The 2018 West Georgia Wolves have steadily climbed in the NCAA Division II national rankings throughout the football season. However, those are just for conversation. The ratings that matter are the ones released each week for the remainder of the season by the NCAA Division II Super Region 2 Advisory Committee.
The first Super Region 2 Poll of the season was released Monday and the unbeaten (8-0) Wolves are atop the ratings following the season’s first eight weeks. West Georgia is joined in the ranking by unbeaten Valdosta State (8-0) in the number two spot and Florida Tech in the number four spot.
The region rankings are the primary tool used by the NCAA Division II Football Committee, and the four Regional Advisory Committees, to set the field for the 2018 NCAA Playoffs. Champions of the Super Region 2’s four conferences—Gulf South, South Atlantic, CIAA, and SIAC—are given what is termed “earned access” to the playoffs, provided they are ranked among the region’s top nine teams on November 11. The highest rated remaining teams are then extended bids to fill out the seven-team field for Super Region 2. The top seed receives a first-round bye and the next three will host in the first round of the playoffs.
Beyond GSC squads in the rankings, the remainder of the region top 10 includes Lenoir-Rhyne in the third spot, followed by Florida Tech, Bowie State, and Carson-Newman. Teams seven through ten are Morehouse, Virginia Union, Tuskegee, and Albany State.
Nationally, West Georgia is again ranked third in the weekly AFCA Division II Coaches Poll. It marks the first week all season that West Georgia has not risen in the poll following a Saturday victory.
West Georgia returns to action this Saturday with a visit to Mississippi College. Kickoff time is 4 p.m. from Robinson-Hale Stadium in Clinton, Miss.