Overview
Since 1950, the AFCA has conducted a weekly Top 20/Top 25 poll during the college football season. The AFCA, in partnership with USA Today and Amway, awards the AFCA Coaches’ Trophy to the No. 1-ranked team in the final Amway Coaches Poll each season. The head coach of the No. 1-ranked team receives the trophy at the American Football Coaches Awards show in early January.
Format
The Amway Coaches Poll is conducted weekly throughout the regular season using a panel of head coaches at FBS schools. The panel is chosen by random draw, conference by conference plus independents, from a pool of coaches who have indicated to the AFCA their willingness to participate. Each coach submits a Top 25 with a first-place vote worth 25 points, second place 24, and so on down to one point for 25th.
The Amway Board of Coaches is made up of 65 head coaches at Bowl Subdivision schools. All are members of the American Football Coaches Association. The board for the 2017 season:
Major Applewhite, Houston; David Bailiff, Rice; David Beaty, Kansas; Bret Bielema, Arkansas; Craig Bohl, Wyoming; John Bonamego, Central Michigan; Terry Bowden, Akron; Jeff Brohm, Purdue; Matt Campbell, Iowa State; Rod Carey, Northern Illinois; Mark Dantonio, Michigan State; Butch Davis, Florida International; Dave Doeren, North Carolina State; DJ Durkin, Maryland; Shawn Elliott, Georgia State; Larry Fedora, North Carolina; Luke Fickell, Cincinnati; Jimbo Fisher, Florida State; P.J. Fleck, Minnesota; James Franklin, Penn State; Willie Fritz, Tulane; Justin Fuente, Virginia Tech; Bryan Harsin, Boise State; Clay Helton, Southern California; Tom Herman, Texas; Doc Holliday, Marshall; Mark Hudspeth, Louisiana-Lafayette; Paul Johnson, Georgia Tech; Joey Jones, South Alabama; Mike Leach, Washington State; Lance Leipold, Buffalo; Tim Lester, Western Michigan; Seth Littrell, North Texas; Rocky Long, San Diego State; Mike MacIntyre, Colorado; Gus Malzahn, Auburn; Derek Mason, Vanderbilt; Urban Meyer, Ohio State; Jeff Monken, Army; Philip Montgomery, Tulsa; Scottie Montgomery, East Carolina; Jim Mora, UCLA; Dan Mullen, Mississippi State; Pat Narduzzi, Pittsburgh; Ken Niumatalolo, Navy; Barry Odom, Missouri; Gary Patterson, TCU; Mike Riley, Nebraska; Rich Rodriguez, Arizona; Nick Rolovich, Hawaii; Nick Saban, Alabama; Tony Sanchez, UNLV; Mike Sanford Jr., Western Kentucky; Scott Satterfield, Appalachian State; Bill Snyder, Kansas State; Frank Solich, Ohio; Rick Stockstill, Middle Tennessee; Mark Stoops, Kentucky; Tyson Summers, Georgia Southern; Dabo Swinney, Clemson; Matt Wells, Utah State; Mark Whipple, Massachusetts; Kyle Whittingham, Utah; Bobby Wilder, Old Dominion; Everett Withers, Texas State.
- 1950
- Oklahoma
- Bud Wilkinson
- 1951
- Tennessee
- Robert Neyland
- 1952
- Michigan State
- Biggie Munn
- 1953
- Maryland
- Jim Tatum
- 1954
- UCLA
- Red Sanders
- 1955
- Oklahoma
- Bud Wilkinson
- 1956
- Oklahoma
- Bud Wilkinson
- 1957
- Ohio State
- Woody Hayes
- 1958
- LSU
- Paul Dietzel
- 1959
- Syracuse
- Ben Schwartzwalder
- 1960
- Minnesota
- Murray Warmath
- 1961
- Alabama
- Bear Bryant
- 1962
- USC
- John McKay
- 1963
- Texas
- Darrell Royal
- 1964
- Alabama
- Bear Bryant
- 1965
- Michigan State
- Duffy Daugherty
- 1966
- Notre Dame
- Ara Parseghian
- 1967
- USC
- John McKay
- 1968
- Ohio State
- Woody Hayes
- 1969
- Texas
- Darrell Royal
- 1970
- Texas
- Darrell Royal
- 1971
- Nebraska
- Bob Devaney
- 1972
- USC
- John McKay
- 1973
- Alabama
- Bear Bryant
- 1974
- USC
- John McKay
- 1975
- Oklahoma
- Barry Switzer
- 1976
- Pittsburgh
- Johnny Majors
- 1977
- Notre Dame
- Dan Devine
- 1978
- USC
- John Robinson
- 1979
- Alabama
- Bear Bryant
- 1980
- Georgia
- Vince Dooley
- 1981
- Clemson
- Danny Ford
- 1982
- Penn State
- Joe Paterno
- 1983
- Miami (FL)
- Howard Schnellenberger
- 1984
- BYU
- LaVell Edwards
- 1985
- Oklahoma
- Barry Switzer
- 1986
- Penn State
- Joe Paterno
- 1987
- Miami (FL)
- Jimmy Johnson
- 1988
- Notre Dame
- Lou Holtz
- 1989
- Miami (FL)
- Dennis Erickson
- 1990
- Georgia Tech
- Bobby Ross
- 1991
- Washington
- Don James
- 1992
- Alabama
- Gene Stallings
- 1993
- Florida State
- Bobby Bowden
- 1994
- Nebraska
- Tom Osborne
- 1995
- Nebraska
- Tom Osborne
- 1996
- Florida
- Steve Spurrier
- 1997
- Nebraska
- Tom Osborne
- 1998
- Tennessee
- Phil Fulmer
- 1999
- Florida State
- Bobby Bowden
- 2000
- Oklahoma
- Bob Stoops
- 2001
- Miami (FL)
- Larry Coker
- 2002
- Ohio State
- Jim Tressel
- 2003
- LSU
- Nick Saban
- 2004
- USC
- Pete Carroll
- 2005
- Texas
- Mack Brown
- 2006
- Florida
- Urban Meyer
- 2007
- LSU
- Les Miles
- 2008
- Florida
- Urban Meyer
- 2009
- Alabama
- Nick Saban
- 2010
- Auburn
- Gene Chizik
- 2011
- Alabama
- Nick Saban
- 2012
- Alabama
- Nick Saban
- 2013
- Florida State
- Jimbo Fisher
- 2014
- Ohio State
- Urban Meyer
- 2015
- Alabama
- Nick Saban
- 2016
- Clemson
- Dabo Swinney
- 2017
- Alabama
- Nick Saban
| Rank | School (record) | Points | Last Week's Rank | First-Place Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clemson (1-0) | 1594 | 1 | 58 |
| 2 | Alabama (1-0) | 1540 | 2 | 6 |
| 3 | Georgia (1-0) | 1435 | 3 | 0 |
| 4 | Oklahoma (1-0) | 1395 | 4 | 0 |
| 5 | Ohio State (1-0) | 1340 | 5 | 0 |
| 6 | Louisiana State (1-0) | 1260 | 6 | 0 |
| 7 | Michigan (1-0) | 1155 | 7 | 0 |
| 8 | Notre Dame (1-0) | 1055 | 9 | 0 |
| 9 | Texas (1-0) | 1044 | 10 | 0 |
| 10 | Florida (1-0) | 990 | 8 | 0 |
| 11 | Texas A&M (1-0) | 932 | 11 | 0 |
| 12 | Washington (1-0) | 868 | 12 | 0 |
| 13 | Auburn (1-0) | 857 | 16 | 0 |
| 14 | Penn State (1-0) | 774 | 14 | 0 |
| 15 | Utah (1-0) | 738 | 15 | 0 |
| 16 | Wisconsin (1-0) | 568 | 17 | 0 |
| 17 | Central Florida (1-0) | 513 | 17 | 0 |
| 18 | Oregon (0-1) | 422 | 13 | 0 |
| 19 | Iowa (1-0) | 395 | 19 | 0 |
| 20 | Michigan State (1-0) | 382 | 20 | 0 |
| 21 | Washington State (1-0) | 324 | 21 | 0 |
| 22 | Syracuse (1-0) | 263 | 22 | 0 |
| 23 | Stanford (1-0) | 249 | 23 | 0 |
| 24 | Boise State (1-0) | 164 | 27 | 0 |
| 25 | Nebraska (1-0) | 94 | 26 | 0 |
Dropped Out:
No. 24 Iowa State (1-0); No. 25 Northwestern (0-1);
Others Receiving Votes:
Mississippi State (1-0) 92; Cincinnati (1-0) 49; Iowa State (1-0) 41; Kentucky (1-0) 40; Memphis (1-0) 34; Oklahoma State (1-0) 32; Virginia (1-0) 28; Texas Christian (1-0) 26; Army (1-0) 24; North Carolina State (1-0) 18; Miami (0-1) 11; Southern California (1-0) 10; Boston College (1-0) 10; Northwestern (0-1) 7; Tulane (1-0) 4; Arizona State (1-0) 4; Appalachian State (1-0) 4; Minnesota (1-0) 3; Hawaii (1-0) 3; Fresno State (0-1) 3; Troy (1-0) 2; North Carolina (1-0) 2; Wyoming (1-0) 1; Navy (1-0) 1;
Note: One ballot is missing. Tyson Helton of Western Kentucky could not be reached by the voting deadline.
The Amway Board of Coaches is made up of 65 head coaches at Bowl Subdivision schools. All are members of the American Football Coaches Association.
Overview
In response to overwhelming support by NCAA FCS coaches, the American Football Coaches Association began publishing a FCS Top 25 Coaches’ Poll in 2018. Prior to 2018, the NCAA FCS Coaches Poll was administered by the Southern Conference. The regional poll had been used to rank teams for consideration for the NCAA playoffs.
Format
The FCS poll follows the same basic format as the Amway Coaches Poll. The FCS Board of Coaches will have 30 voters representing all FCS football playing conferences, as well as independent schools. The FCS Coaches’ Poll will be released on Mondays beginning with a preseason poll in August and will run through the final week of the regular season in November. A final poll will be released the Monday following the NCAA FCS championship game.
| Rank | School (1st votes) | Rec. | Pts. | Prev. | Week 1 | Next Game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Dakota St. (25) | 1-0 | 649 | 1 | D. Butler, 57-10 | Sept. 7 vs. North Dakota |
| 2 | James Madison (1) | 0-1 | 622 | 2 | Lost to West Virginia, 20-13 | Sept. 7 vs. Saint Francis (Pa.) |
| 3 | South Dakota St. | 0-1 | 567 | 4 | Lost to Minnesota, 28-21 | Sept. 7 vs. Long Island |
| 4 | UC Davis | 0-1 | 516 | 5 | Lost to California, 27-13 | Sept. 7 at San Diego |
| 5 | Eastern Washington | 0-1 | 514 | 3 | Lost to Washington, 47-14 | Sept. 7 vs. Lindenwood (Mo.) |
| 6 | Maine | 1-0 | 510 | 7 | D. Sacred Heart, 42-14 | Sept. 7 at Georgia Southern |
| 7 | Kennesaw St. | 1-0 | 478 | 10 | D. Point, 59-0 | Sept. 7 at Kent St. |
| 8 | Weber St. | 0-1 | 442 | 9 | Lost to San Diego St., 6-0 | Sept. 7 vs. Cal Poly |
| 9 | Towson | 1-0 | 383 | 12 | D. The Citadel, 28-21 | Sept. 7 vs. North Carolina Central |
| 10 | Nicholls | 0-1 | 300 | 11 | Lost to Kansas St., 49-14 | Sept. 14 at Prairie View A&M |
| 11 | Furman | 1-0 | 295 | 17 | D. Charleston Southern, 46-13 | Sept. 7 at Georgia St. |
| 12 | Northern Iowa | 0-1 | 294 | 20 | Lost to Iowa St., 29-26 (3OT) | Sept. 7 vs. Southern Utah |
| 13 | Southeast Missouri St. | 1-0 | 290 | 18 | D. Southern Illinois, 44-26 | Sept. 7 at No. 19 Montana St. |
| 14 | North Carolina A&T | 1-0 | 274 | 19 | D. No. 21 Elon, 24-21 | Sept. 7 at Duke |
| 15 | Indiana St. | 0-1 | 264 | 16 | Lost to Kansas, 24-17 | Sept. 7 vs. Dayton |
| 16 | Illinois St. | 0-1 | 257 | 13 | Lost to Northern Illinois, 24-10 | Sept. 7 vs. Morehead St. |
| 17 | Jacksonville St. | 0-1 | 252 | 6 | Lost to Southeastern Louisiana, 35-14 | Sept. 7 vs. Chattanooga |
| 18 | Central Arkansas | 1-0 | 215 | 25 | D. Western Kentucky, 35-28 | Sept. 7 at Austin Peay |
| 19 | Montana St. | 0-1 | 209 | 15 | Lost to Texas Tech, 45-10 | Sept. 7 vs. No. 13 Southeast Missouri St. |
| 20 | Wofford | 0-1 | 179 | 8 | Lost to South Carolina St., 28-13 | Sept. 14 vs. Samford |
| 21 | Delaware | 1-0 | 129 | 23 | D. Delaware St., 31-13 | Sept. 7 at Rhode Island |
| 22 | Sam Houston St. | 0-1 | 108 | 22 | Lost to New Mexico, 39-31 | Sept. 7 vs. Oklahoma Panhandle |
| 23 | Montana | 1-0 | 101 | NR | D. South Dakota, 31-17 | Sept. 7 vs. North Alabama |
| 24 | Colgate | 0-2 | 72 | 14 | Lost to Air Force, 48-7 | Sept. 14 at William & Mary |
| 25 | Princeton | 0-0 | 65 | 24 | Idle | Sept. 21 vs. Butler |
Dropped Out: Elon (21)
Others Receiving Votes: Southeastern Louisiana, 59; Elon, 55; South Carolina St., 35; Eastern Kentucky, 30; New Hampshire, 22; Northern Arizona, 22; North Dakota, 18; McNeese, 17; Portland St., 17; Austin Peay, 16; Idaho St., 16; Richmond, 16; Chattanooga, 15; Abilene Christian, 14; Youngstown St., 13; Central Connecticut St., 12; UIW, 12; Cal Poly, 11; Houston Baptist, 11; William & Mary, 10; Norfolk St., 9; Yale, 8; Lamar, 5; Alcorn St., 4; North Alabama, 4; Stony Brook, 4; Rhode Island, 3; Villanova, 3; Dartmouth, 2; Monmouth (N.J.), 1; The Citadel, 1.
Overview
In response to overwhelming support by NCAA Division II coaches, the American Football Coaches Association began publishing a Division II Top 25 Coaches’ Poll in 2000. Prior to 2000, there was no coaches’ polls for NCAA Division II. The regional poll had been used to rank teams for consideration for the NCAA playoffs.
Format
The Division II poll follows the same basic format as the Amway Coaches Poll. The Division II Board of Coaches will have 30 voters representing all Division II conferences, as well as independent schools. The Division II Coaches’ Poll will be released on Mondays beginning with a preseason poll in August and will run through the final week of the regular season in November. A final poll will be released the Monday following the NCAA Division II championship game.
Forty-six schools spent at least one week ranked in the 2015 AFCA Division II Coaches Poll … Eight schools were ranked in the Top 25 all 13 weeks the poll was released in 2015 (Colorado State-Pueblo, Ferris State (Mich.), Minnesota State, North Alabama, Northwest Missouri State, Sioux Falls (S.D.), Texas A&M-Commerce and West Georgia) … Since the AFCA Division II Coaches’ Top 25 Poll debuted in 2000, Grand Valley State has been ranked No. 1 for 88 weeks …
The other 13 schoolswhich have appeared No. 1 in the AFCA Division II Coaches’ Top 25 Poll are Northwest Missouri State (29 weeks), Valdosta State (25), Minnesota State (19), Pittsburg State (12), Delta State (11), Minnesota-Duluth (eight), Colorado State-Pueblo (seven), North Alabama (five), Saginaw Valley State (three), West Georgia (two), Abilene Christian (one), Central Washington (one) and North Dakota (one) … Northwest Missouri State owns the record for the most consecutive weeks ranked in the AFCA Division II Coaches’ Top 25 Poll, which currently stands at 161 … Northwest Missouri State also holds the record for being ranked the most times in the AFCA Division II Coaches Poll at 203 weeks out of a possible 213 since 2000.
| Rank | School (1st votes) | 2018 Rec. | Pts. | 2018 Rank | Season Opener | Head Coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Valdosta St. (Ga.) (29) | 14-0 | 792 | 1 | Sept. 7 at Albany St. (Ga.) | Gary Goff |
| 2 | Ferris St. (Mich.) (3) | 15-1 | 768 | 2 | Sept. 5 vs. Findlay (Ohio) | Tony Annese |
| 3 | Minnesota St. | 13-1 | 686 | 3 | Sept. 7 at Southwest Minnesota St. | Todd Hoffner |
| 4 | Notre Dame (Ohio) | 13-1 | 623 | 4 | Sept. 7 vs. Concord (W.Va.) | Mike Jacobs |
| 5 | Ouachita Baptist (Ark.) | 12-1 | 585 | 6 | Sept. 5 vs. No. 18 Harding (Ark.) | Todd Knight |
| 6 | Northwest Missouri St. | 10-3 | 580 | 10 | Sept. 5 at Missouri Western St. | Rich Wright |
| 7 | Tarleton St. (Texas) | 12-1 | 549 | 5 | Sept. 7 at Stephen F. Austin (Texas) | Todd Whitten |
| 8 | Lenoir-Rhyne (N.C.) | 12-2 | 524 | 8 | Sept. 7 vs. St. Augustine’s (N.C.) | Drew Cronic |
| 9 | Colorado St.-Pueblo | 11-2 | 463 | 7 | Sept. 7 at Dixie St. (Utah) | John Wristen |
| 10 | Slippery Rock (Pa.) | 11-3 | 446 | 12 | Sept. 5 at Wayne St. (Mich.) | Shawn Lutz |
| 11 | Fort Hays St. (Kan.) | 9-3 | 419 | 22 | Sept. 5 at Central Missouri | Chris Brown |
| 12 | Grand Valley St. (Mich.) | 10-2 | 418 | 14 | Sept. 7 vs. Edinboro (Pa.) | Matt Mitchell |
| 13 | Texas A&M-Commerce | 10-3 | 385 | 9 | Sept. 7 vs. Seleccion Nuevo Leon (Mexico) | David Bailiff |
| 14 | Minnesota-Duluth | 11-1 | 342 | 13 | Sept. 5 vs. Minot St. (N.D.) | Curt Wiese |
| 15 | West Georgia | 10-2 | 330 | 16 | Sept. 7 at Catawba (N.C.) | David Dean |
| 16 | Indianapolis (Ind.) | 10-2 | 319 | 11 | Sept. 5 at No. 23 Ashland (Ohio) | Chris Keevers |
| 17 | Colorado School of Mines | 10-2 | 288 | 18 | Sept. 7 at Adams St. (Colo.) | Gregg Brandon |
| 18 | Harding (Ark.) | 9-3 | 223 | 20 | Sept. 5 at No. 5 Ouachita Baptist (Ark.) | Paul Simmons |
| 19 | Hillsdale (Mich.) | 10-3 | 220 | 15 | Sept. 7 vs. Michigan Tech | Keith Otterbein |
| 20 | Midwestern St. (Texas) | 8-2 | 214 | 25 | Sept. 7 at Northwestern St. (La.) | Bill Maskill |
| 21 | Wingate (N.C.) | 9-4 | 175 | 24 | Sept. 5 at Johnson C. Smith (N.C.) | Joe Reich |
| 22 | West Chester (Pa.) | 10-1 | 134 | 17 | Sept. 7 vs. Bentley (Mass.) | Bill Zwaan |
| 23 | Ashland (Ohio) | 6-4 | 129 | NR | Sept. 5 vs. No. 16 Indianapolis (Ind.) | Lee Owens |
| 24 | West Alabama | 8-4 | 116 | NR | Sept. 7 vs. Limestone (S.C.) | Brett Gilliland |
| 25 | Fairmont St. (W.Va.) | 9-2 | 78 | NR | Sept. 5 at Charleston (W.Va.) | Jason Woodman |
Others Receiving Votes: Azusa Pacific (Calif.), 71; Indiana (Pa.), 68; Bowie St. (Md.), 66; New Haven (Conn.), 65; Pittsburg St. (Kan.), 65; West Florida, 42; Sioux Falls (S.D.), 25; Virginia Union, 21; California (Pa.), 19; Fayetteville St. (N.C.), 19; Central Missouri, 15; Albany St. (Ga.), 14; Southern Arkansas, 14; Augustana (S.D.), 12; Emporia St. (Kan.), 11; Florida Tech, 10; Central Oklahoma, 9; Chadron St. (Neb.), 8; Central Washington, 7; Ohio Dominican, 7; Winona St. (Minn.), 6; Assumption (Mass.), 5; Saginaw Valley St. (Mich.), 5; Angelo St. (Texas), 2; Kutztown (Pa.), 2; Shepherd (W.Va.), 2; Colorado Mesa, 1; Findlay (Ohio), 1; Lindenwood (Mo.), 1; Missouri S&T, 1.
*Preseason Poll
Overview
In response to overwhelming support by NCAA Division III coaches, the American Football Coaches Association began publishing a Division III Top 25 Coaches’ Poll in 1999.
Prior to 1999, there were no coaches’ polls for any NCAA divisions other than Football Bowl Subdivision. The NCAA had published a regional poll for Division III prior to 1999, but discontinued the poll because of changes in the selection process for the Division III playoffs that took effect in 1999.
The regional poll had been used to rank teams for consideration for the 16-team playoff tournament. But in 1999, the Division III playoffs expanded to 28 teams and the regional format was no longer used.
Format
The Division III poll follows the same basic format as the USA Today Coaches’ Poll. The Division III Board of Coaches will have 42 voters, representing all Division III conferences. The Division III Coaches’ Poll will be released on Mondays beginning in September and will run through the completion of the regular season in mid-November. A final poll will be released on the Monday following the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl.
Forty-one schools spent at least one week ranked in the Division III Coaches Poll in 2015 … Sixteen schools were ranked in the Top 25 all 10 weeks the poll was released in 2015: Mount Union (Ohio), St. Thomas (Minn.), Linfield (Ore.), Wisconsin-Whitewater, Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Mary Hardin-Baylor (Texas), Wesley (Del.), Wabash (Ind.), Wheaton (Ill.), Johns Hopkins (Md.), St. John’s (Minn.), Thomas More (Ky.), Hardin-Simmons (Texas), Wartburg (Iowa), Wisconsin-Platteville, John Carroll (Ohio) … Mount Union has appeared in every Top 25 since the AFCA first released the poll in 1999 …
The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference had five schools ranked in the Top 25 poll at least once in 2015 (St. Thomas, Concordia-Moorhead, Bethel, St. John’s and Gustavus Adolphus) … The Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC), Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC), New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC), the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) and the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) all had three schools ranked in the Top 25 this season: (Wisconsin-Whitewater, -Platteville and -Oshkosh for the WIAC; Mount Union, John Carroll and Ohio Northern for the OAC; Wesley, Rowan (N.J.) and Salisbury (Md.) for the NJAC; Wheaton, North Central (Ill.) and Illinois Wesleyan for the CCIW; and Wabash, Wittenberg (Ohio) and DePauw (Ind.) for the NCAC) … Washington & Lee (Va.) began the season unranked but was No. 16 in the final poll, which represented the largest jump by a team that wasn’t ranked in the season-opening poll.
| Rank | School (1st votes) | Rec. | Pts. | Prev. | Post-season Results | Head Coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Mary Hardin-Baylor (Tex.) (50) | 15-0 | 1250 | 2 | D. No. 1 Mount Union (Ohio), 24-16, in Stagg Bowl | Pete Fredenburg |
| 2. | Mount Union (Ohio) | 14-1 | 1197 | 1 | Lost to No. 2 Mary Hardin-Baylor (Tex.), 24-16, in Stagg Bowl | Vince Kehres |
| 3. | Wisconsin-Whitewater | 13-1 | 1118 | 4 | Lost to No 2 Mary Hardin-Baylor (Tex.), 31-14, in semifinals | Kevin Bullis |
| 4. | St. John’s (Minn.) | 12-1 | 1090 | 5 | Lost to No. 2 Mary Hardin-Baylor (Tex.), 21-18, in quarterfinals | Gary Fasching |
| 5. | Johns Hopkins (Md.) | 12-2 | 1065 | 13 | Lost to No. 1 Mount Union (Ohio), 28-20, in semifinals | Jim Margraff |
| 6. | Bethel (Minn.) | 11-2 | 909 | 15 | Lost to No. 4 Wisconsin-Whitewater, 26-12, in quarterfinals | Steve Johnson |
| 7. | Hardin-Simmons (Tex.) | 9-2 | 815 | 7 | Lost to No. 2 Mary Hardin-Baylor (Tex.), 27-6, in first round | Jesse Burleson |
| 8. | Frostburg St. (Md.) | 10-1 | 788 | 6 | Lost to No. 13 Johns Hopkins (Md.), 58-27, in second round | DeLane Fitzgerald |
| 9. | North Central (Ill.) | 10-2 | 784 | 9 | Lost to No. 15 Bethel (Minn.), 27-24, in second round | Jeff Thorne |
| 10. | Muhlenberg (Pa.) | 11-2 | 760 | 22 | Lost to No. 1 Mount Union (Ohio), 38-10, in quarterfinals | Nate Milne |
| 11. | Brockport (N.Y.) | 11-1 | 755 | 3 | Lost to No. 23 Rensselaer (N.Y.), 21-13, in second round | Jason Mangone |
| 12. | Rensselaer (N.Y.) | 10-2 | 700 | 23 | Lost to No. 13 Johns Hopkins (Md.), 37-14, in quarterfinals | Ralph Isernia |
| 13. | Whitworth (Wash.) | 10-1 | 692 | 11t | Lost to No. 5 St. John’s (Minn.), 45-24, in second round | Rod Sandberg |
| 14. | John Carroll (Ohio) | 9-2 | 428 | 8 | Lost to Randolph-Macon (Va.), 23-20, in first round | Rick Finotti |
| 15. | Centre (Ky.) | 10-2 | 427 | NR | Lost to No. 1 Mount Union (Ohio), 51-35, in second round | Andy Frye |
| 16t. | Berry (Ga.) | 10-2 | 425 | 18 | Lost to No. 2 Mary Hardin-Baylor (Tex.), 75-9, in second round | Tony Kunczewski |
| 16t. | Delaware Valley (Pa.) | 9-2 | 425 | 11t | Lost to No. 22 Muhlenberg (Pa.), 20-13, in first round | Duke Greco |
| 18. | St. Thomas (Minn.) | 8-2 | 332 | 19 | DNQ Playoffs | Glenn Caruso |
| 19. | Trine (Ind.) | 10-1 | 319 | 10 | Lost to St. Norbert (Wis.), 31-7, in first round | Troy Abbs |
| 20. | Wittenberg (Ohio) | 9-1 | 251 | 16 | DNQ Playoffs | Joe Fincham |
| 21. | St. Norbert (Wis.) | 10-2 | 247 | NR | Lost to No. 4 Wisconsin-Whitewater, 54-21, in second round | Dan McCarty |
| 22. | Washington & Jefferson (Pa.) | 9-2 | 233 | 14 | Lost to Centre (Ky.), 54-13, in first round | Mike Sirianni |
| 23. | Wabash (Ind.) | 9-1 | 231 | 17 | DNQ Playoffs | Don Morel |
| 24. | Randolph-Macon (Va.) | 9-3 | 225 | NR | Lost to No. 22 Muhlenberg (Pa.), 35-6, in second round | Pedro Arruza |
| 25. | Illinois Wesleyan | 8-2 | 210 | 21 | DNQ Playoffs | Norm Eash |
Dropped Out: Linfield (Ore.) (20), Wheaton (Ill.) (24), Baldwin Wallace (Ohio) (25)
Others Receiving Votes: Linfield (Ore.), 173; Wheaton (Ill.), 97; Wartburg (Iowa), 64; Baldwin Wallace (Ohio), 40; Wisconsin-La Crosse, 39; Framingham St. (Mass.), 27; Denison (Ohio), 21; Washington (Mo.), 17; Salisbury (Md.), 14; Case Western Reserve (Ohio), 12; Trinity (Conn.), 12; Wesley (Del.), 9; Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (Calif.), 8; Hanover (Ind.), 6; MIT (Mass.), 6; Southwestern (Tex.), 5; Western New England (Mass.), 5; Amherst (Mass.), 4; Monmouth (Ill.), 4; Eureka (Ill.), 3; Wisconsin-Oshkosh, 3; Franklin & Marshall (Pa.), 2; Ithaca (N.Y.), 1; Mount St. Joseph (Ohio), 1; Trinity (Tex.), 1.
*Final Poll
The AFCA begins distribution of the AFCA NAIA Coaches’ Top 25 Poll for the first time in 2019. Prior to this season, the NAIA national office was in charge of the distribution of its Top 25 poll.
The NAIA office still administers the poll, which consists of 16 coaches representing every football playing conference in the NAIA. Each conference is given one rater for every four schools in the league. The Top 25 is determined by a points system based on how each voter ranks the best teams. A team receives 25 points for each first-place vote, 24 for second-place and so on through the list. The highest and lowest ranking for each team (a non-rating is considered a low rating) is removed and the team’s ranking will be recalculated with an additional point added to each team for every ballot (including discounted ballots) that the teams appear on. Teams that receive only one point in the ballot are not considered “receiving votes. The NAIA Coaches’ Poll will be released on Mondays at 3 pm beginning with a preseason poll in August and will run through the final week of the regular season in November. A final poll will be released the Monday following the NAIA championship game.
| Rank | School (1st votes) | 2018 Rec. | Pts. | 2018 Rank | Season Opener | Head Coach | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Morningside (Iowa) (16) | 15-0 | 366 | 1 | Aug. 31 vs. St. Francis (Ill.) | Steve Ryan | |
| 2. | Benedictine (Kan.) | 13-2 | 352 | 2 | Aug. 31 at Graceland (Iowa) | Larry Wilcox | |
| 3. | Saint Francis (Ind.) | 10-3 | 338 | 3 | Sept. 7 at St. Francis (Ill.) | Kevin Donley | |
| 4. | Kansas Wesleyan | 13-1 | 307 | 4 | Aug. 31 vs. Texas Wesleyan | Myers Hendrickson | |
| 5. | Saint Xavier (Ill.) | 9-4 | 300 | 7 | Sept. 7 at Lawrence Tech (Mich.) | Mike Feminis | |
| 6. | Concordia (Mich.) | 10-3 | 280 | 6 | Sept. 7 at Kentucky Wesleyan | Joshua Schumacher | |
| 7. | Marian (Ind.) | 10-1 | 278 | 9 | Sept. 14 vs. Saint Ambrose (Iowa) | Mark Henninger | |
| 8. | Baker (Kan.) | 9-3 | 268 | 5 | Aug. 31 at Culver-Stockton (Mo.) | Jason Thoren | |
| 9. | Dickinson St. (N.D.) | 9-3 | 230 | 8 | Aug. 29 vs. No. 23 Rocky Mountain (Mont.) | Pete Stanton | |
| 10. | Reinhardt (Ga.) | 9-2 | 224 | 11 | Aug. 24 vs. Webber International (Fla.) | James Miller | |
| 11. | Northwestern (Iowa) | 9-2 | 214 | 12t | Sept. 7 vs. Valley City St. (N.D.) | Matt McCarty | |
| 12. | Grand View (Iowa) | 8-3 | 185 | 15 | Aug. 29 vs. MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) | Joe Woodley | |
| 13. | Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) | 7-3 | 182 | 18 | Aug. 29 vs. Campbellsville (Ky.) | Chris Oliver | |
| 14. | Langston (Okla.) | 9-2 | 171 | 14 | Sept. 7 vs. McPherson (Kan.) | Quinton Morgan | |
| 15. | College of Idaho | 6-5 | 164 | 22 | Aug. 31 vs. Eastern Oregon | Mike Moroski | |
| 16. | Bethel (Tenn.) | 10-1 | 161 | 10 | Aug. 29 at Lamar (Texas) | Michael Jasper | |
| 17. | Cumberlands (Ky.) | 10-2 | 157 | 12t | Sept. 7 at Ave Maria (Fla.) | Matt Rhymer | |
| 18. | Evangel (Mo.) | 9-2 | 136 | 17 | Aug. 31 at William Penn (Iowa) | Chuck Hepola | |
| 19. | Southeastern (Fla.) | 7-3 | 88 | 21 | Sept. 7 vs. Campbellsville (Ky.) | Keith Barefield | |
| 20. | Southern Oregon | 6-4 | 82 | NR | Aug. 31 at Sacramento St. (Calif.) | Charlie Hall | |
| 21. | Georgetown (Ky.) | 7-3 | 78 | 19 | Sept. 7 at Kentucky Christian | Bill Cronin | |
| 22. | Ottawa (Kan.) | 8-2 | 70 | 20 | Sept. 7 at Southwestern (Kan.) | Kent Kessinger | |
| 23. | Rocky Mountain (Mont.) | 8-4 | 66 | 16 | Aug. 29 at No. 9 Dickinson St. (N.D.) | Chris Stutzriem | |
| 24. | Dordt (Iowa) | 7-3 | 32 | 23 | Aug. 29 vs. Keiser (Fla.) | Joel Penner | |
| 25. | Montana Western | 6-4 | 27 | NR | Sept. 7 vs. Carroll (Mont.) | Ryan Nourse |
*– Ranking in final NAIA Poll of 2018
Others Receiving Votes: Siena Heights (Mich.), 25; Cumberland (Tenn.), 22; William Penn (Iowa), 20; Eastern Oregon, 18; Montana Tech, 9; Ottawa (Ariz.), 9; Arizona Christian, 6; Ave Maria (Fla.), 5; Olivet Nazarene (Ill.), 5; Avila (Mo.), 1; Campbellsville (Ky.), 1; Tabor (Kan.), 1; Valley City St. (N.D.), 1.
