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Ferris State, Grand Valley State make Division II playoffs; Albion in Division III tourney

Ferris State football, the No. 1 ranked team in Division II, is one of four teams to earn first-round byes in the D-II football championship tournament.

The Bulldogs (10-0), the GLIAC champions, will have next weekend off and won't have to play until Nov. 27 in Big Rapids according to the 28-team field announced Sunday.

They may face a familiar foe. Grand Valley State (9-1) is a No. 4 seed in the Ferris State regional and will play at home against Lindenwood out of St. Charles, Missouri, at 1 p.m. Saturday. The only game the Lakers lost in the regular season was to Ferris State, 35-28, on Oct. 16.

The Lions (9-2) won the Great Lakes Valley Conference after losing its first two games of the season.

The GVSU-Lindenwood winner will play at Ferris. The other No. 1 seeds are Kutztown (Pa.), Valdosta State (Ga.) and Colorado School of Mines.

Ferris State has scored at least 35 points in every game this season. Their leading passer and rusher is former Maryland lacrosse star Jared Bernhardt, who has nine passing touchdowns and 16 rushing TDs.

In Division III, Albion, the MIAA champs, will host Wisconsin-La Crosse at noon Saturday. The Britons (9-1) have won five straight, scoring at least 31 points in each win. The Eagles (8-2) were one of five at-large teams in the 32-team tournament.

Contact Kirkland Crawford: kcrawford@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @HiKirkHere.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Ferris State, Grand Valley State make Division II playoffs