WACO, Texas – After breaking the program record for wins in a season this past Saturday and moving to 9-0 in the process, Fort Hays State moved up to No. 6 in the AFCA Division II Poll on Monday (Oct. 30).
The No. 6 ranking matches the best-ever for Fort Hays State in an official NCAA Division II Poll. The Tigers were No. 6 in the September 16, 1996 edition of the poll, produced by the NCAA Football Committee back then.
Former No. 1 Northwest Missouri State had its 38-game win streak snapped at the hands of Pittsburg State this past Saturday in Pittsburg, Kan. It allowed Fort Hays State to take over sole possession of the MIAA lead, but the teams will meet in a battle of Top 10 teams this Saturday in Maryville. FHSU will be attempting to grab the MIAA title outright, while NWMSU looks to pull back into a tie at the top of the standings with one more week in the regular season to follow.
Minnesota State takes over the No. 1 ranking this week, leaping No. 2 Shepherd (W.Va.) from the No. 3 ranking last week. Shepherd received more first-place votes, but overall Minnesota State had two more voting points. The top seven teams in the nation remain undefeated, while Northwest Missouri moved down to No. 8 this week.
After jumping back into the Top 25 last week for a second time this season, Central Missouri fell back out after a loss at Central Oklahoma. That leaves FHSU and NWMSU as the only two representatives from the MIAA in the Top 25. Other teams inside the Top 25 from last week’s Super Region 3 rankings include Indianapolis (No. 5), Ashland (No. 11), Ferris State (No. 12), and Grand Valley State (No. 19).
Below is the AFCA Division II Poll for October 30, 2017.
| Rank | School (1st votes) | Record, | Pts., | Prev., |
| 1. | Minnesota State (10) | 9-0 | 822 | 3 |
| 2. | Shepherd (W.Va.) (22) | 8-0 | 820 | 2 |
| 3. | Indiana (Pa.) (2) | 9-0 | 777 | 4 |
| 4. | Midwestern State (Texas) | 7-0 | 717 | 5 |
| 5. | Indianapolis (Ind.) | 9-0 | 710 | 6 |
| 6. | Fort Hays State (Kan.) | 9-0 | 683 | 7 |
| 7. | Central Washington | 9-0 | 625 | 8 |
| 8. | Northwest Missouri State | 8-1 | 577 | 1 |
| 9. | Texas A&M-Commerce | 7-1 | 558 | 9 |
| 10. | Assumption (Mass.) | 8-0 | 516 | 12t |
| 11. | Ashland (Ohio) | 8-1 | 510 | 12t |
| 12. | Ferris State (Mich.) | 7-1 | 483 | 11 |
| 13. | Sioux Falls (S.D.) | 8-1 | 405 | 14 |
| 14. | Wingate (N.C.) | 8-0 | 402 | 16 |
| 15. | Colorado Mesa | 8-1 | 399 | 15 |
| 16. | Virginia State | 8-0 | 347 | 17 |
| 17. | Humboldt State (Calif.) | 7-1 | 295 | 18 |
| 18. | Winona State (Minn.) | 8-1 | 289 | 10 |
| 19. | Grand Valley State (Mich.) | 7-2 | 215 | 19 |
| 20. | Bowie State (Md.) | 8-1 | 214 | 20 |
| 21. | Eastern New Mexico | 7-1 | 190 | 21 |
| 22. | Findlay (Ohio) | 8-1 | 159 | 22 |
| 23. | West Alabama | 7-2 | 100 | 25 |
| 24. | Colorado State-Pueblo | 7-2 | 88 | 24 |
| 25. | West Georgia | 7-2 | 48 | NR |
Others Receiving Votes:Â Shippensburg (Pa.), 41; Central Missouri, 25; Slippery Rock (Pa.), 15; Ouachita Baptist (Ark.), 7; Minnesota-Duluth, 5; Washburn (Kan.), 4; California (Pa.), 2; Arkansas Tech, 1; Notre Dame (Ohio), 1.