Courtesy: Northwestern (Iowa) Athletics
Courtesy: Northwestern (Iowa) Athletics

2023 NAIA Football FirstDown PlayBook Coaches' Top 25 Rating - No. 2 (September 18)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The latest NAIA Football Coaches' Top 25 Rating presented by FirstDown PlayBook once again sees Northwestern (Iowa) leading the country with all 18 first-place votes. Grand View (Iowa) and Morningside (Iowa) remain second and third respectively with Indiana Wesleyan moving up one spot and Marian (Ind.) joining the top five. Cumberlands (Ky.) rides their 4-0 record into the rankings for the first time this season.

Rating Methodology

  • The ranking was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences.
  • Each conference is given one rater for every four schools in the league or division.
  • The Top 25 is determined by a points system based on how each rater ranks the best teams. A team receives 25 points for each first-place vote, 24 for second-place and so on through the list.
  • The highest and lowest ranking for each team (a non-rating is considered a low rating) is removed and the team's ranking will be recalculated with an additional point added to each team for every ballot (including discounted ballots) that the teams appear on.
  • Teams that receive only one point in the ballot are not considered "receiving votes."
  • For the complete Top 25 calendar, click here.
RANK LAST TIME SCHOOL [FIRST-PLACE VOTES] RECORD POINTS
1 1 Northwestern (Iowa) [18] 3-0 418
2 2 Grand View (Iowa) 3-0 400
3 3 Morningside (Iowa) 3-0 387
4 5 Indiana Wesleyan 3-0 362
5 6 Marian (Ind.) 3-0 350
6 7 Bethel (Tenn.) 3-0 335
7 8 College of Idaho 3-0 310
8 4 Keiser (Fla.) 1-2 306
9 9 Southwestern (Kan.) 4-0 297
10 10 Carroll (Mont.) 3-0 278
11 11 Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) 2-1 246
12 12 Georgetown (Ky.) 2-0 244
13 13 Texas Wesleyan 3-0 222
14 17 St. Francis (Ill.) 3-0 190
15 16 Montana Tech 2-1 186
16 19 Dordt (Iowa) 3-0 168
17 21 Concordia (Mich.) 3-0 166
18 15 Saint Xavier (Ill.) 1-2 130
19 NR Cumberlands (Ky.) 4-0 91
20 25 Evangel (Mo.) 4-0 85
21 20 Benedictine (Kan.) 2-2 69
22 22 OUAZ (Ariz.) 2-1 61
23 23 St. Thomas (Fla.) 1-2 59
24 24 Dickinson State (N.D.) 2-1 54
25 18 Graceland (Iowa) 3-1 43

Dropped From Top 25: Reinhardt (Ga.)

Receiving Votes: Reinhardt (Ga.) 42; Missouri Valley 38; Southeastern (Fla.) 34; Montana Western 23; Louisiana Christian 8; MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) 6

Championship Information

NAIA Football Championship

70th ANNUAL
FOOTBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

Nov. 22, Nov. 29, Dec. 6, Dec. 13, 2025
Football Championship Series
Campus Sites

Dec. 20, 2025

Crowley ISD Stadium
Fort Worth, Texas