2023 NAIA Football FirstDown PlayBook Coaches' Top 25 Rating - No. 3 (September 25)
Sep 25, 2023
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Northwestern (Iowa), the reigning National Champions, once again have a firm grasp on all 18 first-place votes in the newest NAIA Football Coaches' Top 25 Rating presented by FirstDown PlayBook. The next five teams remain unchanged as Grand View (Iowa), Morningside (Iowa), Indiana Wesleyan, Marian (Ind.) and Bethel (Tenn.) are second through sixth, respectively.
Rating Methodology
- The rating 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 or division.
- The Top 25 is determined by a points system based on how each rater 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.
| RANK | LAST TIME | SCHOOL [FIRST-PLACE VOTES] | RECORD | POINTS |
| 1 | 1 | Northwestern (Iowa) [18] | 4-0 | 418 |
| 2 | 2 | Grand View (Iowa) | 4-0 | 401 |
| 3 | 3 | Morningside (Iowa) | 4-0 | 387 |
| 4 | 4 | Indiana Wesleyan | 4-0 | 366 |
| 5 | 5 | Marian (Ind.) | 3-0 | 352 |
| 6 | 6 | Bethel (Tenn.) | 4-0 | 336 |
| 7 | 8 | Keiser (Fla.) | 1-2 | 310 |
| 8 | 9 | Southwestern (Kan.) | 5-0 | 304 |
| 9 | 10 | Carroll (Mont.) | 4-0 | 300 |
| 10 | 11 | Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) | 3-1 | 266 |
| 11 | 15 | Montana Tech | 3-1 | 250 |
| 12 | 7 | College of Idaho | 3-1 | 226 |
| 13 | 14 | St. Francis (Ill.) | 4-0 | 220 |
| 14 | 16 | Dordt (Iowa) | 3-0 | 208 |
| 15 | 17 | Concordia (Mich.) | 3-0 | 198 |
| 16 | 18 | Saint Xavier (Ill.) | 2-2 | 153 |
| 17 | 23 | St. Thomas (Fla.) | 2-2 | 137 |
| 18 | 20 | Evangel (Mo.) | 5-0 | 130 |
| 19 | 19 | Cumberlands (Ky.) | 4-0 | 123 |
| 20 | 12 | Georgetown (Ky.) | 2-1 | 117 |
| 21 | 13 | Texas Wesleyan | 3-1 | 97 |
| 22 | 21 | Benedictine (Kan.) | 3-2 | 87 |
| 23 | 24 | Dickinson State (N.D.) | 3-1 | 65 |
| 24 | NR | Reinhardt (Ga.) | 2-2 | 54 |
| 25 | 22 | OUAZ (Ariz.) | 3-1 | 51 |
Dropped From Top 25: Graceland (Iowa)
Receiving Votes: Montana Western 31; Louisiana Christian 20; Rocky Mountain (Mont.) 9; MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) 5; Baker (Kan.) 3
