KANSAS CITY, Mo. – After defeating Marian (Ind.) 40-38 in the 2019 NAIA National Championship, Morningside (Iowa) completed another undefeated season and remained atop the NAIA Coaches’ Postseason Top 25 poll. The Mustangs received all 17 first-place votes bringing the trophy back to Sioux City two years in a row.
Despite being outscored 24-19 in the second half, No. 1 Morningside (Iowa) (14-0) came away with a 40-38 victory to win its second red banner in program history and complete a second straight unbeaten season. Marian finishes 2019 No. 2 overall, with a final record of 12-1. Grand View (Iowa) checked-in at No. 3. It is the highest ranking for the team since Nov. 15, 2015 when the Vikings were ranked No. 3 two weeks in a row. Lindsey Wilson moves to No. 4 in the postseason poll with an impressive 12-1 season falling to Marian 34-24 in the semifinals.
Cumberlands (Ky.) made the biggest jump moving positively three spots. The Patriots made run in the 2019 NAIA Football National Championship falling to Marian in the quarterfinals. Carroll (Mont.) owns the most No. 1-rankings with 57, followed by former NAIA member Sioux Falls (S.D.) (55) Morningside (40), Georgetown (Ky.) (25) and Marian (23). Morningside holds the longest active streak with 161-straight Top 25 mentions.
Northwestern finished number 10 in the final poll with Midland in the receiving votes category,
Poll Methodology
The poll 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.
The Top 25 is determined by a points system based on how each voter 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.
2019 NAIA Football Coaches’ Top 25 Poll – Postseason (Dec. 27)
RANK LAST WEEK SCHOOL [1st PLACE VOTES] RECORD FINAL POINTS
1 1 Morningside (Iowa) [17] 14-0 392
2 2 Marian (Ind.) 12-1 377
3 4 Grand View (Iowa) 13-1 360
4 6 Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) 12-1 349
5 5 College of Idaho 11-1 325
6 3 Kansas Wesleyan 12-1 320
7 10 Cumberlands (Ky.) 10-2 296
8 9 Saint Xavier (Ill.) 9-3 289
9 7 Keiser (Fla.) 9-1 253
10 8 Northwestern (Iowa) 9-2 252
11 11 Saint Francis (Ind.) 7-3 243
12 12 Concordia (Mich.) 8-3 240
13 13 Reinhardt (Ga.) 9-3 222
14 15 Baker (Kan.) 9-3 185
15 14 Southeastern (Fla.) 8-1 182
16 16 Ottawa (Ariz.) (AZ) 9-2 166
17 17 Dickinson State (N.D.) 8-3 163
18 18 Benedictine (Kan.) 8-3 131
19 19 Langston (Okla.) 8-2 121
20 20 Siena Heights (Mich.) 7-3 104
20 21 Evangel (Mo.) 8-3 104
22 22 Montana Western 7-3 75
23 23 Waldorf (Iowa) 7-3 49
24 24 Bethel (Kan.) 8-3 39
25 25 Carroll (Mont.) 6-4 30
Dropped Out: None
Receiving Votes: Midland (Neb.) 8, Indiana Wesleyan 5, MidAmerica Nazarene 4, Sterling (Kan.) 3
