KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Reigning NAIA National Champions Northwestern (Iowa) leads the pack in the preseason NAIA Football Coaches’ Top 25, receiving 17 first-place votes. Last year’s runner-up Keiser (Fla.) takes the final vote and sits second, followed by Grand View (Iowa), Morningside (Iowa), and Indiana Wesleyan.
The ranking was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences.
The Red Raiders find themselves in the top-5 for the 25th straight poll and marks the first poll, since 1999, that Northwestern has been ranked No. 1 in the nation.
1 Northwestern (Iowa) [17] 13-1 418
2 Keiser (Fla.) [1] 10-4 383
3 Grand View (Iowa) 13-1 379
4 Morningside (Iowa) 11-1 375
5 Indiana Wesleyan 11-2 340
6 Marian (Ind.) 9-2 335
7 Benedictine (Kan.) 11-2 317
8 Bethel (Tenn.) 13-1 311
9 Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) 10-2 294
10 Reinhardt (Ga.) 8-2 286
11 Southwestern (Kan.) 9-2 238
12 College of Idaho 8-2 237
13 Saint Xavier (Ill.) 9-3 231
14 St. Thomas (Fla.) 9-2 209
15 Carroll (Mont.) 8-3 144
16 Montana Tech 7-3 130
17 OUAZ (Ariz.) 7-2 125
18 Avila (Mo.) 10-2 122
19 Dickinson State (N.D.) 8-3 118
20 Kansas Wesleyan 8-3 115
21 Texas Wesleyan 9-2 113
22 Georgetown (Ky.) 7-3 113
23 Bethel (Kan.) 9-1 75
24 St. Francis (Ill.) 7-3 70
25 Dordt (Iowa) 7-3 33
Receiving Votes: Arizona Christian 30; Evangel (Mo.) 23; Concordia (Mich.) 20; Bluefield (Va.) 13; MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) 10; Montana Western 6; Southeastern (Fla.) 4; Louisiana Christian 3
