Wingate football just returned to the national rankings this week after a monumental win over Lenoir-Rhyne.
Interestingly, though the Bulldogs are ranked 24th in the coaches poll and 18th in the D2Football.com media poll, they sit on top of the latest Super Region 2 rankings released Monday — ahead of teams with much higher national acclaim according to the polls.
The Super Region rankings come from the NCAA’s D2 playoff selection committee. They don’t guarantee a team’s berth into the playoff field — we still have two weekends of games left to determine that — but it does shine light on which teams have the committee’s attention.
So far, Wingate (7-1) has impressed the committee. The Bulldogs lead Super Region 2 ahead of West Alabama (7-1), Valdosta State (8-0), Johnson C. Smith (8-1), Carson-Newman (7-1), Virginia Union (7-1), Winston-Salem State (6-2), Lenoir-Rhyne (7-2), Miles (7-1) and West Florida (6-2) in that order.
Valdosta State began this week ranked first in the nation in the AFCA coaches poll and second in the D2Football.com media poll. West Alabama is 12th/14th.
3⃣ teams regionally ranked 🏈
1⃣ @WU_Bulldogs
5⃣ @CN_Eagles
8⃣ @LRbears
➡️https://t.co/ooWa0P9u0j pic.twitter.com/b9JOiSSPNF
— South Atlantic Conference (@SAC_Athletics) November 4, 2024
It is noteworthy that the committee, at this point, thinks more highly of Wingate’s resume — which includes wins over ranked foes Delta State and Lenoir-Rhyne — than schools like Valdosta State and West Alabama, stalwarts from the Gulf South Conference.
West Alabama lost to Delta State 21-6 on Oct. 19. Wingate beat the Statesmen 21-7 on Sept. 14. West Alabama and Wingate both have beaten Limestone by a similar margin — 33-14 for the Tigers and 38-12 for the Bulldogs.
Valdosta State blanked Fayetteville State 34-0 on Sept. 14 and has a 27-14 win over a Newberry squad that Wingate will face this weekend.
Wingate’s loss came at the hands of conference partner Carson-Newman, 31-28 on Sept. 21. Since that defeat, the Bulldogs have reeled off five wins in a row, surrendering only 37 points total (with two shutouts). Lenoir-Rhyne was held to a season-low 10 points this past Saturday.
Multiple D2 Teams Still In The Hunt
Despite Johnson C. Smith’s loss to Fayetteville State on Saturday, the Golden Bulls still look positioned for a playoff invite provided they bounce back. Seven teams make the field from each of the four Super Regions. The Bulls sit in fourth in the committee rankings heading into this weekend’s regular season finale at Livingstone.
Virginia Union has already clinched a spot in the CIAA championship game Nov. 16. Johnson C. Smith will be the opponent if the Bulls beat the Blue Bears and could still be the opponent even with a loss under one scenario (read all of the CIAA title game scenarios HERE).
While Winston-Salem State is listed in the region rankings, it’s unlikely the Rams’ resume will be enough to put them into the field once everything shakes out, according to Kris Ferguson, who covers the CIAA for D2Football.com.
“You really need a combination of Virginia Union and Johnson C. Smith to get to the championship game to have a chance at two teams (getting into the playoffs),” Ferguson said during this week’s Inside D2Football podcast. “It’s those two or bust at this point, and I can easily see one hosting and one on the road.”
Can Lenoir-Rhyne Get Back Into Post-Season?
The Bears rolled to a South Atlantic Conference title last season, then won three playoff games on the way to the D2 semifinals.
Saturday’s loss to Wingate puts Lenoir-Rhyne on the fringe of the making the playoffs at this point. The Bears will have to hope teams ahead of them lose in the next two weeks, and of course they will have to take care of Catawba on the road Saturday night.
There is precedent for a team not playing in the SAC championship game making the D2 playoffs. Wingate followed that path in 2022 and won a pair of games before falling in the D2 quarterfinals.
Defense Wins Championships?
Wingate’s stopping unit under first-year head coach Rashaan Jordan has been one of the stingiest in D2 football this season. Coming into this week, the Bulldogs rank:
- 1st in third-down defense (18.2 percent conversions allowed)
- 2nd in rushing defense (68.9 yards per game)
- 2nd in fewest first downs allowed (12.1 per game)
- Tied for 2nd in fewest red zone scores allowed (9)
- 3rd in total defense (214.1 yards per game allowed)
- 4th in red zone defense (56.2 percent conversion rate)
- 6th in scoring defense (10.88 ppg)
- 10th in turnover margin (+10)
D2 Super Region 2 Rankings | Nov. 4
| SUPER REGION TWO | |||
| 1 | Wingate | 7-1 | 7-1 |
| 2 | West Alabama | 7-1 | 7-1 |
| 3 | Valdosta State | 8-0 | 8-0 |
| 4 | Johnson C. Smith | 8-1 | 8-1 |
| 5 | Carson-Newman | 7-1 | 6-1 |
| 6 | Virginia Union | 7-1 | 7-1 |
| 7 | Winston-Salem State | 6-2 | 5-2 |
| 8 | Lenoir-Rhyne | 7-2 | 6-2 |
| 9 | Miles | 7-1 | 7-1 |
| 10 | West Florida | 6-2 | 5-1 |
