Grand Valley State and West Florida, two of the premiere Division II football programs in the country, announced today a one-year agreement for the 2024 campaign. The game will be played at Lubbers Stadium on September 28 at 3:00 p.m. This will be the first-ever meeting between the two schools. 
 
"It is challenging to find non-conference football games and we are extremely excited that we were able to schedule West Florida for a game in 2024," said Deputy Director of Athletics Doug Lipinski. "West Florida has made a tremendous impact on Division II football nationally and this will be a great intersectional contest."
 
Grand Valley State (11-2) finished the 2023 campaign ranked #3 in the final AFCA Coaches poll, while West Florida (8-4) finished 23^rd.  The Lakers dropped a 31-28 decision at national runner-up Colorado Mines to open the season and concluded the 2023 campaign with a 7-6 setback at eventual National Champion Harding in an NCAA Playoff quarterfinal matchup. West Florida, a member of the Gulf South Conference, ended the 2023 season with a 49-14 loss at Delta State in the NCAA DII Super Region 2 playoffs. 
 
"We are excited to have a matchup with a nationally prominent program like West Florida in a non-conference game," said GVSU head coach Scott Wooster. "It is important for Division II programs to branch out and schedule games out of regional alignment so we can expand the presence of Division II football," added Wooster.
 
Grand Valley State is no stranger to scheduling the top non-conference opponents in the regular season, evidenced by a ledger that has included Colorado Mines, Colorado State-Pueblo, West Texas A&M and Delta State to name a few.  
 
Grand Valley State, which has won four football National Championships, ranks second all-time in NCAA DII playoff history in appearances (22), wins (39) and winning percentage (.696).
 
West Florida has advanced to the NCAA Division II playoffs five times since 2016, having won the National Championship in 2019, advancing to the title game in 2017 and the semifinals in 2022. 
 
GVSU will open the 2024 season at home versus Central State (7 p.m.) on Thursday, Sept. 5^th and will host six games at Lubbers Stadium.