WEEK 10 SCHEDULE
#24 Delta State at Valdosta State | 4 pm ET | FloCollege
West Alabama vs. Lincoln (Calif.) | Cancelled
THE SITUATION
All eyes will be on Titletown this week as Valdosta State continues conference action against nationally-ranked Delta State. With quality wins in their last two outings, the Blazers look to record their first three-game win streak of the season and potentially setup a de facto GSC Championship game next week when it visits West Florida. The Statesmen however will look bounce back after falling to the Argonauts last week, and spoil VSU's aspirations as they to wrap up the conference schedule on a high-note.
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 WEEKLY AWARDS
The Gulf South Conference announced its Football Players of the Week following Week 9 performances of the 2025 season. West Florida’s Tony Newsome (defensive), Valdosta State’s Matt Rolader (freshman), and Delta State’s Curtis Rearden (offensive) and Neno Lemay (special teams) were recognized.
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.
NCAA REGION RANKINGS
The second of three 2025 NCAA Division II Region Rankings were released this week. In Super Region 2, two GSC teams were ranked–West Florida (No. 1) and Delta State (No. 7).
GSC TRIO RANKED IN AFCA TOP 25
Two GSC teams were ranked in the AFCA D2 Rankings (Oct. 13) – No. 3 West Florida and No. 21 Delta State. This ends a run of 10 consecutive weeks 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 326 of 329 AFCA Top 25 polls, including 231 times among the top-five and 72 weeks at No. 1. The GSC has had two or more teams ranked in the same poll 304 times.
GSC SPECIALISTS AMONG ACTIVE CAREER LEADERS
Two GSC special team standouts are among the NCAA D2 active career leaders. West Florida punter Michael Shine is third among division leaders in average punt yards (42.1), while ranking 17th in total punt yards (5,389). West Alabama kicker Elijah Guyton leads DII in field goal percentage (.806), is sixth in field goals made per game (1.12), 13th in field goal attempts per game (1.38) and 11th in field goals made (29).
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 (82) and began the season listed 22nd in win percentage (.623). Cooley is tied with Wayne Grubb (North Alabama) for fifth-most career wins on the GSC coaching list, and seven wins shy of Steve Mullins (Arkansas Tech) who sits in fourth.
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.