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Wayne Cavadi | NCAA.com | November 5, 2019

College football rankings: A top 10 shuffle in the DII poll

DII football plays of the week

Valdosta State remains perched atop the DII football rankings for the ninth straight week. An Indianapolis loss to Lindenwood, however, shook up the top 10 and gave a new look to this week's poll. Here's where you can find the complete rankings, biggest risers and fallers, and impact games for the weekend to come.

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Before we breakdown the top 25, here's a look at the latest AFCA rankings:

Rank School Record Points LAST WEEK
1 Valdosta State (29) 8-0 773 1
2 Ferris State (1) 9-0 741 2
3 Tarleton State (1) 9-0 689 4
4 Minnesota State 9-0 683 3
5 Ouachita Baptist 9-0 642 5
6 Notre Dame (OH) 9-0 598 6
7 Lenoir-Rhyne 9-0 581 7
8 Colorado School of Mines 9-0 562 9
9 Slippery Rock 9-0 522 10
10 Central Missouri 9-0 495 11
11 Colorado St.-Pueblo 8-1 434 13
12 Northwest Missouri State 8-1 407 14
13 Bowie State 9-0 372 15
14 Grand Valley State 8-1 355 16
15 Kutztown 9-0 342 17
16 Harding 8-1 319 18
17 Indianapolis 7-1 264 8
18 Wingate 8-1 263 12
19 Indiana (Pa.) 8-1 228 19
20 West Florida 7-1 217 20
21 Angelo State 8-1 188 21
22 Henderson State 8-1 136 23
23 Truman State 8-1 82 25
24 Texas A&M-Commerce 6-2 74 24
25 Tiffin 7-1 28 NR

DII football top 25: Risers, fallers, and newcomers

While Central Missouri only climbed one spot this week, it is arguably the most impressive leap. The Mules entered the season outside the top 25, viewed as a team clumped in the middle of the pack of a stacked MIAA. Central Missouri is now a perfect 9-0 and a top 10 team in DII football. 

WEEK 9 IN REVIEW: Complete schedule, scores | Top performers, stats

No school made an incredible jump this week. CSU-Pueblo, Northwest Missouri State, Bowie State, Grand Valley State, Kutztown, and Harding all jumped two spots now ranked between Nos. 11-16. Northwest Missouri State has Fort Hays State and Central Missouri left on the schedule. If the Bearcats run the table, they will be top 10 once again.

UIndy drops the most this week, falling nine spots from the top 10 to No. 17. The Greyhounds will have a chance to move back up right away with that showdown against No. 23 Truman looming. Wingate was right behind, dropping six spots after losing to No. 7 Lenoir-Rhyne this past weekend. 

Let's welcome 7-1 Tiffin to the top 25. The Dragons had a bye this week but sit atop the Great Midwest Athletic Conference. They are winners of six straight but the 2019 finale against Findlay could decide the conference and the Dragons spot in the Super Region One top 10. 

DII football rankings: Top 25 action to come in Week 10

Now that we have just two weeks left before the 2019 DII football selection show, the top 25 and regional rankings are more important than ever. To say that Week 10 is a schedule loaded with impact games is an understatement.

No. 1 Valdosta State puts its 23-game winning streak on the line against Gulf South Conference foe No. 20 West Florida. While the Blazers' last loss was in 2017, West Florida has been plenty hot, winning seven in a row since a one-touchdown loss to Carson-Newman on opening night.

The Anchor-Bone Classic will have tremendous Super Region Three implications. No. 2 Ferris State and No. 14 Grand Valley State go head-to-head in this classic GLIAC rivalry. A Ferris State loss, something the Bulldogs don't do too often, would be something in Super Region Three.

No. 3 Minnesota State, which has won 33 straight games in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, puts plenty on the line in a matchup against Sioux Falls. The Cougars — who were the first team out in Super Region Four in the first regional rankings —  will look to end that Mavericks' reign at home. Unfortunately for Sioux Falls, Minnesota State also has the longest current road winning streak in DII at 17 games. 

No.12 Northwest Missouri State is coming off its biggest victory of the season, a 79-0 victory over Northeastern State. Fort Hays State, too, had a monster win on Saturday, winning 66-6 over Lincoln (MO). The Tigers have controlled this series of late and a win could move Fort Hays State into the top seven of Super Regional Three. 

No. 17 Indianapolis has to regroup quickly. After that upset to an underrated Lindenwood team, the Greyhounds will head to the DII football showcase in a matchup against No. 23 Truman. Whichever team comes out victorious will have the upper hand in the Great Lakes Valley Conference.

There are also three tremendous matchups outside the top 25 that will loom large for the current Super Regional rankings. Augustana (SD) and Winona State battle in Super Region Four, Virginia Union and Virginia State battle in Super Region One, and Albany State and Fort Valley State battle in Super Region Two, with the winner likely getting the final spot in the regional rankings. 

Here's a look at the full schedule for the DII football top 25. 

How the DII conferences fared in the top 25

Week 10 sees the long-awaited return to the top 25 for the G-MAC with Tiffin now the No. 25 team in the country. After weeks as the most represented conference with four teams, the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference loses West Chester, tying the conference with the Great American And Lone Star as the most represented. 

Here's how the conferences break down in the latest rankings. 

CONFERENCE NO. OF SCHOOLS SCHOOLS
PSAC 3 Slippery Rock, IUP, Kutztown
GAC 3 Ouachita Baptist, Harding, Henderson State
LSC 3 Tarleton State, Texas A&M-Commerce, Angelo State
GLIAC 2 Ferris State, Grand Valley State
GLVC 2 Indianapolis, Truman State
GSC 2 Valdosta State, West Florida
MIAA 2 Northwest Missouri State, Central Missouri
RMAC 2 CSU-Pueblo, Colorado School of Mines
SAC 2 Lenoir-Rhyne, Wingate
CIAA 1 Bowie State
G-MAC 1 Tiffin
MEC 1 Notre Dame (OH)
NSIC 1 Minnesota State

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