KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Saint Francis (Ind.) closes the regular-season as the No. 1 team in the NAIA Football Coaches’ Top 25 Poll, the national office announced Sunday. The Cougars, who own 16 all-time No. 1 rankings, claimed all 15 first-place votes and 340 total points. Saint Francis has been the No. 1 team in all 11 polls this season.
NAIA USF Ratings notes . . .
- This is USF’s 16th NAIA football No. 1 ranking.
- 13 consecutive No. 1 rankings is a USF record.
- USF is 15-1 when ranked No. 1 in the NAIA Coaches’ Top 25.
- USF has won 10 consecutive games when ranked No. 1
- 28th consecutive ranking in the Top 25 Top 5.
- 134th NAIA Top 5 ranking.
- 33 consecutive Top 25 Top 10 rankings . . . 189th overall Top 10 ranking
- 36th consecutive Top 25 ranking
- 221st NAIA Top 25 ranking
- This is the 17th time a Kevin Donley coached team has been ranked No. 1.
- USF has scored 30 or more points in 13 of its last 14 games when ranked No. 1
- USF is 8-1 when ranked No. 1 and facing a Top 25 opponent. USF has won four consecutive Top 25 games as No. 1.
- This is the 24th consecutive Top 25 that a team from the MSFA Mideast League has been ranked No. 1.
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.
2017 NAIA Football Coaches’ Top 25 Poll – Final (November 12, 2017)
| RANK | PREVIOUS | SCHOOL (1ST PLACE VOTES) | 2017 RECORD | TOTAL POINTS |
| 1 | 1 | University of Saint Francis (Ind.) (15) | 10-0 | 340 |
| 2 | 2 | Reinhardt (Ga.) | 9-0 | 324 |
| 3 | 3 | Morningside (Iowa) | 11-0 | 317 |
| 4 | 4 | Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) | 10-0 | 300 |
| 5 | 5 | Southern Oregon | 10-0 | 289 |
| 6 | 7 | Baker (Kan.) | 10-1 | 268 |
| 7 | 8 | Langston (Okla.) | 10-0 | 266 |
| 8 | 9 | Saint Xavier (Ill.) | 9-1 | 252 |
| 9 | 10 | Southeastern (Fla.) | 8-1 | 227 |
| 10 | 11 | Northwestern (Iowa) | 9-1 | 216 |
| 11 | 6 | Grand View (Iowa) | 9-2 | 208 |
| 12 | T12 | Georgetown (Ky.) | 8-1 | 197 |
| 13 | T12 | Dickinson State (N.D.) | 9-1 | 187 |
| 14 | 14 | Concordia (Mich.) | 9-1 | 178 |
| 15 | 15 | Benedictine (Kan.) | 9-2 | 164 |
| 16 | 16 | Sterling (Kan.) | 9-2 | 143 |
| 17 | 17 | Tabor (Kan.) | 8-2 | 128 |
| 18 | 20 | SAGU (Texas) | 8-2 | 114 |
| 19 | 19 | Marian (Ind.) | 7-3 | 106 |
| 20 | 18 | Campbellsville (Ky.) | 7-2 | 79 |
| 21 | 24 | Kansas Wesleyan | 8-3 | 69 |
| 22 | RV | Faulkner (Ala.) | 7-3 | 54 |
| 23 | RV | Dakota State (S.D.) | 8-3 | 38 |
| 24 | NR | Oklahoma Panhandle State | 7-3 | 31 |
| 25 | 23 | Evangel (Mo.) | 7-4 | 22 |
Dropped from the Top 25: Montana Tech (No. 22); Arizona Christian (No. 23); Concordia (Neb.) (No. 25)
Others Receiving Votes: Arizona Christian 21; Montana Tech 17; Cumberland (Tenn.) 12; College of Idaho 6.