WACO, TEX. – Two Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) football programs are ranked inside the top five of the 2016 American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division II Coaches' Poll after four weeks of action.
Grand Valley State remains locked in at No. 2 behind No. 1 Northwest Missouri State after the Lakers shutout Walsh on the road, 38-0. No. 5 Ashland faced a 31-14 deficit before rallying to defeat then-No. 7 Ferris State on the road using 25-unanswered point to earn a 39-31 victory. The Eagles continue to be ranked No. 5 in the new poll, while the Bulldogs of Ferris State fell six spots to No. 13. Wayne State is receiving votes in this week's rankings following a 3-1 start as the Warriors are coming off a 35-21 victory over Tiffin.
| 2016 American Football Coaches Association Division II Coaches' Poll – September 26, 2016 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | School (1st votes) | Rec. | Pts. | Prev. | Week 4 | Next Game |
| 1. | NW Missouri St. (30) | 4-0 | 750 | 1 | D. Missouri Southern St., 45-21 | Oct. 1 vs. No. 22 Central Missouri |
| 2. | Grand Valley State | 4-0 | 713 | 2 | D. Walsh (Ohio), 38-0 | Oct. 1 at Ohio Dominican |
| 3. | West Georgia | 4-0 | 658 | 3 | D. Albany St. (Ga.), 27-23 | Oct. 1 at No. 18 North Alabama |
| 4. | Shepherd (W.Va.) | 4-0 | 637 | 4 | D. Notre Dame (Ohio), 38-17 | Oct. 8 vs. Glenville St. (W.Va.) |
| 5. | Ashland | 4-0 | 622 | 5 | D. No. 7 Ferris St. (Mich.), 39-31 | Oct. 1 at Tiffin (Ohio) |
| 6. | Texas A&M-Commerce | 3-0 | 586 | 6 | D. Texas A&M-Kingsville, 38-36 | Oct. 1 at Oklahoma Panhandle St. |
| 7. | Henderson St. (Ark.) | 4-0 | 563 | 8 | D. Southwestern Oklahoma St., 45-17 | Oct. 1 at Arkansas Tech |
| 8. | Indiana (Pa.) | 3-0 | 533 | 9 | D. Edinboro (Pa.), 56-28 | Oct. 1 vs. Seton Hill (Pa.) |
| 9. | Slippery Rock (Pa.) | 4-0 | 511 | 10 | D. Gannon (Pa.), 34-13 | Oct. 1 at No. 24 California (Pa.) |
| 10. | Midwestern St. (Texas) | 3-0 | 458 | 11 | D. Oklahoma Panhandle St., 42-24 | Oct. 1 at Western New Mexico |
| 11. | Tuskegee (Ala.) | 4-0 | 424 | 12 | D. Lane (Tenn.), 38-7 | Oct. 1 vs. No. 21 UNC-Pembroke |
| 12. | Sioux Falls (S.D.) | 4-0 | 386 | 14 | D. No. 22 Bemidji St. (Minn.), 37-36 | Oct. 1 at No. 25 Augustana (S.D.) |
| 13. | Ferris State | 3-1 | 374 | 7 | Lost to No. 5 Ashland (Ohio), 39-31 | Oct. 1 at Findlay (Ohio) |
| 14. | Azusa Pacific (Calif.) | 4-0 | 365 | 15 | D. Simon Fraser (B.C.), 64-14 | Oct. 1 at Western Oregon |
| 15. | Assumption (Mass.) | 4-0 | 325 | 17 | D. Merrimack (Mass.), 55-23 | Oct. 1 vs. LIU-Post (N.Y.) |
| 16. | Florida Tech | 4-0 | 302 | 19 | D. Presbyterian (S.C.), 28-7 | Oct. 1 at West Florida |
| 17. | Colorado Mesa | 4-0 | 289 | 18 | D. Fort Lewis (Colo.), 34-28 | Oct. 1 vs. Colorado St.-Pueblo |
| 18. | North Alabama | 2-1 | 261 | 20 | D. West Alabama, 45-7 | Oct. 1 vs. No. 3 West Georgia |
| 19. | Minnesota St. | 3-1 | 178 | 21 | D. Minnesota St.-Moorhead, 28-14 | Oct. 1 at Winona St. (Minn.) |
| 20. | Harding (Ark.) | 4-0 | 172 | 25 | D. Arkansas-Monticello, 57-7 | Oct. 1 vs. Ouachita Baptist (Ark.) |
| 21. | N. Carolina-Pembroke | 4-0 | 123 | NR | D. North Greenville (S.C.), 49-35 | Oct. 1 at No. 11 Tuskegee (Ala.) |
| 22. | Central Missouri | 3-1 | 116 | 13 | Lost to Emporia St. (Kan.), 37-31 2OT | Oct. 1 vs. No. 1 Northwest Missouri St. |
| 23. | Emporia St. (Kan.) | 3-1 | 97 | NR | D. No. 13 Central Missouri, 37-31 2OT | Oct. 1 vs. Central Oklahoma |
| 24. | California (Pa.) | 3-0 | 71 | NR | D. Seton Hill (Pa.), 59-17 | Oct. 1 vs. No. 9 Slippery Rock (Pa.) |
| 25. | Augustana (S.D.) | 3-1 | 48 | 16 | Lost to Minnesota-Duluth, 41-38 | Oct. 1 vs. No. 12 Sioux Falls (S.D.) |
Dropped Out: Bemidji St. (Minn.) (22), Colorado School of Mines (23), Humboldt St. (Calif.) (24).
Others Receiving Votes: Bemidji St. (Minn.), 40; Southwest Baptist (Mo.), 37; Valdosta St. (Ga.), 32; West Texas A&M, 32; Wayne St. (Mich.), 20; LIU-Post (N.Y.), 8; Winston-Salem St. (N.C.), 6; Minnesota-Duluth, 3; Humboldt St. (Calif.), 2; McKendree (Ill.), 2; Pittsburg St. (Kan.), 2; Colorado School of Mines, 1; Fort Hays St. (Kan.), 1; Ouachita Baptist (Ark.), 1; Western St. (Colo.), 1.
