Release courtesy of Vince Thompson, AFCA Director of Media Relations
WACO, TEX.– For the second year in a row, Colorado State-Pueblo finishes the regular season at No. 1. The Thunderwolves beat Western State (Colo.), 21-3, to finish at 11-0 in the regular season and will host a second round playoff game. The rest of the top six teams in the poll all finished with undefeated regular seasons and will host second round playoff games. Those teams are No. 2 Winston-Salem State (N.C.), No. 3 New Haven (Conn.), No. 4 Ashland (Ohio), No. 5 Minnesota State-Mankato and No. 6 Henderson State (Ark.).
Twenty-one of the 24 teams in the 2012 NCAA Division II playoffs are ranked in this week's poll. Six of the eight first round games feature Top 25 matchups. The first matchup features No. 7 Minnesota-Duluth traveling to No. 9 Missouri Western State. No. 8 Midwestern State (Texas) also hits the road against No. 18 Indianapolis (Ind.), who is making its first appearance in the Division II playoffs. Two Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) teams matchup for a second time this year as No. 10 Bloomsburg (Pa.) travels to No. 15 Shippensburg (Pa.). The third team from the PSAC to make the playoff field, No. 11 Indiana (Pa.), hosts No. 25t Shepherd (W.Va.). No. 12 Harding (Ark.) makes its first appearance in the Division II playoffs, and will travel to No. 13 Northwest Missouri State. In the final Top 25 matchup, No. 16 West Texas A&M plays at No. 20 Chadron State (Neb.).
2012 American Football Coaches Association Division II Coaches' Poll – November 12, 2012
| Rank | School (1st votes) | Rec. | Pts. | Prev. | Week Eight | Next Game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Colorado St.-Pueblo (24) | 11-0 | 744 | 1 | D. Western St. (Colo.), 21-3 | Nov. 24 vs. Opponent TBD |
| 2. | Winston-Salem St. (N.C.) (6) | 11-0 | 714 | 2 | D. Elizabeth City St. (N.C.), 34-19 | Nov. 24 vs. Opponent TBD |
| 3. | New Haven (Conn.) | 10-0 | 686 | 3 | D. American International (Mass.), 37-12 | Nov. 24 vs. Opponent TBD |
| 4. | Ashland (Ohio) | 11-0 | 657 | 5 | D. Notre Dame (Ohio), 65-0 | Nov. 24 vs. Opponent TBD |
| 5. | Minnesota St.-Mankato | 11-0 | 629 | 6 | D. Upper Iowa, 70-7 | Nov. 24 vs. Opponent TBD |
| 6. | Henderson St. (Ark.) | 10-0 | 587 | 8 | D. Ouachita Baptist (Ark.), 42-7 | Nov. 24 vs. Opponent TBD |
| 7. | Minnesota-Duluth | 10-1 | 550 | 10 | D. Northern St. (S.D.), 49-31 | Nov. 17 at No. 9 Missouri Western St. |
| 8. | Midwestern St. (Texas) | 9-1 | 538 | 9 | D. West Georgia, 35-17 | Nov. 17 at No. 18 Indianapolis (Ind.) |
| 9. | Missouri Western St. | 10-1 | 537 | 11 | D. No. 4 Northwest Missouri St., 21-20 | Nov. 17 vs. No. 7 Minnesota-Duluth |
| 10. | Bloomsburg (Pa.) | 10-1 | 457 | 12 | D. Slippery Rock (Pa.), 49-41 | Nov. 17 at No. 15 Shippensburg (Pa.) |
| 11. | Indiana (Pa.) | 10-1 | 452 | 13 | D. No. 7 Shippensburg (Pa.), 41-10 | Nov. 17 vs. No. 25t Shepherd (W.Va.) |
| 12. | Harding (Ark.) | 9-1 | 390 | 14 | D. Southwestern Oklahoma St., 38-7 | Nov. 17 at No. 13 Northwest Missouri St. |
| 13. | Northwest Missouri St. | 9-2 | 365 | 4 | Lost to No. 11 Missouri Western St., 21-20 | Nov. 17 vs. No. 12 Harding (Ark.) |
| 14. | Tuskegee (Ala.) | 9-1 | 331 | 16 | D. Fort Valley St. (Ga.), 55-24 | Nov. 22 vs. Alabama St. |
| 15. | Shippensburg (Pa.) | 10-1 | 326 | 7 | Lost to No. 13 Indiana (Pa.), 41-10 | Nov. 17 vs. No. 10 Bloomsburg (Pa.) |
| 16. | West Texas A&M | 9-2 | 309 | 17 | D. Texas A&M-Commerce, 45-14 | Nov. 17 at No. 20 Chadron St. (Neb.) |
| 17. | Valdosta St. (Ga.) | 8-2 | 281 | 18 | Idle | Nov. 24 vs. Opponent TBD |
| 18. | Indianapolis (Ind.) | 9-2 | 231 | 19 | D. Urbana (Ohio), 31-24 | Nov. 17 vs. No. 8 Midwestern St. (Texas) |
| 19. | Missouri S&T | 10-1 | 208 | 20 | D. South Dakota Mines, 66-17 | Season Complete |
| 20. | Chadron St. (Neb.) | 9-2 | 196 | 21 | D. Colorado School of Mines, 20-14 | Nov. 17 vs. No. 16 West Texas A&M |
| 21. | Sioux Falls (S.D.) | 9-2 | 126 | 22 | D. Wayne St. (Neb.), 24-14 | Season Complete |
| 22. | Carson-Newman (Tenn.) | 8-2 | 121 | 24 | D. Mars Hill (N.C.), 35-17 | Nov. 24 vs. Opponent TBD |
| 23. | Miles (Ala.) | 8-2 | 91 | 23 | Idle | Nov. 17 at West Alabama |
| 24. | Emporia St. (Kan.) | 9-2 | 67 | 25 | D. Washburn (Kan.), 55-23 | Nov. 25 vs. Texas A&M-Kingsville |
| 25t. | Charleston (W.Va.) | 9-2 | 39 | NR | D. West Virginia St., 62-0 | Season Complete |
| 25t. | Shepherd (W.Va.) | 8-2 | 39 | NR | D. Fairmont St. (W.Va.), 49-23 | Nov. 17 at No. 11 Indiana (Pa.) |
Dropped Out: Grand Valley St. (Mich.) (15)
Others Receiving Votes: Lenoir-Rhyne (N.C.), 27; West Alabama, 20; California (Pa.), 6; Mercyhurst (Pa.), 5; Bentley (Mass.), 4; Saginaw Valley St. (Mich.), 4; Winona St. (Minn.), 4; Fort Valley St. (Ga.), 3; New Mexico Highlands, 3; Lindenwood (Mo.), 2; Pittsburg St. (Kan.), 1.
