Since 1990, the NCAA Division II National Football Champion has come from four different conferences.

With the recent demise of the North Central Conference, only the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, Gulf South Conference and the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Conference have produced a national champion in the division. These three power-conferences have combined to earn the title 14 out of those 17 seasons.

From those three conferences, only six current D2 schools have ever won it all. Grand Valley State of the GLIAC has four in recent years while North Alabama (GSC) three-peated in the early 90’s. Valdosta State (GSC) and Northwest Missouri State (MIAA) have two trophies with Delta State (GSC) and Pittsburg State (MIAA) winning one each. Only five teams from the remaining conferences have ever played in the title game, with two of them getting routed.

As much as the NCAA wants to enforce regionalization, give earned access to weaker conferences and even allow conferences to compete with fewer scholarships to keep the entire group happy, the current system is doing nothing to help the ‘have-nots’ level the playing field.

Can you guess how many of the twelve football conferences have all teams fully funded with the maximum (36) limit of scholarships. Simply put, over two-thirds of the conferences are handicapping themselves from truly competing for the national title.

Equality in Division II will only come when each member institution and conference is required to fund the exact number of scholarships.

Will it only be the super six for 17 more seasons?