SEARCY, Ark. – The Harding football team concluded its record-breaking 2025 campaign ranked No. 2 in the final American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division II Coaches Poll, released Monday.

The ranking marks the end of a wire-to-wire run for the Bisons (15-1), who held the No. 2 spot in every poll throughout the 2025 season. National champion Ferris State (16-0) finished unanimously at No. 1 following their 42-21 victory over Harding in the NCAA Division II National Championship game in McKinney, Texas.

Harding and Ferris State were the undisputed top two teams in the nation all year, and their meeting in the title game reflected that dominance. After a tightly contested first half, the Bulldogs pulled away with a 21-point third quarter.

The runner-up finish caps a season in which head coach Paul Simmons led the Bisons to a school-record tying 15 victories. Harding's path to the national title game included four consecutive wins over ranked opponents. According to the final poll data, the Bisons defeated No. 17 Northwest Missouri State (38-16) in the first round, No. 6 Pittsburg State (37-21) in the second round, No. 5 UT Permian Basin (34-28) in the national quarterfinals, and No. 3 Kutztown (49-27) in the national semifinals.

In the final voting, Ferris State collected all 30 first-place votes for 750 total points. Harding secured the No. 2 spot with 720 points. Kutztown (14-1) remained at No. 3 with 686 points, followed by Newberry (12-2) jumping 12 spots to No. 4, and UT Permian Basin (11-3) rounding out the top five.