Sept. 20, 2010

Contact: Chad Waller, NAIA Director of Sports Information & Media Services, cwaller@naia.org

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The top-six programs all won in convincing fashion on Sept. 18 and the pollsters rewarded them as all six teams held their positions in the second regular season NAIA Football Coaches’ Top 25 Poll, announced by the NAIA on Monday. No. 1 Sioux Falls (S.D.) leads the bunch with its 18^th straight No. 1 ranking. The Cougars earned 13 first-place votes and a total of 412 points. Behind Sioux Falls is No. 2 Lindenwood (Mo.), No. 3 Carroll (Mont.), No. 4 Saint Xavier (Ill.), No. 5 Morningside (Iowa) and No. 6 MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.).

Those teams averaged nearly 50 points in blow-out wins over the weekend and are a combined 19-0 on the season. Meanwhile, those defenses held strong, allowing an average of 14 points. Carroll was the defensive highlight as the Fighting Saints held Montana-Western to 188 yards in total offense and a 29 passing completion percentage in a 29-2 win.

On a 32-game winning streak, the longest in any division in college football, Sioux Falls is 3-0 on the young season. The Cougars have out-scored opponents 144-44 on the year, including a 66-13 victory over Doane (Neb.) on Sept. 18. Overall, Sioux Falls has been ranked in the top-five spots in the last 108 straight polls dating back to the 2001 season. The Cougars travel to Hastings, Neb., to face No. 22 Hastings (Neb.) on Saturday.

No. 2 Lindenwood is ranked in the runner-up spot for the fifth straight poll. The Lions notched four first-place votes and 405 total points. In the first ranked test of the season, Lindenwood dismantled then-No. 8 Missouri Valley by a score of 45-27 on Sept. 18. The Lions face another ranked opponent in the Heart of America Athletic Conference Saturday as they travel to No. 6 MidAmerica Nazarene. Spanning back to the 2008 season, Lindenwood has now won 26 of its last 29 games overall.

No. 3 Carroll holds steady after its victory over Montana-Western on Sept. 18. The Fighting Saints recorded 386 total points this week and have been ranked in the top-five for 68 straight polls. Carroll faces its second-ranked opponent on Saturday when it hosts No. 21 Montana Tech. The Fighting Saints have won 36 straight games against the Frontier Conference, dating back to 2006.

For the seventh straight time, St. Xavier maintains its position at No. 4. With 372 total points, the Cougars received one first-place vote for the fourth consecutive poll. With a 4-0 record, St. Xavier has topped the 45-point mark in all four games. Recently, St. Xavier took down Olivet Nazarene 56-17 on Sept. 18. Next up is a date with Quincy (Ill.) on Saturday.

No. 5 Morningside joins Sioux Falls as the second Great Plains Athletic Conference team represented in the top-five. The Mustangs tallied 354 total points in the poll. Holding its third straight opponent this year to fewer than 50 team rushing yards, Morningside defeated Briar Cliff (Iowa) 58-12 on Sept. 18. Morningside next plays Midland Lutheran (Neb.) on Saturday.

No. 24 Southern Nazarene (Okla.) and No. 25 Sterling (Kan.) are newcomers to the Top 25 this season. Southern Nazarene is appearing for the first time since Sept. 15, 2008 (No. 23) and Sterling is ranked for the first time since Sept. 21, 2009 (No. 22).

Two teams, No. 16 Cumberlands (Ky.) and No. 24 Southern Oregon, both fall out of the Top 25 since last week. Cumberlands lost 51-32 to unranked Georgetown (Ky.) on Sept. 18 and Southern Oregon dropped a 42-24 decision against NCAA Division III Willamette (Ore.).

The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences and independents. The third regular season Football Coaches’ Top 25 Poll will be announced on Sept. 27. For the entire schedule of the 2010 Coaches’ Top 25 Poll, click here.

For more information on NAIA football, please click here.

NOTES: The 18 straight No. 1 rankings for Sioux Falls (S.D.) are the most for any team since Carroll (Mont.) went 21 straight polls from the 2004-06 seasons… Sioux Falls was ranked No. 1 for the entire 2009 season (14 polls), which marks the first time for a team to do so since Carroll in 2005… Sioux Falls has now been ranked No. 1 a total of 47 times since the 2000 season, including 30 mentions out of 43 polls since 2007… Carroll and Sioux Falls have dominated the top of the polls with either team being ranked No. 1 since the 2006 Postseason Top 25 Poll (Jan. 18, 2007) -- Saint Francis (Ind.) was the last team outside of those two programs to earn the No. 1 spot back on Nov. 12, 2006 – a streak of 45 polls… Carroll has now been ranked in the top five in the last 68 straight polls dating back to Jan. 17, 2005 (2004 Postseason Top 25 Poll)… St. Francis boasts the longest consecutive stretch of being named in the Coaches’ Top 25 Poll – 132 straight mentions – the last time St. Francis was not mentioned in the Top 25 was Oct. 19, 1999… After St. Francis, Carroll is the next team in line with 119 straight Top 25 rankings, while Sioux Falls stands at 118 straight mentions… Since 2000, Carroll has been ranked No. 1 53 times, the highest amount of any program during that time span; Sioux Falls is second with 47 mentions at No. 1 followed by Georgetown (Ky.) with 14, Northwestern Oklahoma State with 11 and St. Francis with three.

2010 NAIA Football Coaches’ Top 25 Poll – (Sept. 20)

Others receiving votes:

Georgetown College (Ky.) 17; Dakota Wesleyan University (S.D.) 12; Kansas Wesleyan University 9; Cumberland University (Tenn.) 7; Friends University (Kan.) 5; Belhaven University (Miss.) 3; Webber International University (Fla.) 1; University of the Cumberlands (Ky.) 1; South Dakota Mines & Technology 1; Menlo College (Calif.) 1; Southern Oregon University            1

^ Ranking indicated in Top 25 Poll (Sept. 13, 2010)
* Record reflects the school submission of their statistics in DakStats