The Grand Valley State football team got a harsh dose of reality on Saturday night.

No. 5 Ferris State came into Lubbers Stadium and embarrassed the No. 14 Lakers 61-24 to win the Anchor-Bone classic for the fourth year in a row.

GVSU, for over a decade, was Quarterback U of Division II. Jeff Fox, Curt Anes, Cullen Finnerty and Brad Iciek were all either Harlon Hill Award-winners or nominees.

Simply put, the Lakers had one of the best players in the nation under center from 1999-2009. A top-of-the-line quarterback was not just common – it was expected.

GVSU is GVSU, so it pulls in the best recruits, right?

That’s not how it works anymore.

The Lakers watched helplessly as FSU quarterback Jason Vander Laan – the 2014 Harlon Hill winner – threw for 419 yards and rushed for 77 more, while accounting for six total touchdowns.

In a universe set a few years back, there’s a good chance Vander Laan would have been wearing black and blue for the Lakers. There’s a good chance Vander Laan would have led the Lakers to a 61-24 win over FSU.

But that’s not reality. Reality is that GVSU is no longer the team to beat in the GLIAC.

The Bulldogs have quickly become GVSU’s biggest rival on the gridiron. For a long time, it was Saginaw Valley State, and the Lakers were the bullies.

Rivalries, however, are based largely on success. SVSU faded to the back, and, once FSU hired former Grand Rapids Community College coach Tony Annese in 2011, the Bulldogs charged to the front of the GLIAC.

The unthinkable has become the blaring truth, and FSU is, for many high school football players, the more attractive option. Annese is a talented recruiter with a track record of overwhelming success, and it shows in his roster.

The Bulldogs have seven players from Florida on their roster – most notably Antonio Agurs and JuJuan Pollock – while GVSU has two.

Do Florida recruits mean something special? Not exactly, but it showcases the burgeoning national relevance of FSU football. The Bulldogs are not just beginning to overtake GVSU. They have already done so.

After Saturday’s game, Vander Laan discussed how, in his freshman year, GVSU was like an unslayable giant – out of reach for the rest of the lowly GLIAC.

Annese mentioned how FSU has been perceived as a “little brother” to GVSU over the years – not unlike the drama sparked by the Mike Hart comments about Michigan State football in 2007.

The giant, however, has been devoured by the Bulldog. The little brother has grown up, and spurted out of the shadow cast by his big bro. The torch has passed in the GLIAC, and fans who expect the Lakers to roll to conference championship after conference championship are going to be disappointed.

Things could be worse. The Lakers are 2-1 – a sight better than their 0-3 start last season. If FSU trips up, the Lakers still have a shot at winning the conference.

But one thing is clear.

The GVSU of now is not the GVSU of old. Expectations will likely never be tamed in Allendale, as GVSU is the all-time winningest Division II football program, but the days of steamrolling through the regular season are over.

The reality is harsh.

Grand Valley State is, for the time being, just another Division II football team.