# 1965 small college football rankings

The 1965 small college football rankings are rankings of college football teams representing smaller college and university teams during the 1965 college football season, including the 1965 NCAA College Division football season and the 1965 NAIA football season. Separate rankings were published by the Associated Press (AP) and the United Press International (UPI). The AP rankings were selected by a board of sports writers, and the UPI rankings were selected by a board of small-college coaches.
The 1965 North Dakota State Bison football team (11–0) was rated as the small-college champion by both the AP and UPI. Middle Tennessee State (10–0) was rated No. 2 by the AP and No. 3 by the UPI.

## Legend

| | Increase in ranking |
| | Decrease in ranking |
| | Not ranked previous week |
| (#–#) | Win–loss record |
| (Italics) | Number of first place votes |
| т | Tied with team above or below also with this symbol |

## AP poll

| | Week 1 Sept 30 | Week 2 Oct 7 | Week 3 Oct 14 | Week 4 Oct 21 | Week 5 Oct 28 | Week 6 Nov 4 | Week 7 Nov 11 | Week 8 Nov 18 | Week 9 Nov 25 | |
| 1. | North Dakota State (3–0) (2) | North Dakota State (4–0) (5) | North Dakota State (5–0) (9) | North Dakota State (6–0) (7) | North Dakota State (7–0) (6) | North Dakota State (8–0) (7) | North Dakota State (9–0) (6) | North Dakota State (10–0) (7) | North Dakota State (10–0) (4) | 1. |
| 2. | Florida A&M (2–0) | Florida A&M (2–0) (3) | Florida A&M (3–0) (1) | Florida A&M (4–0) (1) | Maine (6–0) | Maine (7–0) | Maine (8–0) | Middle Tennessee (9–0) (3) | Middle Tennessee (9–0) (2) | 2. |
| 3. | Wittenberg (1–0) (1) | San Diego State (3–0) (4) | Middle Tennessee (4–0) (1) | Maine (5–0) | Middle Tennessee (6–0) (1) | Middle Tennessee (7–0) (1) | Cal State Los Angeles (6–1) (1) | Cal State Los Angeles (7–1) (2) | Sul Ross (10–0) (1) | 3. |
| 4. | San Diego State (2–0) (2) | Northern Michigan (4–0) (1) | Maine (4–0) | Cal State Los Angeles (3–1) (2) | Cal State Los Angeles (4–1) (2) | Cal State Los Angeles (5–1) (1) | Middle Tennessee (8–0) (1) | Northern Illinois (9–0) | Cal State Los Angeles (8–1) | 4. |
| 5. | Kentucky State (2–0) (1) | Middle Tennessee (3–0) | San Diego State (3–1) | Middle Tennessee (5–0) (1) | Long Beach State (6–0) (1) | Long Beach State (7–0) (1) | Long Beach State (8–0) (1) | East Carolina (7–1) (1) | Tennessee State (8–0) | 5. |
| 6. | Northern Michigan (3–0) | Maine (3–0) | Kentucky State (3–0) (1) | Hofstra (5–0) | Western State (CO) (6–0) (1) | Tennessee State (5–0) | East Carolina (6–1) (1) | Maine (8–1) | Northern Illinois (9–0) | 6. |
| 7. | Louisiana Tech (0–1) (1) | Cal State Los Angeles (2–1) (1) | Cal State Los Angeles (2–1) (1) | Lamar Tech (5–0) | Florida A&M (4–1) (1) | Northern Illinois (7–0) | Tennessee State (6–0) | Tennessee State (7–0) | Maine (8–1) | 7. |
| 8. | East Carolina (1–0) | Kentucky State (3–0) (1) | Hofstra (4–0) | Fresno State (3–1) | Northern Illinois (6–0) | Western State (CO) (6–1) | Northern Illinois (8–0) | Sul Ross (9–0) (1) | East Carolina (8–1) (1) | 8. |
| 9. | Middle Tennessee (2–0) | Wittenberg (1–1) | North Dakota (5–0) | Western State (CO) (5–0) (1) | Tennessee State (4–0) | Florida A&M (4–1) | North Dakota (8–1) | Long Beach State (8–1) | St. John's (MN) (9–0) | 9. |
| 10. | Cal State Los Angeles (1–1) | Arkansas State (3–0) | Lamar Tech (4–0) | Long Beach State (5–0) (1) | Lamar Tech (5–1) | East Carolina (5–1) | Western State (CO) (7–1) | Ball State (9–0) (1) | East Stroudsburg (9–0) | 10. |
| | Week 1 Sept 30 | Week 2 Oct 7 | Week 3 Oct 14 | Week 4 Oct 21 | Week 5 Oct 28 | Week 6 Nov 4 | Week 7 Nov 11 | Week 8 Nov 18 | Week 9 Nov 25 | |
| | | Dropped: 7 Louisiana Tech8 East Carolina | Dropped: 4 Northern Michigan9 Wittenberg10 Arkansas State | Dropped: 5 San Diego State6 Kentucky State9 North Dakota | Dropped: 6 Hofstra8 Fresno State | Dropped: 10 Lamar Tech | Dropped: 9 Florida A&M10 North Carolina | Dropped: 9 North Dakota10 Western State (CO) | Dropped: 9 Long Beach State10 Ball State | |

## UPI coaches poll

| | Week 1 Sept 30 | Week 2 Oct 7 | Week 3 Oct 14 | Week 4 Oct 21 | Week 5 Oct 28 | Week 6 Nov 4 | Week 7 Nov 11 | Week 8 Nov 18 | Week 9 Nov 25 | Week 10 Dec 2 | |
| 1. | San Diego State (2–0) (10) | San Diego State (3–0) | North Dakota State (5–0) (12) | North Dakota State (6–0) (16) | North Dakota State (7–0) (12) | North Dakota State (8–0) | North Dakota State (9–0) (16) | North Dakota State (10–0) (15) | North Dakota State (10–0) (18) | North Dakota State (10–0) (21) | 1. |
| 2. | North Dakota State (3–0) т | North Dakota State (4–0) | Maine (4–0) (2) | Maine (5–0) (5) | Maine (6–0) (11) | Maine (7–0) | Maine (8–0) (7) | Cal State Los Angeles (7–1) (4) | Cal State Los Angeles (8–1) (6) | Cal State Los Angeles (8–1) (2) | 2. |
| 3. | East Carolina (1–0) т | Florida A&M (2–0) | Florida A&M (3–0) (3) | Florida A&M (4–0) (2) | Cal State Los Angeles (4–1) | Cal State Los Angeles (5–1) | Cal State Los Angeles (6–1) (1) | East Carolina (7–1) (1) | East Carolina (8–1) (1) | Middle Tennessee (10–0) (3) | 3. |
| 4. | Florida A&M (2–0) | Maine (3–0) | San Diego State (3–1) (5) | Western State (CO) (5–0) (1) | East Carolina (4–1) | East Carolina (5–1) | East Carolina (6–1) | Northern Illinois (9–0) (1) | Northern Illinois (9–0) | East Carolina (8–1) (1) | 4. |
| 5. | Montana State (4) | Northeastern State | Western State (CO) (4–0) (1) | Hofstra (5–0) (1) | Western State (CO) (6–0) | Long Beach State (7–0) | Long Beach State (8–0) (3) | Middle Tennessee (9–0) (3) | Middle Tennessee (9–0) (3) | Weber State (8–1) (3) | 5. |
| 6. | Wittenberg (1–0) | Western State (CO) | Hofstra (4–0) | Cal State Los Angeles (3–1) | Middle Tennessee (6–0) | Middle Tennessee (7–0) | Northern Illinois (8–0) (2) | Maine (8–1) (3) | Sul Ross (10–0) | Maine (8–1) | 6. |
| 7. | Maine | Hofstra | Fresno State (2–1) (2) | East Carolina (3–1) | Long Beach State (6–0) | Northern Illinois (7–0) | Middle Tennessee (8–0) (2) | Sul Ross (9–0) (1) | Weber State (8–1) (3) | Northern Illinois (9–0) | 7. |
| 8. | Western State (CO) | North Dakota | North Dakota (5–0) | Fresno State (3–1) (1) | Northern Illinois (6–0) | Sul Ross (7–0) | Sul Ross (8–0) (1) | Weber State (8–1) (4) | Maine (8–1) | North Dakota (8–1) (1) | 8. |
| 9. | Chattanooga | Cal State Los Angeles (2–1) | Cal State Los Angeles (2–1) (1) | Middle Tennessee (5–0) (3) | Sul Ross (6–0) | Weber State (6–1) т | Weber State (7–1) (3) | Long Beach State (8–1) | North Dakota (8–1) | Long Beach State (9–1) | 9. |
| 10. | Northeastern State т | Fresno State | East Carolina (2–1) | Long Beach State (5–0) (1) | Florida A&M (4–1) | North Dakota (7–1) т | UMass (6–2) | North Dakota (8–1) | Long Beach State (9–1) | Sul Ross (10–0) | 10. |
| 11. | Hofstra т | East Carolina | Middle Tennessee (4–0) | Northern Illinois | North Dakota | San Diego State | North Dakota (8–1) | UMass | St. John's (MN) (9–0) (1) | St. John's (MN) (9–0) (1) | 11. |
| 12. | Cal State Los Angeles (1–1) | Montana State | Long Beach State (2) | North Dakota | Findlay т | UMass т | Arkansas State | St. John's (MN) | UMass | Tennessee State | 12. |
| 13. | UMass | Middle Tennessee (3–0) | Northern Illinois | Lamar Tech (5–0) | San Diego State т | Arkansas State т | Western State (CO) (7–1) | Western State (CO) | Tampa (1) | Grambling State т | 13. |
| 14. | Concordia (MN) т | Northern Michigan (4–0) | Northeastern State | San Diego State (1) | Arkansas State | Western State (CO) (6–1) | Tennessee State (6–0) | East Central Oklahoma | Western State (CO) | Linfield т | 14. |
| 15. | North Dakota т | Chattanooga | Concordia (MN) | Northeastern State | UMass т | Eastern Washington | St. John's (MN) | Tennessee State (7–0) | East Central Oklahoma (1) | UMass (1) | 15. |
| 16. | Louisiana Tech (0–1) | Louisiana Tech | Lamar Tech (4–0) | Arkansas State | Hofstra т | Florida A&M (4–1) | Florida A&M т | Florida A&M | UC Santa Barbara | UC Santa Barbara | 16. |
| 17. | Northern Michigan (3–0) | Arkansas State (3–0) | St. Norbert | Sul Ross | Tennessee State (4–0) | Austin Peay | San Diego State т | Tampa | Florida A&M | Ball State | 17. |
| 18. | Arkansas State | Concordia (MN) | Bucknell | East Stroudsburg | Weber State | Findlay | East Central Oklahoma State | Parsons | Parsons | East Stroudsburg | 18. |
| 19. | Fresno State | Northern Illinois | UMass | Concordia (MN) | Eastern Washington | Tennessee State (5–0) т | Omaha | Austin Peay | Tennessee State (8–0) | Western State (CO) | 19. |
| 20. | Middle Tennessee (2–0) | Weber State | Arkansas State | Eastern Washington т | Fresno State | Central State (OK) т | Ball State т | Omaha | Austin Peay т | East Central Oklahoma (1) | 20. |
| 21. | | | | UMass т | | | Northeastern State т | | Ball State т | | 21. |
| 22. | | | | Tampa | | | | | | | 22. |
| | Week 1 Sept 30 | Week 2 Oct 7 | Week 3 Oct 14 | Week 4 Oct 21 | Week 5 Oct 28 | Week 6 Nov 4 | Week 7 Nov 11 | Week 8 Nov 18 | Week 9 Nov 25 | Week 10 Dec 2 | |
| | | Dropped: 6 Wittenberg13 UMass | Dropped: 12 Montana State14 Northern Michigan15 Chattanooga16 Louisiana Tech20 Weber State | Dropped: 17 St. Norbert18 Bucknell | Dropped: 13 Lamar Tech15 Northeastern State18 East Stroudsburg19 Concordia (MN)20 Tampa | Dropped: 16 Hofstra20 Fresno State | Dropped: 15 Eastern Washington17 Austin Peay18 Findlay20 Central State (OK) | Dropped: 12 Arkansas State17 San Diego State20 Ball State20 Northeastern State | Dropped: 20 Omaha | Dropped: 13 Tampa17 Florida A&M18 Parsons20 Austin Peay | |

## Pittsburgh Courier rankings

The Pittsburgh Courier, a leading African American newspaper, ranked the top 1965 teams from historically black colleges and universities in an era when college football was often racially segregated.
The rankings were published on December 4:
* Tennessee A&I (9–0–1)
* Morgan State (8–0)
* Florida A&M (7–1)
* South Carolina State (8–1)
* Grambling (8–3)
* Langston (6–2)
* Maryland State (6–2)
* Allen (6–2)
* Bethune–Cookman (5–2–1)