WACO, TEX.– It had been a decade since Carson-Newman beat Wingate in Irwin Belk Stadium, but all streaks must come to an end. The Eagle defense held the nation’s fifth-highest scoring offense to just 14 points and Carson-Newman beat then-No. 19 Wingate, 21-14, propelling the Eagles back into the top 25 at No. 22 in this week’s AFCA Division II Coaches Poll, presented by Hudl. It was the second straight week C-N beat a ranked opponent. The Eagles handed then-No. 19 Lenoir-Rhyne a 24-7 loss last week, and just like the Bears, Wingate drops out of the top 25 with the loss.
The top three remain the same after No. 1 Ferris State and No. 3 West Florida were both idle. Harding beat conference rival Ouachita Baptist, 24-7, and still sits at No. 2. The change in the top 25 comes from No. 4 on down thanks to California’s (Pa.) upset of then-No. 4 Slippery Rock, 45-38. The loss dropped The Rock to No. 14 while the Vulcans move up two to No. 6. Kutztown, Angelo State and Augustana all move up one spot apiece while UT-Permian Basin jumps two to No. 9. Western Colorado and Grand Valley State keep their same positions.
For a third straight week, there are four new teams who entered the top 25 with Carson-Newman at 22, Frostburg State at 23, Northwest Missouri State at 24 and UNC Pembroke at 25. This is the first time since the preseason poll of 2017 that UNC Pembroke has been ranked in the AFCA Top 25.
2025 AFCA Division II Coaches Poll, presented by Hudl – September 29, 2025
| Rank | School (1st votes) | Rec. | Pts. | Prev. | Week 5 | Next Game |
| 1 | Ferris St. (31) | 4-0 | 775 | 1 | Idle | Oct. 4 at Roosevelt |
| 2 | Harding | 4-0 | 744 | 2 | D. Ouachita Baptist, 24-7 | Oct. 4 vs. East Central |
| 3 | West Florida | 4-0 | 709 | 3 | Idle | Oct. 4 at Northeastern St. |
| 4 | Kutztown | 4-0 | 676 | 5 | D. Shepherd, 49-10 | Oct. 4 vs. Shippensburg |
| 5 | Angelo St. | 4-0 | 648 | 6 | Idle | Oct. 4 vs. No. 9 UT Permian Basin |
| 6 | California (Pa.) | 4-0 | 582 | 8 | D. No. 4 Slippery Rock, 45-38 | Oct. 4 vs. Seton Hill |
| 7 | Western Colorado | 4-0 | 576 | 7 | D. New Mexico Highlands, 30-3 | Oct. 4 at Fort Lewis |
| 8 | Augustana (S.D.) | 5-0 | 533 | 9 | D. Winona St., 34-26 | Oct. 4 at Sioux Falls |
| 9 | UT-Permian Basin | 4-0 | 503 | 11 | D. Midwestern St., 37-15 | Oct. 4 at No. 5 Angelo St. |
| 10 | Grand Valley St. | 2-1 | 474 | 10 | Idle | Oct. 4 vs. Davenport |
| 11 | West Alabama | 5-0 | 418 | 13 | D. North Greenville, 52-44 | Oct. 4 vs. Lincoln (Calif.) |
| 12 | Colorado St.-Pueblo | 4-1 | 414 | 12 | D. Adams St., 55-7 | Oct. 4 at New Mexico Highlands |
| 13 | Minnesota-Duluth | 5-0 | 394 | 16 | D. Minnesota St.-Moorhead, 28-14 | Oct. 4 vs. Southwest Minnesota St. |
| 14 | Slippery Rock | 3-1 | 390 | 4 | Lost to No. 8 California (Pa.), 45-38 | Oct. 4 at Gannon |
| 15 | Minnesota St. | 4-1 | 353 | 14 | D. Sioux Falls, 38-12 | Oct. 4 at Concordia-St. Paul |
| 16 | Central Washington | 3-1 | 317 | 17 | D. Western New Mexico, 91-31 | Oct. 4 vs. Eastern New Mexico |
| 17 | Pittsburg St. | 3-2 | 293 | 18 | D. Emporia St., 42-29 | Oct. 4 vs. Nebraska-Kearney |
| 18 | Virginia Union | 3-1 | 217 | 21 | D. Shaw, 59-7 | Oct. 4 at Winston-Salem St. |
| 19 | UIndy | 4-1 | 215 | 22 | D. Truman St., 30-20 | Oct. 4 vs. William Jewell |
| 20 | Delta St. | 4-1 | 178 | 23 | D. Erskine, 52-0 | Oct. 4 at Barton |
| 21 | Findlay | 4-0 | 161 | 25 | D. Thomas More, 37-7 | Oct. 4 at Walsh |
| 22 | Carson-Newman | 3-1 | 97 | NR | D. No. 19 Wingate, 21-14 | Oct. 4 at Emory & Henry |
| 23 | Frostburg St. | 4-0 | 75 | NR | D. West Virginia Wesleyan, 55-9 | Oct. 4 vs. Concord |
| 24 | Northwest Missouri St. | 4-1 | 74 | NR | D. No. 15 Central Oklahoma, 38-16 | Oct. 11 at Central Missouri |
| 25 | UNC Pembroke | 4-1 | 66 | NR | D. No. 20 Valdosta St., 31-0 | Oct. 4 at Erskine |
Dropped Out: Central Oklahoma (15), Wingate (19), Valdosta St. (20), Henderson St. (24)
Others Receiving Votes: Central Oklahoma, 30; Wingate, 26; Ashland, 25; Johnson C. Smith, 19; Charleston, 16; Nebraska-Kearney, 15; Indiana (Pa.), 11; Fort Hays St., 10; Walsh, 9; Colorado School of Mines, 8; Edward Waters, 7; Clarion, 4; Southern Arkansas, 4; Catawba, 2; Henderson St., 2; Upper Iowa, 2; Albany St., 1; Benedict, 1; Lenoir-Rhyne, 1.
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