Two West Michigan campuses, about 90 miles apart. Between them, five national championships, a trophy that pairs a Laker anchor with a Bulldog bone, and a stretch of football that has repeatedly decided who is number one in the country.
Ferris State and Grand Valley State first met in 1972. The trophy arrived in 2002, the annual Anchor Bone Classic began the next fall, and the teams have played at least once a year ever since, apart from 2020. They meet again on October 17, 2026, at Lubbers Stadium in Allendale, kickoff at 3 p.m., tickets starting at 29 dollars.
The Series
Since the trophy era began in 2003, Grand Valley State leads 14 to 13. That is one game across more than two decades, and it undersells how sharply the rivalry has swung.
Grand Valley won the first nine meetings, including a 41 to 0 result in Big Rapids in 2010 and a 57 to 10 win in Allendale in 2011. Since 2012 the Bulldogs have taken 13 of 18, a run that began the day Tony Annese arrived.
They have also met in the playoffs five times, in 2015, 2016, 2021, 2022 and 2023, which is a rare thing for two conference rivals and a fair measure of how often both are still standing in December.
Five Games That Built It
- Annese’s first season. Ferris State trailed third ranked Grand Valley by 17 and came back to win 40 to 24, with three Bulldogs rushing for more than 100 yards. It was the program’s first win in the series since 1999.
- Ferris State won 47 to 32 at Lubbers Stadium for its first road playoff win, reaching the national semifinals for only the second time.
- Second ranked Grand Valley against third ranked Ferris State. Jayru Campbell threw, ran and caught touchdowns in the same game, the last of those on a 31 yard throwback from Jevon Shaw, and Ferris won 35 to 31. Campbell won the Harlon Hill that year.
- The Snow Bowl. The teams met in the second round of the playoffs at Top Taggart Field in the flurries, Ferris State won 54 to 20, and the Bulldogs went on to claim the first national title in program history.
- The first meeting of the top two teams in the country in nearly two decades. Grand Valley won 22 to 21 in Big Rapids, ending a Ferris State winning streak that had reached 19 games.
Last October
Top ranked Ferris State held the trophy for a second straight year with a 38 to 31 win before a sellout crowd of more than 10,000 in Big Rapids.
The Bulldogs led 14 to 0 and 21 to 7. Grand Valley answered every time, tying the game at 21 on a pair of Andrew Schuster touchdown passes, then closing the half with a 54 yard field goal from Mathew Bacik to get within four. Schuster finished with 347 yards through the air. Taariik Brett scored four touchdowns for Ferris State, two rushing and two receiving, and Justin Payoute added eight tackles, a forced fumble and a fourth quarter interception.
Ferris State coach Tony Annese called it a war and credited Grand Valley for the way it played, saying both programs fought hard and that this is big time college football being played in West Michigan.
What Makes It Different
Grand Valley State owns four national championships and the highest all time winning percentage in Division II football. Ferris State won it all in 2021 and has been a fixture at or near the top of the national polls ever since.
Neither program is coasting. The rivalry keeps producing top five matchups because both keep earning them, which is why the Anchor Bone Classic sells out and why the playoff bracket keeps putting them back together.
Rivalries Run on Fans. Fuel Yours.
Division II runs on a fraction of what Division I spends. Scholarships are partial and split across a roster, there is no national television deal underwriting the season, and the players in this game are students first.
RallyFuel is a direct way to back them. Through verified, compliant NIL deals, fans can support these athletes directly. Division II athletes can earn from their name, image and likeness just like everyone else, and far fewer people are backing them.
- Back the Bulldogs on the Ferris State page or the Lakers on the Grand Valley State page, or browse football athletes more widely.
- Put the two programs side by side with the School Rivalry tool.
