Blazers

West Georgia has been the team to beat since the program's early years, and the Blazers have built their identity around matching that rivalry with results elsewhere, most visibly in NCAA Division II's postseason. Four national titles carry the story: a 36-31 win over Pittsburg State in 2004, a 25-20 defeat of Northwest Missouri State in 2007, a 35-7 result against Winston-Salem State in 2012, and a 49-47 finish over Ferris State in 2018 that stands as the closest of the four.

The program dates to 1982, when Jim Goodman took charge for its first season at Valdosta State University in Georgia. Games are played at Bazemore–Hyder Stadium, which holds 11,249.

Coaching changes have run through the championship years rather than around them; Chris Hatcher is the name most tied to that run of titles, with David Dean and Kerwin Bell also having taken the program through separate stretches. The Blazers have sent a steady stream of players to the NFL, among them Jessie Tuggle, a longtime Atlanta Falcons linebacker, and more recently Kenny Moore II.

Conference play brings Valdosta State up against opponents such as Regent's Royals and the Wasps of Emory & Henry, but still shape where the Blazers stand in the Gulf South Conference from one season to the next.