November 10, 2025
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Dakota State (S.D.) was just one spot and one point shy of joining inside the 2025 Netting Professional NAIA Football Coaches' Top 25 national poll, the ninth installment of the national poll was announced Monday by the national office.
The Trojans tallied 77 points with a No. 26 ranking (trailing to Saint Xavier, Ill., at No. 25 ranking with an overall record of 7-3 and 78 points), listed in the receiving votes (RV) section for the fourth straight week. DSU (7-2 overall record, 4-1 Frontier East record) cruised past Rocky Mountain (Mont.) 38-7 in the Frontier East Division contest at Brian Kern Family Stadium on Blankley Field, earning their seventh win in the last eight games.
Dakota State earned their seventh win of the season for the first time since the 2017 season (8 wins). The Trojans are currently on their four-game winning streak before their regular-season finale at home versus Montana State University-Northern with a 1 p.m. kick-off time. DSU is vying to make their case for a potential bid to the NAIA Football Championship Series (FCS).
The Trojans are 4-0 record at home this season, improving to all-time record of 7-2 since the debut of the Brian Kern Family Stadium last season. DSU held their opponents to 7.8 points per game at home this season and 15
th in the NAIA in scoring defense with 18.0 points per game allowed.
Montana Tech (10-0 overall record, 5-0 Frontier East), who clinched a spot in the NAIA postseason after clinching at least a share of the Frontier East division title last Saturday at Dickinson State (N.D.), moved in a tie at No. 4 ranking with Friends (Kan.).
College of Idaho (8-1 overall record, 5-0 Frontier West) also clinched the second automatic bid to the NAIA postseason after defeating Carroll (Mont.) (7-2 overall record, 4-1 Frontier West) 36-13 last Saturday in Helena, Mont. The Yotes climbed two spots from No. 15 to No. 13, while the Saints fell from No. 8 to No. 14 rankings.
Montana Western (7-3 overall record, 4-2 Frontier West) closed their 2025 regular season with a 66-14 home rout over Arizona Christian last Saturday. The Bulldogs moved one spot higher from No. 19 to No. 18 and await to see if they will receive an at-large invitation to the NAIA's FCS postseason, which will be announced Sunday evening via NAIA Selection Show on NAIA's YouTube page.
Below is the ninth edition of the 2025 Netting Professionals NAIA Football Coaches' Top 25 national poll:
| Trend |
Rank |
Last Poll |
Institution [First-Place Votes] |
Record |
Points |
| ? |
1 |
1 |
Grand View (Iowa) |
9-0 |
436 |
| ? |
2 |
2 |
Keiser (Fla.) |
9-0 |
421 |
| ? |
3 |
3 |
Benedictine (Kan.) |
9-1 |
406 |
| ? |
T-4 |
4 |
Friends (Kan.) |
10-0 |
387 |
| ? |
T-4 |
5 |
Montana Tech |
10-0 |
387 |
| ? |
6 |
6 |
Dordt (Iowa) |
9-0 |
360 |
| ? |
7 |
7 |
Marian (Ind.) |
9-1 |
353 |
| ? |
8 |
9 |
Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) |
8-1 |
331 |
| ? |
9 |
10 |
Morningside (Iowa) |
8-2 |
319 |
| ? |
10 |
11 |
Campbellsville (Ky.) |
8-1 |
304 |
| ? |
T-11 |
12 |
OUAZ (Ariz.) |
8-0 |
284 |
| ? |
T-11 |
13 |
Indiana Wesleyan |
8-2 |
284 |
| ? |
13 |
15 |
College of Idaho |
8-1 |
281 |
| ? |
14 |
8 |
Carroll (Mont.) |
7-2 |
256 |
| ? |
15 |
14 |
Southeastern (Fla.) |
7-2 |
228 |
| ? |
16 |
17 |
William Penn (Iowa) |
9-1 |
221 |
| ? |
17 |
16 |
St. Thomas (Fla.) |
6-3 |
220 |
| ? |
18 |
19 |
Montana Western |
7-3 |
201 |
| ? |
19 |
20 |
Northwestern (Iowa) |
6-3 |
168 |
| ? |
20 |
21 |
Georgetown (Ky.) |
6-3 |
159 |
| ? |
21 |
22 |
Saint Francis (Ind.) |
8-2 |
158 |
| ? |
22 |
23 |
Evangel (Mo.) |
8-2 |
143 |
| ? |
23 |
25 |
Southwestern (Kan.) |
7-3 |
119 |
| ? |
24 |
18 |
McPherson (Kan.) |
8-2 |
112 |
| ? |
25 |
RV |
Saint Xavier (Ill.) |
7-3 |
78 |
Receiving Votes: Dakota State (S.D.) 77, MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) 69, Texas Wesleyan 55, Cumberland (Tenn.) 40, Reinhardt (Ga.) 34, Taylor (Ind.) 28, Kansas Wesleyan 23, Concordia (Neb.) 8, Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) 5, Baker (Kan.) 3.
Dropped out of Top 25: Texas Wesleyan
Key: RV - Receiving Votes, NR - Not Ranked, ?
- Climbed, ?- Dropped, ? - Steady
