TOP 15 REMAIN UNCHANGED IN DIVISION II COACHES’ POLL

WACO, TEX.--The Top 15 teams in the American Football Coaches Association Division II Coaches’ Poll all held serve this past Saturday, causing very little change in the Top 25. Grand Valley State holds down the top spot for a second straight week, earning 19 first place votes after a 41-10 win over Hillsdale.

No. 2 North Alabama dominated North Greenville, 52-7, and received four first place for a second straight week. No. 3 Abilene Christian received the final three first place votes after beating Angelo State, 51-7. West Texas A&M still sits fourth after a shootout with Eastern New Mexico, 51-27, and Northwest Missouri State holds down the fifth position after handing then-No. 17 Central Missouri a 20-13 loss.

Bloomsburg is 7-0 on the season and still sits sixth after a 42-23 win over East Stroudsburg. No. 7 Delta State held on for a 21-14 victory over West Alabama while No. 8 California dismantled Lock Haven, 56-3. Minnesota-Duluth is still undefeated at 7-0 and holds down the No. 9 position after a 55-7 win over Northern State. No. 10 Valdosta State rebounded from its first loss of the season and edged past Henderson State, 27-23.

Central Washington kept its No. 11 ranking after a dominant 50-28 win over Western Washington. No. 12 Tuskegee is 6-0 after beating Morehouse, 42-27. Chadron State and Pittsburg State both occupy the 13th spot this week. The Eagles defeated Western New Mexico, 43-17, while the Gorillas handed Truman State a 45-28 loss. Wingate still holds down the 15th position after outscoring Lenoir-Rhyne, 35-27.

Edinboro makes the first change in this week’s poll as the Fighting Scots upset then-No. 16 Indiana (Pa.), 24-17 and jumped two spots to No. 16. Tarleton State also moved up two places to No. 17 after handing then-No. 22 Midwestern State a 37-16 loss. Carson-Newman is No. 18 this week after the Eagles beat Catawba, 21-14. Seton Hill jumped up five spots to No. 19 after the Griffins moved to 7-0 after a 35-28 upset win over then-No. 20 West Virginia State. Albany State beat Clark Atlanta, 34-20, and moved up three places to No. 20.

Central Missouri fell four spots to No. 21 after its loss to Northwest Missouri State, while Nebraska-Omaha moved back into the poll at No. 22. The Mavericks beat Missouri Western State, 42-14. Indiana (Pa.) dropped seven places to No. 23 after its loss to Edinboro. American International jumps into the poll at No. 24 for the first time in school history. The Yellow Jackets beat Stonehill, 24-10, and are 6-0 on the season. West Virginia State fell five places to No. 25 after its loss to Seton Hill.

Conference Breakdown: MIAA-4 (Northwest Missouri St., Pittsburg St., Central Missouri, Nebraska-Omaha); Pennsylvania State Athletic-4 (Bloomsburg, California (Pa.), Indiana (Pa.), Edinboro); Lone Star-3 (Abilene Christian, West Texas A&M, Tarleton St.); Gulf South-3 (North Alabama, Delta St., Valdosta St.); South Atlantic-2 (Wingate, Carson-Newman); Southern Intercollegiate Athletic-2 (Tuskegee, Albany St.); West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic-2 (Seton Hill, West Virginia St.); Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic-1 (Grand Valley St.); Great Northwest Athletic-1 (Central Washington); Northeast 10-1 (American International); Northern Sun Intercollegiate-1 (Minnesota-Duluth); Rocky Mountain Athletic-1 (Chadron St.).

Head-to-Head
Four games featuring teams ranked in the AFCA Division II Coaches’ Poll highlight this weekend’s action. The first Top 25 match-up is for the top spot in the Gulf South Conference as No. 2 North Alabama travels to No. 7 Delta State. Both teams are 4-0 in conference action this year. This will be the fifth time these two schools have played each other in the last two years, with North Alabama winning three of those previous four meetings. The second match-up is a Top 5 tilt as No. 3 Abilene Christian travels to No. 4 West Texas A&M, with the top spot in the Lone Star Conference South Division on the line. The Wildcats own the overall series, 24-16, but West Texas A&M has won three of the last four meetings. In the third Top 25 match-up, No. 12 Tuskegee hosts No. 20 Albany State for sole possession of first place in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Tuskegee has beaten Albany State in its last two meetings, and is also putting its 22-game unbeaten streak on the line. The final Top 25 match-up is an important MIAA contest as No. 13 Pittsburg State hosts No. 22 Nebraska-Omaha. The two teams have not played each other since 2001, with Pittsburg State coming out on top 20-7 in the playoffs. The series is tied, 8-8.

Poll Points
Northwest Missouri State runningback LaRon Council rushed for a career-high 188 yards, including an MIAA-record 99-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, in the Bearcats’ 20-13 win over Central Missouri.