Sterling (Kan.) and Shorter (Ga.) jump into Top 25
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Carroll (Mont.) College continues its 2008 dominance and remains No. 1 in the third regular season edition of the NAIA Football Top 25 Coaches' Poll (Sept. 29). The defending national champions moved to an NAIA-best 5-0 on the season after a 31-13 win over rival Montana Tech on Saturday. The Fighting Saints have now earned all of the possible first-place votes in all five 2008 Top 25 polls. Carroll, who travels to Montana-Western (1-4) this weekend, now stands 104-12 (.897) since 2000. That record this decade is the second highest win total among all football programs (NCAA, NAIA) in the country.
Right behind Carroll for the sixth straight time is No. 2 Sioux Falls (S.D.), which posted 402 total points. No. 3 Missouri Valley moved to 4-0 and held its ranking after winning a conference battle last weekend against Evangel (Mo.). No. 4 Saint Francis (Ind.) kept up its 2008 success and improved to 4-0 taking out then-No. 10 St. Ambrose (Iowa) on Saturday. The Cougars also improved their home winning streak to 47 straight games. Morningside (Iowa) had an idle week and held at No. 5.
There were two major shake-ups in the poll. Virginia-Wise fell six spots to No. 13 after losing 51-40 to Lambuth (Tenn.). Also, Bethel (Kan.) lost its first game this year dropping a 24-3 decision to Sterling (Kan.). For the upset, Sterling is rewarded with a No. 25 spot this week. Shorter (Ga.), hosts of the 2008 National Championship, leaped into the polls for the first time this season at No. 23. Shorter is now 3-1 after a 42-0 thrashing of Faulkner (Ky.).
One game to watch out for this week is St. Francis (Ind.) hosting No. 8 Ohio Dominican.
NOTES: Since 2004 when Ohio Dominican started varsity football, the Panthers have been ranked in 27 of a possible 56 polls - those 27 polls happen to be the last 27 straight weeks… Northwestern Oklahoma State, at No. 10 this week, is awarded a Top 10 placing for the first time since No. 8 back on Aug. 16, 2005 (Preseason)… Georgetown (Ky.) and Valley City State (N.D.) fell out of the Top 25 as GC was No. 18 last week and VCSU was No. 24… Since 2000, Carroll has been No. 1 a total of 46 times, the highest amount of any program during that time span; Sioux Falls is second with 28 mentions at No. 1 followed by Georgetown (Ky.) with 14, Northwestern Oklahoma State with 11 and Saint Francis (Ind.) with three… The last time a team other than Carroll and Sioux Falls has been No. 1 was Saint Francis on Nov. 12, 2006… Carroll has now been ranked in the Top 5 in the last 43 straight polls dating back to November of 2004… St. Francis boasts the longest consecutive stretch of being named in the Coaches' Top 25 Poll - now standing at 109 straight mentions… The last time USF was not mentioned in the Top 25 was Oct. 19, 1999… Carroll (Mont.) is the next team in line with 96 straight Top 25 rankings while Sioux Falls (S.D.) stands at 95 straight mentions… The Top 4 teams in the poll have been the same throughout the first four 2008 fall polls.
|
RANK |
LAST WEEK |
SCHOOL (1st Place Votes) |
2008 RECORD* |
TOTAL POINTS |
|
1 |
1 |
Carroll College (Mont.) (18) |
5-0 |
418 |
|
2 |
2 |
University of Sioux Falls (S.D.) |
4-0 |
402 |
|
3 |
3 |
Missouri Valley College |
4-0 |
382 |
|
4 |
4 |
University of Saint Francis (Ind.) |
4-0 |
374 |
|
5 |
5 |
Morningside College (Iowa) |
3-0 |
353 |
|
6 |
6 |
MidAmerica Nazarene University (Kan.) |
4-0 |
339 |
|
7 |
8 |
Friends University (Kan.) |
3-0 |
312 |
|
8 |
9 |
Ohio Dominican University |
3-1 |
306 |
|
9 |
11 |
Lindenwood University (Mo.) |
3-1 |
282 |
|
10 |
12 |
Northwestern Oklahoma State University |
2-1 |
273 |
|
11 |
T13 |
Northwestern College (Iowa) |
3-1 |
257 |
|
12 |
16 |
Union College (Ky.) |
4-0 |
226 |
|
13 |
7 |
University of Virginia's College at Wise |
4-1 |
208 |
|
14 |
17 |
Montana State University-Northern |
3-1 |
196 |
|
15 |
19 |
Black Hills State University (S.D.) |
2-1 |
185 |
|
16 |
10 |
Saint Ambrose University (Iowa) |
3-2 |
181 |
|
17 |
20 |
University of the Cumberlands (Ky.) |
3-1 |
179 |
|
18 |
21 |
University of St. Francis (Ill.) |
4-0 |
157 |
|
19 |
22 |
Midland Lutheran College (Neb.) |
4-0 |
143 |
|
20 |
T13 |
Bethel College (Kan.) |
2-1 |
99 |
|
21 |
25 |
Saint Xavier University (Ill.) |
2-2 |
64 |
|
22 |
23 |
Langston University (Okla.) |
3-2 |
59 |
|
23 |
RV |
Shorter College (Ga.) |
3-1 |
57 |
|
24 |
15 |
Jamestown College (N.D.) |
2-2 |
51 |
|
25 |
NR |
Sterling College (Kan.) |
2-1 |
25 |
| Missouri Valley at | 7:30pm |
| Central Methodist | CST |
| Evangel at | 7:30pm |
| Baker | CST |
| Graceland at | 7:30pm |
| William Jewell | CST |
| Culver-Stockton at | 7:30pm |
| Lindenwood | CST |
| MidAmerica Nazarene at | 7:30pm |
| Avila | CST |
| Culver-Stockton at | 5:30pm |
| Lindenwood | CST |
| Missouri Valley at | 5:30pm |
| Central Methodist | CST |
| Graceland at | 5:30pm |
| William Jewell | CST |
| Evangel at | 5:30pm |
| Baker | CST |
| MidAmerica Nazarene at | 7:00pm |
| Avila | CST |
| Lindenwood vs | 1:15pm |
| Bellevue University | CST |
| NAIA Championship Pool Play | |
