KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) has released its latest edition of the 2026 STADIONIC NAIA Football Coaches' Top 25 Poll. Carroll College is now appearing at No. 12 in the national ranks
The Fighting Saints (4-1, 1-0) opened up Frontier Conference Divisional play in dominant fashion on Saturday, blowing-out Arizona Christian 73-0 in a historic performance.
The 73-point shutout was the largest scoring margin in Frontier Conference-era program history, but was not the most lopsided victory on the weekend. No. 3 Indiana Wesleyan picked up a 90-0 win over Judson, and No. 2 Keiser beat Thomas 80-0.
While it wasn't the largest win on the weekend, the historic win was enough to convince voters to bump the Fighting Saints up one spot, now appearing at No. 12 in the NAIA.
Four Frontier Conference teams remain inside the Top-25. The College of Idaho moved up into sole possession of No. 1 in the NAIA. Montana Tech remained idle at No. 6 in the nation, Carroll jumped to 12, while Dakota State dropped one position to No. 23 following their loss to Montana Tech.
Carroll's upcoming opponent, Montana Western, fell from the receiving votes portion of the poll following their setback at home to Southern Oregon this past weekend.
Below is the full NAIA Football Coaches' Poll :
| TREND |
RANK |
LAST |
INSTITUTION [FIRST-PLACE VOTES] |
RECORD |
| ● |
1 |
T-1 |
College of Idaho [8] |
5-0 |
| ▼ |
2 |
T-1 |
Keiser (Fla.) [4] |
3-1 |
| ● |
3 |
3 |
Indiana Wesleyan |
5-0 |
| ● |
4 |
4 |
Benedictine (Kan.) |
5-1 |
| ● |
5 |
5 |
Grand View (Iowa) |
5-1 |
| ● |
6 |
6 |
Montana Tech |
5-1 |
| ● |
7 |
7 |
Morningside (Iowa) |
5-1 |
| ● |
8 |
8 |
Friends (Kan.) |
6-0 |
| ▲ |
9 |
10 |
St. Thomas (Fla.) |
5-0 |
| ▲ |
10 |
11 |
Marian (Ind.) |
4-1 |
| ▲ |
11 |
12 |
Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) |
5-1 |
| ▲ |
12 |
13 |
Carroll (Mont.) |
4-1 |
| ▼ |
13 |
9 |
Campbellsville (Ky.) |
4-1 |
| ▲ |
14 |
15 |
McPherson (Kan.) |
6-0 |
| ▲ |
15 |
17 |
Dordt (Iowa) |
3-2 |
| ▲ |
16 |
19 |
Louisiana Christian |
5-1 |
| ▲ |
17 |
18 |
Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) |
4-0 |
| ▲ |
18 |
20 |
William Penn (Iowa) |
5-1 |
| ▼ |
19 |
16 |
Midland (Neb.) |
5-1 |
| ▲ |
20 |
21 |
Northwestern (Iowa) |
4-2 |
| ▼ |
21 |
14 |
Southeastern (Fla.) |
3-1 |
| ▲ |
22 |
24 |
Georgetown (Ky.) |
3-2 |
| ▼ |
23 |
22 |
Dakota State (S.D.) |
4-2 |
| ▼ |
24 |
23 |
Baker (Kan.) |
4-1 |
| ▲ |
25 |
RV |
Evangel (Mo.) |
4-2 |
Dropped out of Top 25: Cumberland (Tenn.)
Receiving Votes: Cumberland (Tenn.), Cumberlands (Ky.), Florida Memorial, Kansas Wesleyan, MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.), OUAZ (Ariz.), Southwestern (Kan.), Taylor (Ind.), Texas Wesleyan
Be sure to visit www.carrollathletics.com for a preview of the clash with Western, and for complete coverage of the Fighting Saints all season long.
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