Nov. 5, 2007

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - As the season nears completion, No. 1 Sioux Falls (S.D.) holds the No. 1 spot for the 10^th straight time in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Football Top 25 Coaches' Poll, announced this afternoon (Nov. 5). Sioux Falls (S.D.) claimed their second straight GPAC Championship and sixth in the last seven years with a 54-0 blanking of Hastings (Neb.) - the win was the Cougars 23^rd in-a-row. The six teams after Sioux Falls remain in the same position from last week after all won on Saturday.

No. 2 Carroll (Mont.) and No. 3 Ohio Dominican both moved to 10-0, two of three teams (Lindenwood) in the NAIA to claim 10 victories. No. 4 Bethel (Tenn.) is followed by No. 5 St. Francis (Ind.), No. 6 St. Xavier (Ill.) and No. 7 Lindenwood (Mo.).

For the ninth straight week, Sioux Falls earned all 17 first-place votes and 425 points. In 10 polls this year (including preseason), Sioux Falls has notched 168 of a possible 170 total first-place votes. USF's streak of 10 straight polls at No. 1 to start a season is the longest since Carroll (Mont.) was the No. 1 team in all 11 polls in 2005.

Newcomers in the poll this week are No. 24 Azusa Pacific (Calif.) and No. 25 Southern Nazarene (Okla.). Azusa is riding the strength of a four-game winning streak to reach the Top 25 for the first time all year. SNU hits the Top 25 for the first time since Sept. 10 and will play for the Central States Football League Championship on Saturday versus Northwestern Oklahoma State.

Four teams sit with a perfect record heading into the final action of the regular season: Sioux Falls (9-0), Carroll (10-0), Ohio Dominican (10-0) and No. 7 Lindenwood (Mo.) (10-0).

There are numerous Top 25 head-to-head match-ups that will decide conference championships and playoff seeding: No. 2 Carroll (Mont.) hosts No. 20 Montana Tech; No. 3 Ohio Dominican hosts No. 23 Malone (Ohio); No. 5 St. Francis (Ind.) hosts No. 6 St. Xavier (Ill.); No. 7 Lindenwood (Mo.) at No. 12 Missouri Valley and No. 19 Northwestern Oklahoma State at No. 25 Southern Nazarene.

The poll was voted upon by a 17 member-panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences and independents.

A composite football schedule listing all Top 25 games around the country can be viewed here.

The final regular season poll (11th overall) will be released on Sunday, Nov. 11.

2007 NAIA Football Top 25 Coaches' Poll - Oct. 29 (Rating #9)

Others receiving votes:

Graceland (Iowa) 17; Nebraska Wesleyan 16; Minot State (N.D.) 12; Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) 3; William Jewell (Mo.) 3