Northwest Missouri State finished the regular season ranked number 1 in the AFCA Division II Coaches' Poll after beating Washburn 49-13 to improve to 11-0. They received one of four number 1 seeds in the Division II playoffs and will have a first-round bye. The top five teams remained the same with Ferris State, Ashland, Colorado State-Pueblo, and Shepherd rounding it out. Twenty-four of the top 25 teams made the playoffs with only Colorado Mesa missing out at number 21.

1. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE NOVEMBER 16, 2015
AFCA CONTACT: Vince Thompson, Director of Media Relations (254) 754-9900
NORTHWEST MISSOURI STATE ENDS REGULAR SEASON AT NO. 1 IN AFCA DIVISION II COACHES’ TOP 25 POLL
WACO, TEX.– Northwest Missouri State beat Washburn (Kan.), 49-13, moving its record to 11-0 and finished the regular season at
No. 1 in the AFCA Division II Coaches’ Top 25 Poll. The Bearcats are one of four No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Division II playoffs and
will have a first-round bye. The rest of the top five remained the same with Ferris State (Mich.) coming in at No. 2 followed by Ashland
(Ohio), Colorado State-Pueblo and Shepherd (W.Va.).
Twenty-four of the top 25 teams earned a spot in the playoffs, with No. 21 Colorado Mesa being the only ranked team left out.
No. 5 Shepherd, No. 7 West Georia and No. 9 Midwestern State (Texas) received the other three No. 1 seeds and will wait to see
who their opponents are on November 28.
Central Missouri and Bowie State (Md.) dropped out of the poll this week, allowing two newcomers to jump in. Augustana (S.D.) comes in at
No. 24 with a 9-2 record and is ranked for the first time since September 5, 2011. Coming in with an ever longer poll drought is No. 25 Catawba
(N.C.), who was last ranked in the AFCA Division II Coaches’ Poll on September 28, 2009. The Indians are also 9-2 on the season.
2015 American Football Coaches Association Division II Coaches’ Poll – November 16, 2015
Rank School (1st votes) Rec. Pts. Prev. Week 11 Next Game
1. Northwest Missouri St. (30) 11-0 797 1 D. Washburn (Kan.), 49-13 Nov. 28 Opponent TBD
2. Ferris St. (Mich.) (2) 10-0 764 2 D. Walsh (Ohio), 38-7 Nov. 21 vs. No. 20 Texas A&M-Commerce
3. Ashland (Ohio) 10-0 724 3 Regular Season Complete Nov. 21 vs. No. 12 Grand Valley St. (Mich.)
4. Colorado St.-Pueblo 10-1 682 4 D. New Mexico Highlands, 33-7 Nov. 21 vs. No. 13 Indianapolis (Ind.)
5. Shepherd (W.Va.) 10-0 674 5 D. Urbana (Ohio), 52-20 Nov. 28 Opponent TBD
6. Minnesota St. 10-1 647 6 D. Wayne St. (Neb.), 42-14 Nov. 21 vs. No. 18 Emporia St. (Kan.)
7. West Georgia 10-1 606 7 D. Shorter (Ga.), 35-9 Nov. 28 Opponent TBD
8. Henderson St. (Ark.) 10-1 552 8 D. Ouachita Baptist (Ark.), 21-17 Nov. 21 vs. No. 16 Sioux Falls (S.D.)
9. Midwestern St. (Texas) 10-1 540 10 D. No. 11 Texas A&M-Commerce, 37-33 Nov. 28 Opponent TBD
10. Slippery Rock (Pa.) 10-1 530 9 D. West Chester (Pa.), 61-12 Nov. 21 vs. Virginia Union
11. Humboldt St. (Calif.) 9-1 470 12 D. Western Oregon, 29-13 Nov. 21 vs. No. 24 Augustana (S.D.)
12. Grand Valley St. (Mich.) 9-2 407 14 D. Saginaw Valley St. (Mich.), 24-17 Nov. 21 at No. 3 Ashland (Ohio)
13. Indianapolis (Ind.) 10-1 398 13 D. St. Joseph’s (Ind.), 47-24 Nov. 21 at No. 4 Colorado St.-Pueblo
14. North Alabama 8-2 374 15 D. West Alabama, 52-14 Nov. 21 vs. Newberry (S.C.)
15. Charleston (W.Va.) 10-1 356 16 D. Virginia-Wise, 59-7 Nov. 21 vs. Indiana (Pa.)
16. Sioux Falls (S.D.) 9-2 304 17 D. Upper Iowa, 69-20 Nov. 21 at No. 8 Henderson St. (Ark.)
17. Valdosta St. (Ga.) 8-2 288 18 D. Florida Tech, 39-21 Nov. 21 vs. No. 22 Carson-Newman (Tenn.)
18. Emporia St. (Kan.) 9-2 237 19 D. Nebraska-Kearney, 52-34 Nov. 21 at No. 6 Minnesota St.
19. Assumption (Mass.) 10-1 199 23 D. New Haven (Conn.), 17-14 Nov. 21 vs. Bowie St. (Md.)
20. Texas A&M-Commerce 8-3 186 11 Lost to No. 10 Midwestern St. (Texas), 37-33 Nov. 21 at No. 2 Ferris St. (Mich.)
21. Colorado Mesa 9-2 169 21 D. Western St. (Colo.), 31-28 Season Complete
22. Carson-Newman (Tenn.) 9-2 125 25 D. Tusculum (Tenn.), 65-32 Nov. 21 at No. 17 Valdosta St. (Ga.)
23. Tuskegee (Ala.) 8-2 123 24 Regular Season Complete Nov. 21 at No. 25 Catawba (N.C.)
24. Augustana (S.D.) 9-2 78 NR D. Concordia-St. Paul (Minn.), 76-21 Nov. 21 at No. 11 Humboldt St. (Calif.)
25. Catawba (N.C.) 9-2 65 NR D. Lenoir-Rhyne (N.C.), 28-14 Nov. 21 vs. No. 23 Tuskegee (Ala.)
Dropped Out: Central Missouri (20), Bowie St. (Md.) (22)
Others Receiving Votes: Indiana (Pa.), 36; Bowie St. (Md.), 22; Virginia Union, 19; Winston-Salem St. (N.C.), 6; Central Missouri, 5;
McKendree (Ill.), 4; Newberry (S.C.), 4; North Greenville (S.C.), 4; Fort Hays St. (Kan.), 2; Arkansas Tech, 1; Colorado School of Mines, 1;
Southwestern Oklahoma St., 1.
For more information on the AFCA and its programs, visit www.afca.com, or follow us on Twitter @WeAreAFCA.
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