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Release courtesy of Vince Thompson, Director of Media Relations, AFCA
WACO, TEX.– Thanks to an upset loss by then-No. 1 Delta State (Miss.), Colorado State-Pueblo ends the regular season at No. 1 in the AFCA Division II Coaches’ Top 25 Poll. The Thunderwolves finished with an 11-0 record and will host a second round playoff game on November 26. Midwestern State (Texas) moved up the second spot and will also host a second round playoff game, as will No. 3 Winston-Salem State (N.C.), who beat Elizabeth City State (N.C.), 38-18, to claim the CIAA championship. Nebraska-Kearney moves up to No. 4 and New Haven (Conn.) moves up to No. 5. Both will host second round playoff games on November 26.
Nineteen of the AFCA Top 25 teams will be participating in the NCAA Division II playoffs. There will be three Top 25 matchups in the first round of the playoffs, starting off with No. 10 Northwest Missouri State traveling to No. 16 Missouri Western State. No. 11 Abilene Christian (Texas) will travel to No. 15 Washburn (Kan.), while No. 12 North Alabama will travel to No. 22 West Alabama. Five new teams entered the poll this week highlighted by No. 20 North Greenville (S.C.), who enters the Coaches’ Poll for the first time in school history.
| 2011 American Football Coaches Association Division II Coaches’ Poll – November 14, 2011 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | School (1st votes) | Rec. | Pts. | Prev. | Last Week | Next Game |
| 1. | Colorado St.-Pueblo (16) | 11-0 | 708 | 2 | D. Western New Mexico, 48-7 | Nov. 26 vs. Opponent TBD |
| 2. | Midwestern St. (Texas) (11) | 10-0 | 703 | 3 | D. Northeastern St. (Okla.), 37-34 | Nov. 26 vs. Opponent TBD |
| 3. | Winston-Salem St. (N.C.) (2) | 11-0 | 667 | 4 | D. Elizabeth City St. (N.C.), 38-18 | Nov. 26 vs. Opponent TBD |
| 4. | Nebraska-Kearney | 10-1 | 635 | 5 | D. No. 20 Colorado School of Mines, 45-21 | Nov. 26 vs. Opponent TBD |
| 5. | New Haven (Conn.) | 10-1 | 597 | 7 | D. St. Anselm (N.H.), 59-17 | Nov. 26 vs. Opponent TBD |
| 6. | Kutztown (Pa.) | 10-1 | 569 | 8 | D. No. 24 Slippery Rock (Pa.), 21-14 | Nov. 19 vs. Concord (W.Va.) |
| 7. | Pittsburg St. (Kan.) | 9-1 | 544 | 9 | D. Missouri Southern St., 51-28 | Nov. 26 vs. Opponent TBD |
| 8. | Delta St. (Miss.) | 9-2 | 494 | 1 | Lost to West Georgia, 39-35 | Nov. 26 vs. Opponent TBD |
| 9. | Minnesota-Duluth | 9-2 | 479 | 10 | D. Minnesota St.-Mankato, 31-19 | Nov. 19 vs. Saginaw Valley St. (Mich.) |
| 10. | Northwest Missouri St. | 9-2 | 465 | 11 | D. Emporia St. (Kan.), 62-21 | Nov. 19 at No. 16 Missouri Western St. |
| 11. | Abilene Christian (Texas) | 8-2 | 409 | 12 | D. Incarnate Word (Texas), 61-16 | Nov. 19 at No. 15 Washburn (Kan.) |
| 12. | North Alabama | 8-2 | 381 | 13 | D. Valdosta St. (Ga.), 30-23 | Nov. 19 at No. 22 West Alabama |
| 13. | Humboldt St. (Calif.) | 9-1 | 380 | 14 | D. Western Oregon, 37-7 | Season Complete |
| 14. | St. Cloud State (Minn.) | 9-2 | 350 | 15 | D. Minnesota St.-Moorhead, 47-14 | Nov. 19 vs. Wayne St. (Mich.) |
| 15. | Washburn (Kan.) | 9-2 | 311 | 6 | Lost to Central Missouri, 39-21 | Nov. 19 vs. No. 11 Abilene Christian (Texas) |
| 16. | Missouri Western St. | 9-2 | 296 | 17 | D. Fort Hays St. (Kan.), 55-17 | Nov. 19 vs. No. 10 Northwest Missouri St. |
| 17. | California (Pa.) | 9-2 | 279 | 18 | D. Cheyney (Pa.), 43-3 | Nov. 19 vs. Elizabeth City St. (N.C.) |
| 18. | Bloomsburg (Pa.) | 9-2 | 238 | 21 | D. Lock Haven (Pa.), 34-3 | Season Complete |
| 19. | Mars Hill (N.C.) | 8-2 | 203 | 23 | D. Carson-Newman (Tenn.), 23-20 | Nov. 26 vs. Opponent TBD |
| 20. | North Greenville (S.C.) | 9-2 | 133 | NR | D. Notre Dame (Ohio), 62-0 | Nov. 19 vs. Albany St. (Ga.) |
| 21. | Shepherd (W.Va.) | 9-2 | 109 | NR | D. Fairmont St. (W.Va.), 38-21 | Season Complete |
| 22. | West Alabama | 8-3 | 103 | NR | D. Georgia St., 30-23 | Nov. 19 vs. No. 12 North Alabama |
| 23. | Central Missouri | 8-3 | 80 | NR | D. No. 6 Washburn (Kan.), 39-21 | Nov. 27 vs. West Texas A&M |
| 24. | West Virginia Wesleyan | 9-2 | 53 | 19 | Lost to Concord (W.Va.), 48-40 | Season Complete |
| 25. | Grand Valley St. (Mich.) | 8-3 | 37 | NR | D. No. 25 Saginaw Valley St. (Mich.), 49-24 | Season Complete |
Dropped Out: Albany St. (Ga.) (16), Colorado
School of Mines (20), Wayne St. (Mich.) (22), Slippery Rock (Pa.)
(24), Saginaw Valley St. (Mich.) (25)
Others Receiving Votes: Albany St. (Ga.), 36;
Colorado School of Mines, 35; Morehouse (Ga.), 30; West Texas
A&M, 17; Hillsdale (Mich.), 15; Elizabeth City
St. (N.C.), 13; Concord (W.Va.), 11; Slippery Rock (Pa.), 9;
Wayne St. (Mich.), 9; Lenoir-Rhyne (N.C.), 5;
Valdosta St. (Ga.), 5; North Carolina-Pembroke, 4; Southern
Connecticut St., 4; Minnesota St.-Mankato, 3; Saginaw
Valley St. (Mich.), 3; Ouachita Baptist (Ark.), 2; East
Central (Okla.), 1.