THREE TOP TEN TEAMS LOSE, CAUSING SHAKEUP IN DIVISION II POLL

WACO, TEXAS-- North Dakota, Valdosta State and Carson-Newman all lost to lower ranked teams, causing a big shakeup in the 2007 American Football Coaches Association Division II Coaches' Poll in the eighth week of action.

Grand Valley State received all 28 first place votes and continued in the top spot after dominated Indianapolis, 41-17. North Alabama jumps into the No. 2 spot with a 46-27 win over Arkansas-Monticello. New No. 3 Chadron State is 7-0 after a 31-9 victory over Fort Lewis. Nebraska-Omaha moves up two positions to No. 4 after handing then-No. 2 North Dakota a 28-17 loss. Delta State moves up three to No. 5 after its 35-31 win over then-No. 5 Valdosta State.

West Texas A&M jumps four spots to No. 6 after outscoring Eastern New Mexico, 62-31. Catawba makes the biggest move this week, moving up five positions to No. 7 after ending then-No. 7 Carson-Newman's undefeated season with a 55-49 loss. California (Pa.) is ranked No. 8 this week after beating Lock Haven, 27-3, while Northwest Missouri State stayed at No. 9 after edging Central Missouri, 28-26. Tarleton State jumps to No. 10 after giving then-No. 16 Midwestern State its second straight loss, 44-32.

North Dakota falls nine spots to No. 11 after its loss to Nebraska-Omaha. No. 12 Abilene Christian dominated Angelo State, 52-28, as it prepares for a Top 25 match-up this Saturday against No. 6 West Texas A&M. Valdosta State tumbles to No. 13 this week after its loss to Delta State. West Chester moved up to No. 14 after blanking Kutztown, 21-0. Carson-Newman is now No. 15 this week after its loss to Catawba.

Tuskegee, Shepherd and Wingate all moved up one notch in the poll this week. No. 16 Tuskegee made its move after beating Stillman, 35-7, while No. 17 Shepherd handed Concord a 41-17 loss. No. 18 Wingate moved its record to 6-1 after a 31-13 victory over Lenoir-Rhyne. No. 19 Central Washington beat Western Oregon, 49-14, and moved up two spots, while No. 20 Mesa State edged Western State, 30-27, and moved up one position. The Mavericks are 7-0 on the season and tied with Chadron State for the top spot in the RMAC.

Pittsburg State blanked Truman State, 40-0, and jumps from No. 23 to No. 21 this week. No. 22 Indiana (Pa.) also moved up two spots after beating conference rival Edinboro, 27-7. Midwestern State falls seven spots to No. 23 after its loss to Tarleton State. No. 24 Tiffin is 6-1 after its 17-13 win over St. Joseph's, 17-13. Albany State returns to the poll after a six-week layoff at No. 25 this week. The Golden Rams beat Clark Atlanta, 17-14, and moved its record to 6-1.

Conference Breakdown: Lone Star-4 (West Texas A&M, Tarleton State, Abilene Christian, Midwestern State); Gulf South-3 (North Alabama, Delta State, Valdosta State); North Central-3 (Nebraska-Omaha, North Dakota, Central Washington); Pennsylvania State Athletic-3 (California (Pa.), West Chester, Indiana (Pa.)); South Atlantic-3 (Catawba, Carson-Newman, Wingate); MIAA-2 (Northwest Missouri State, Pittsburg State); Rocky Mountain Athletic-2 (Chadron State, Mesa State); Southern Intercollegiate Athletic-2 (Tuskegee, Albany State); Great Lakes Football-1 (Tiffin); Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic-1 (Grand Valley State); West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic-1 (Shepherd).

Head-to-Head

Three games featuring teams ranked in the AFCA Division II Coaches' Poll highlight this weekend's action. The first match-up has first place in the Gulf South Conference on the line as No. 5 Delta State travels to No. 2 North Alabama. The Lions will be looking to rebound from a 27-10 loss to Delta State in the playoffs last season.

The second Top 25 match-up is a key Lone Star Conference showdown as No. 12 Abilene Christian plays host to No. 6 West Texas A&M. The Buffs have won two of three from ACU in the past two years, including 30-27 decision in the playoffs last year. The final Top 25 match-up has No. 16 Tuskegee traveling to No. 25 Albany State. First place is on the line in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference with both schools sporting a 5-0 conference mark.

Poll Points

With their 41-17 win over Indianapolis, Grand Valley State has tied Hillsdale for the longest winning streak in Division II history at 34 games. The Lakers last lost on November 27, 2004 to North Dakota in the playoffs ƒ Nebraska-Omaha runningback Brian McNeill rushed for 237 yards and three touchdowns in helping the Mavericks beat North Dakota, 28-17 ƒ Delta State overcame a 24-0 deficit in the third quarter to beat Valdosta State, 35-31 ... A school and Lone Star Conference record 23,276 people watched West Texas A&M beat Eastern New Mexico, 62-31, to claim the Wagon Wheel traveling trophy in Canyon, Texas.