical order.
In addition to the GSC, Super Region 2 consists Conference Carolinas, South Atlantic Conference (SAC), Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC). The region bracket will be an eight-team field with an automatic qualifier from each conference and four at-large selections.
GSC WEEKLY AWARDS
The Gulf South Conference announced its Football Players of the Week following Week 8 performances of the 2025 season. Delta State’s Lawrence Armstrong (offensive) and Tavian Moore (co-defensive) were recognized along with Valdosta State duo Mark Robinson (co-defensive) and Shawn Paschall (special teams and freshman).
NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Valdosta State defensive lineman Mark Robinson earned Defensive National Player of the Week honors from D2Football.com following his Week 8 performance.
GSC TRIO RANKED IN AFCA TOP 25
Three GSC teams were ranked in the AFCA D2 Rankings (Oct. 13) – No. 3 West Florida, No. 15 Delta State and No. 21 West Alabama.This is the ninth consecutive poll release this season with three or more Gulf South teams among the top-25 in the same poll release.
Since 2000, the GSC has appeared in 324 of 327 AFCA Top 25 polls, including 229 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), Delta State (No. 16) and West Alabama (No. 23). The FloCollege D2 Football Rankings had the same teams in its top 25–West Florida (No. 4), Delta State (No. 12), West Alabama (No. 21).
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:
- Head-to-head competition results;
- Highest final NCAA Division II KPI (Key Performance Indicator) rating;
- If two teams remain tied in KPI, head-to-head results between those teams;
- 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.