Morningside Head Coach Steve Ryan's Mustangs are ranked fourth in the NAIA football poll.For the fifth-straight week, the top four teams remain unchanged in the NAIA Football Coaches' Top 25 Poll. Marian (Ind.) continued its reign as the top-ranked team with 13 first-place votes after improving to 8-0. The Knights face arguably their toughest test of the season when they travel to No. 5 Saint Xavier (Ill.) on Saturday.
Fourth-ranked Morningside, who downed Dordt, 41-0, to claim at least a share of the Great Plains Athletic Conference title, rounds out the quartet with 283 points. The group's five-consecutive weeks is the longest such stretch for four teams since former-NAIA member Sioux Falls (S.D.), Carroll (Mont.), former-NAIA member Lindenwood (Mo.) and Saint Francis (Ind.) held Nos. 1 - 4 for eight-straight polls in 2009.
Northwestern, ranked 17th, will travel to #25 Hastings on Saturday.
2012 NAIA Football Coaches' Top 25 Poll - No. 8 (Oct. 29)
|
RANK
|
LAST TIME
|
SCHOOL (1ST PLACE VOTES)
|
2012 RECORD
|
TOTAL POINTS
|
|
1
|
1
|
Marian (Ind.) (13)
|
8-0
|
314
|
|
2
|
2
|
Georgetown (Ky.) (1)
|
8-0
|
302
|
|
3
|
3
|
Missouri Valley
|
8-0
|
286
|
|
4
|
4
|
Morningside (Iowa)
|
8-0
|
283
|
|
5
|
6
|
Saint Xavier (Ill.)
|
7-1
|
262
|
|
6
|
7
|
Saint Francis (Ind.)
|
6-2
|
243
|
|
7
|
8
|
Montana Tech
|
7-1
|
235
|
|
8
|
10
|
Cumberlands (Ky.)
|
8-1
|
220
|
|
9
|
9
|
Grand View (Iowa)
|
7-2
|
217
|
|
10
|
11
|
William Penn (Iowa)
|
8-1
|
214
|
|
11
|
12
|
St. Ambrose (Iowa)
|
7-1
|
200
|
|
12
|
13
|
MidAmerican Nazarene (Kan.)
|
6-2
|
196
|
|
13
|
14
|
Baker (Kan.)
|
6-2
|
161
|
|
14
|
19
|
Southern Oregon
|
6-2
|
152
|
|
15
|
15
|
Evangel (Mo.)
|
7-2
|
144
|
|
16
|
6
|
Carroll (Mont.)
|
6-3
|
141
|
|
17
|
16
|
Northwestern (Iowa)
|
7-2
|
135
|
|
18
|
21
|
Benedictine (Kan.)
|
6-3
|
94
|
|
19
|
24
|
Ottawa (Kan.)
|
6-2
|
89
|
|
20
|
22
|
Tabor (Kan.)
|
6-2
|
87
|
|
21
|
RV
|
Bethel (Tenn.)
|
6-3
|
68
|
|
22
|
22
|
Robert Morris (Ill.)
|
8-1
|
59
|
|
23
|
RV
|
Kansas Wesleyan
|
6-3
|
38
|
|
24
|
RV
|
Doane (Neb.)
|
5-3
|
37
|
|
25
|
18
|
Hastings (Neb.)
|
6-2
|
31
|
Others receiving votes: Cumberland (Tenn.) 23; Bacone (Okla.) 10; St. Francis (Ill.) 4; Kentucky Christian 3.
