This is the penultimate weekend of the D2 football regular season, and there is a lot at stake for the top teams in North Carolina.
Johnson C. Smith can strengthen its bid for a return to the CIAA championship game when the Golden Bulls visit archrival Livingstone on Saturday.
UNC Pembroke and Chowan are chasing berths in the Conference Carolinas Bowl, with both teams potentially facing tiebreaker scenarios.
Fayetteville State is closing in on a berth in the CIAA’s new third-place game and still has an outside chance to reach the NCAA Division II playoffs.
In the South Atlantic Conference, Mars Hill hopes to snap a three-game losing streak and revive its postseason chances. Wingate, meanwhile, has won three straight and is trying to make a late push into the playoff conversation.
With automatic NCAA playoff berths available to conference champions and at-large bids determined by the National Performance Indicator (NPI), the stakes extend beyond conference standings.
And of course there are bragging rights. There are always bragging rights on the line when our D2 schools face off against each other.
Here is a look at the Nov. 7 matchups across North Carolina’s Division II football landscape and what is at stake in the three conferences that include our teams:
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CIAA: Championship rematch looming, NCAA playoff berths at stake
Saturday, Nov. 7 Schedule
- Virginia Union at Virginia State, 1 p.m.
- Lincoln (PA) at Bowie State, 1 p.m.
- Fayetteville State at Winston-Salem State, 1:30 p.m.
- Johnson C. Smith at Livingstone, 2 p.m.
- Elizabeth City State at Bluefield State, 2 p.m.
- Shaw, bye
👉 View current CIAA Standings
What’s At Stake
The CIAA could be headed toward a rematch of last year’s championship game, with Virginia Union and Johnson C. Smith positioned to meet again for the conference title on Saturday, Nov. 14 in Durham. But there is still work to be done for both teams.
VUU (8-1, 7-0 CIAA) controls its own destiny. A win Saturday at Virginia State (7-2, 6-1) guarantees a perfect conference regular season and a return trip to the CIAA’s title tilt. A loss, though, complicates things.
Johnson C. Smith enters Saturday also with a 7-2, 6-1 record. The Golden Bulls play at Livingstone (3-6, 2-5) in the annual Commemorative Classic.
If JCSU and Virginia State both win, that would leave three teams at 7-1 in CIAA play. Head-to-head matchups alone can’t break the tie since Johnson C. Smith and Virginia Union did not play this season.
JCSU beat Virginia State last Saturday. The Golden Bulls’ loss came to Bowie State the week before that.
The conference tiebreaker protocols would be needed to decide the championship game participants if all three teams finish 7-1.
A JCSU loss to Livingstone doesn’t necessarily keep the Golden Bulls out of the title game either. If Virginia Union beats Virginia State, both Johnson C. Smith and VSU would finish 6-2 in the league. The Golden Bulls would get the title-game berth based on its head-to-head victory last weekend over the Trojans.
Golden Bulls Rankings #EVERYTH1NGEVERYDAY #STILLNOTDONE #HBCUFOOTBALL https://t.co/tz6hpWanzw
— Golden Bulls (@JCSUFootball) November 4, 2026
Fayetteville State (6-3, 5-2), meanwhile, has won four consecutive games and remains in an intriguing place.
The Broncos (6-3, 5-2) look poised to grab a spot in the CIAA’s third-place game regardless of how this Saturday turns out. Fayetteville State holds the tiebreaker edge over Bowie State (4-5, 4-3) if the Broncos happen to get upset by Winston-Salem State.
D2 playoff implications: The CIAA is having a strong season overall and could get as many as three teams in the Division II playoff field.
Virginia Union, Johnson C. Smith and Virginia State are listed fourth, fifth and sixth in the latest NPI rankings used to determine berths for Super Region 1.
Eight teams will make the field in that region, with four conference champs and four at-large berths to be filled. Fayetteville State is currently 10th in the NPI, not out of contention but likely needing help to grab one of the at-large berths.
Conference Carolinas: Three teams chasing two bowl berths
Saturday, Nov. 7 Schedule
- Shorter at Chowan, 1 p.m.
- Barton at Erskine, 1:30 p.m.
- North Greenville at Valdosta State (non-conference), 2 p.m.
- UNC Pembroke at Ferrum, 2 p.m.
👉 View current Conference Carolinas Standings
What’s At Stake
Three teams remain in contention for two spots in the Conference Carolinas Bowl, scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 14, with North Greenville, UNC Pembroke and Chowan each carrying one conference loss into the final weekend of league play.
North Greenville (8-1, 5-1) has completed its conference schedule, while UNC Pembroke (7-2, 4-1) visits Ferrum and Chowan (5-4, 4-1) hosts Shorter on Saturday.
If both North Carolina teams win, all three contenders will finish 5-1, creating a complicated three-way tie. Each team has beaten one of the others and lost to the third. All three also would have identical unbeaten records against their remaining conference opponents.
That would send the tiebreaker to the NCAA’s National Performance Indicator (NPI), which currently favors North Greenville and UNC Pembroke. North Greenville is ranked 24th nationally in NPI, followed by UNC Pembroke at No. 40 and Chowan at No. 78.
Based on those rankings, North Greenville would host UNC Pembroke in the Conference Carolinas Bowl, although the NPI numbers could change following this Saturday’s games. Remember, North Greenville plays Valdosta State, which is ranked one spot below them in the NPI for Super Region 2 teams.
Chowan, however, controls an important part of the championship picture. The Hawks upset North Greenville 16-13 on Oct. 10.
A victory over Shorter combined with a UNC Pembroke loss to Ferrum would give Chowan the top seed and home-field advantage for a championship rematch with North Greenville.
The Conference Carolinas Bowl matches the league’s top two teams, with the highest seed hosting.
South Atlantic Conference: Title showdown, playoff hopes on the line
Saturday, Nov. 7 Schedule
- Emory & Henry at Wingate, 1:30 p.m.
- Tusculum at Lenoir-Rhyne, 2 p.m.
- Catawba at UVA Wise, 3 p.m.
- Newberry at Carson-Newman, 3 p.m.
- Mars Hill at Anderson, 4 p.m.
👉 View current South Atlantic Conference Standings
What’s At Stake
For the second year in a row, it looks like a North Carolina team won’t be in contention for the South Atlantic Conference championship after Wingate and Lenoir-Rhyne won titles in 2024 and 2023, respectively, and Mars Hill played in the title game in 2022.
This year’s SAC title could be decided Saturday when No. 1 Carson-Newman (8-1, 6-1 SAC) hosts second-place Newberry (7-2, 5-2) in Jefferson City, TN.
Carson-Newman has won four straight games and can take a commanding position in the conference race with a victory. Newberry, also riding a four-game winning streak, needs a win to keep its championship hopes alive. The SAC does not hold a conference championship game this year, making the final two weeks of regular-season round-robin play especially important.
Both teams are well-positioned for NCAA Division II playoff consideration. Carson-Newman ranks 17th nationally in the NCAA’s National Performance Indicator (NPI), while Newberry is No. 36. The SAC champion receives an automatic NCAA playoff berth.
Mars Hill and Wingate aren’t completely out of the NCAA playoff picture, although both likely need to win their final two games and get some help.
Mars Hill (5-3, 4-3) has lost three consecutive games after opening the season 5-0. The Lions, ranked 47th nationally in NPI, visit Anderson (4-5, 3-4) on Saturday before closing the regular season at home against Wingate on Nov. 14.
Wingate (5-4, 4-3) has moved in the opposite direction, winning three straight games after a 2-4 start. The Bulldogs, ranked 56th nationally in NPI, host Emory & Henry (3-6, 2-5) this Saturday before traveling to Mars Hill.
Both teams could enter their regular-season finale tied at 5-3 in conference play, potentially making that matchup significant in the race for an NCAA at-large berth.
Both Catawba and Lenoir-Rhyne enter the weekend 4-5 overall and 3-4 in conference play, with their postseason hopes fading. Catawba visits UVA Wise on Saturday, while Lenoir-Rhyne hosts Tusculum. The two North Carolina rivals will meet in Salisbury on Nov. 14 to conclude the regular season.
Throw out the records in rivalry week
Even if there no were no championship berths or playoff spots on the line, Johnson C. Smith at Livingstone and Fayetteville State at Winston-Salem State need no introduction.
JCSU and Livingstone is the oldest HBCU football rivalry in existence, dating back to a December 1892 game on a snow-dusted field in Salisbury. While Johnson C. Smith won last year’s game, Livingstone upset the Bulls to end the 2024 season, ending their CIAA title quest.
While Johnson C. Smith has emerged as the top CIAA football team in our state in recent years, Fayetteville State and Winston-Salem State have been the traditional front-runners since the mid-2010s.
It has been a tough 2026 for WSSU, under new head coach Tory Woodbury. But the Rams could gain a huge surge of momentum with a strong showing Saturday against their biggest rival.
Barton to play Erskine twice over the next two weeks
The Conference Carolinas regular season closes this week, but some league teams will play an additional game to coincide with championship weekend. Barton has announced that it will play Erskine in its extra game on Thursday, Nov. 12.
Barton (1-8) travels to Erskine (2-7) this Saturday as well at 1:30 p.m. The winner of that contest will be the home team for the rematch Nov. 12.
