2018 NAIA Football Coaches' Top 25 Poll ? Poll Four (Oct. 1)
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Five upsets created dynamic shifts in the NAIA Coaches’ Top 25 as Morningside (Iowa) found itself in the top spot for the week. The 5-0 Mustangs earned their first No. 1-ranking in 2018 as former No. 1 Saint Francis (Ind.) fell in the NAIA Game of the Week to then-No. 6 Marian (Ind.) on Sept. 29.
Top 25 Highlights (historical information dates back to 1999)
- Morningside’s dominance continued against Hastings (Neb.) with a 65-0 win on the road. In the game, the top team in the nation recorded 682 yards of total offense while the defense allowed the Broncos just 98 yards.
- By the numbers, Morningside has the top passing offense in the nation in 2018. So far, the team has 1,959 yards in five games.
- Southeastern (Fla.) rejoins the poll at No. 24 after posting a win over then-No. 22 Webber International (Fla.) on the road. Saint Ambrose (Iowa) also joins the Top 25 with a 4-1 record, the only loss at Saint Francis (Ind.) on Sept. 15.
- Carroll (Mont.) owns the most No. 1-rankings with 57, followed by former NAIA member Sioux Falls (S.D.) (55), Georgetown (Ky.) (25), Marian (22) and Morningside (21) and Saint Francis (Ind.) 20.
- Morningside holds the longest active streak with 143-straight Top 25 mentions.
Poll Methodology
- The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences.
- 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.”
- For the complete Top 25 calendar, click here.
Don’t miss a minute of any NAIA Championship this season. Buy your All-Championship Pass today.
2018 NAIA Football Coaches’ Top 25 Poll – Poll Four (Oct. 1)
| RANK | LAST WEEK | SCHOOL | RECORD | FINAL POINTS |
| 1 | 2 | Morningside (Iowa) [13] | 5-0 | 364 |
| 2 | 3 | Southern Oregon [2] | 4-0 | 352 |
| 3 | 6 | Marian (Ind.) [1] | 4-0 | 336 |
| 4 | 5 | Northwestern (Iowa) | 5-0 | 322 |
| 5 | 1 | Saint Francis (Ind.) | 4-1 | 311 |
| 6 | 7 | Reinhardt (Ga.) | 4-1 | 285 |
| 7 | 4 | Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) | 3-1 | 284 |
| 8 | 8 | Evangel (Mo.) | 6-0 | 277 |
| 9 | 10 | Grand View (Iowa) | 3-1 | 249 |
| 10 | 14 | Bethel (Tenn.) | 5-0 | 231 |
| 11 | 12 | Kansas Wesleyan | 5-0 | 224 |
| 12 | 16 | Benedictine (Kan.) | 4-1 | 200 |
| 13 | 14 | Langston (Okla.) | 3-1 | 181 |
| 14 | 17 | Concordia (Mich.) | 4-1 | 180 |
| 15 | 9 | Georgetown (Ky.) | 3-2 | 161 |
| 16 | 18 | Dickinson State (N.D.) | 4-1 | 145 |
| 17 | 11 | Baker (Kan.) | 3-2 | 137 |
| 18 | 13 | Cumberlands (Ky.) | 5-1 | 130 |
| 19 | 19 | Arizona Christian | 5-0 | 128 |
| 20 | 20 | Montana Tech | 3-1 | 124 |
| 21 | 23 | Rocky Mountain (Mont.) | 3-2 | 70 |
| 22 | 24 | Montana Western | 3-1 | 60 |
| 23 | 25 | Siena Heights (Mich.) | 4-0 | 47 |
| 24 | NR | Southeastern (Fla.) | 3-2 | 38 |
| 25 | NR | St. Ambrose (Iowa) | 4-1 | 24 |
Dropped from the Top 25: Faulkner (Ala.), Webber International (Fla.)
Others Receiving Votes: Midland (Neb.) 21, Webber International (Fla.) 15, Avila (Mo.) 9, Eastern Oregon 8, Ottawa (Kan.) 7, Doane (Neb.) 4, Saint Xavier (Ill.) 3
