KANSAS CITY, Mo. – University of Saint Francis (Ind.) retained the top spot in the NAIA Football Coaches’ Top 25 poll after beating then-No. 20 Saint Xavier (Ill.) on Saturday, Sept. 22. While the top five remained the same, Evangel (Mo.) and Cumberlands (Ky.) grabbed their NAIA-leading fifth victories of the season.
- This is USF’s 20th NAIA football No. 1 ranking, a USF record, and ties Morningside for No. 5 on the list of most No. 1 rankings.
- This is USF’s 18th consecutive No. 1 ranking, a USF record.
- 33 consecutive rankings in the Top 25 Top 5 . . . 129th Top 5 ranking
- 38 consecutive Top 25 Top 10 rankings . . . 193rd overall Top 10 ranking
- 29th consecutive Top 25 ranking
- 226th NAIA Top 25 ranking
- This is the 21st time a USF Donley coached team has been ranked No. 1.
- USF’s record when ranked No. 1 is 23-1.
- The Cougars have won 18 consecutive games when ranked No. 1.
- USF is 14-0 at home when ranked No. 1 in the NAIA Coaches’ Top 25.
- USF extended the MSFA Mideast League streak holding the No. 1 spot in the NAIA Coaches’ Top 25 to 27 consecutive rankings.
- USF is 14-0 when scoring 30 or more points when ranked No. 1.
Top 25 Highlights (historical information dates back to 1999)
- Saint Francis put together another gritty effort in a 27-19 win over then-No. 20 Saint Xavier on Saturday. The Cougars are outscoring opponents 178-61.
- Defense has been a key to the formula for the Cougars in 2018 and central to that has been getting to the quarterback. Saint Francis is ranked No. 1 with 21 sacks in four games.
- Webber International (Fla.) and Siena Heights (Mich.) jumped into the Top 25 this week after posting wins over the weekend. Four of the six teams in the Mid-States Football Association Mideast Division are represented this week.
- Carroll (Mont.) owns the most No. 1 rankings with 57, followed by former NAIA member Sioux Falls (S.D.) (55), Georgetown (25) and Marian (22). Morningside (Iowa) and Saint Francis (Ind.) are tied at 20.
- Morningside holds the longest active streak with 142-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.”
2018 NAIA Football Coaches’ Top 25 Poll – Poll Three (Sept. 24)
| RANK | LAST WEEK | SCHOOL | RECORD | TOTAL POINTS |
| 1 | 1 | University of Saint Francis (Ind.) [16] | 4-0 | 366 |
| 2 | 2 | Morningside (Iowa) | 4-0 | 351 |
| 3 | 3 | Southern Oregon | 4-0 | 339 |
| 4 | 4 | Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) | 3-0 | 323 |
| 5 | 5 | Northwestern (Iowa) | 4-0 | 309 |
| 6 | 6 | Marian (Ind.) | 3-0 | 294 |
| 7 | 7 | Reinhardt (Ga.) | 3-1 | 281 |
| 8 | 10 | Evangel (Mo.) | 5-0 | 257 |
| 9 | 9 | Georgetown (Ky.) | 3-1 | 250 |
| 10 | 11 | Grand View (Iowa) | 2-1 | 237 |
| 11 | 12 | Baker (Kan.) | 3-1 | 216 |
| 12 | 14 | Kansas Wesleyan | 4-0 | 184 |
| 13 | 16 | Cumberlands (Ky.) | 5-0 | 176 |
| 14 | 13 | Langston (Okla.) | 2-1 | 173 |
| 14 | 17 | Bethel (Tenn.) | 4-0 | 173 |
| 16 | 15 | Benedictine (Kan.) | 3-1 | 169 |
| 17 | 8 | Concordia (Mich.) | 3-1 | 161 |
| 18 | 19 | Dickinson State (N.D.) | 3-1 | 131 |
| 19 | 21 | Arizona Christian | 4-0 | 121 |
| 20 | 24 | Montana Tech | 3-1 | 81 |
| 21 | 25 | Faulkner (Ala.) | 3-1 | 67 |
| 22 | NR | Webber International (Fla.) | 4-0 | 62 |
| 23 | 23 | Rocky Mountain (Mont.) | 3-2 | 47 |
| 24 | 22 | Montana Western | 3-1 | 33 |
| 25 | NR | Siena Heights (Mich.) | 4-0 | 30 |
Dropped from the Top 25: Southeastern (Fla.), Saint Xavier (Ill.)
Others Receiving Votes: Avila (Mo.) 25, Southeastern (Fla.) 20, Midland (Neb.) 17, Eastern Oregon 7, Doane (Neb.) 5, Saint Xavier (Ill.) 4, Tabor (Kan.) 3