# 1986 NCAA Division I-AA football rankings

The 1986 NCAA Division I-AA football rankings are from the NCAA Division I-AA football committee. This is for the 1986 season.

## 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 |

## NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll

| | Preseason | Week 1 Sept 16 | Week 2 Sept 23 | Week 3 Sept 30 | Week 4 Oct 7 | Week 5 Oct 14 | Week 6 Oct 21 | Week 7 Oct 28 | Week 8 Nov 4 | Week 9 Nov 11 | Week 10 Nov 18 | Week 11 Nov 25 | |
| 1. | Georgia Southern (4) | Nevada (2–0) | Nevada (3–0) (3) | Nevada (4–0) (3) | Nevada (5–0) (3) | Nevada (6–0) (3) | Nevada (7–0) (4) | Nevada (8–0) (4) | Nevada (9–0) (4) | Nevada (10–0) (4) | Nevada (10–0) (4) | Nevada (11–0) (4) | 1. |
| 2. | Nevada | Arkansas State (3–0) | Arkansas State (3–0–1) | Arkansas State (4–0–1) | Arkansas State (4–0–1) | Georgia Southern (5–1) (1) | Morehead State (6–0) | Arkansas State (6–1–1) | Arkansas State (6–1–1) т | Arkansas State (7–1–1) т | Arkansas State (8–1–1) т | Arkansas State (9–1–1) | 2. |
| 3. | Northern Iowa | Furman (1–0–1) | Furman (2–0–1) | Furman (3–0–1) | Georgia Southern (4–1) (1) | Morehead State (5–0) | William & Mary (6–0) | Holy Cross (7–0) | Holy Cross (8–0) т | Holy Cross (9–0) т | Holy Cross (10–0) т | Eastern Illinois (10–1) | 3. |
| 4. | Middle Tennessee State | Georgia Southern (1–1) | Georgia Southern (2–1) (1) | Georgia Southern (3–1) (1) | Morehead State (4–0) | William & Mary (5–0) | Arkansas State (5–1–1) | Nicholls State (8–0) | Eastern Illinois (8–1) | Eastern Illinois (9–1) | Eastern Illinois (10–1) | Georgia Southern (9–2) | 4. |
| 5. | Appalachian State | Eastern Washington (2–0) | William & Mary (3–0) | Morehead State (4–0) т | William & Mary (4–0) | Arkansas State (4–1–1) | Appalachian State (6–1) | Tennessee State (8–0) | Georgia Southern (6–2) | Georgia Southern (7–2) | Georgia Southern (8–2) | Holy Cross (10–1) | 5. |
| 6. | Delaware | Northern Iowa (1–0–1) | Eastern Washington (2–0) | William & Mary (3–0) т | Appalachian State (4–1) | Appalachian State (5–1) | Holy Cross (6–0) | Eastern Illinois (7–1) | Penn (7–0) | Penn (8–0) | Penn (9–0) | Appalachian State (9–1–1) | 6. |
| 7. | Arkansas State | Appalachian State (2–1) | Tennessee State (3–0) | Delaware State (3–0) | Tennessee State (5–0) | Holy Cross (5–0) | Tennessee State (7–0) | Appalachian State (6–1–1) | Appalachian State (6–1–1) | Appalachian State (7–1–1) | Appalachian State (8–1–1) | Penn (10–0) | 7. |
| 8. | Eastern Washington | Tennessee State (3–0) | Delaware State (3–0) | Appalachian State (3–1) | Northern Iowa (3–0–1) | Tennessee State (6–0) | Eastern Illinois (6–1) т | Penn (6–0) | William & Mary (7–1) | William & Mary (8–1) | Tennessee State (9–0–1) | William & Mary (9–2) | 8. |
| 9. | Furman т | William & Mary (2–0) | Morehead State (3–0) | Tennessee State (4–0) | Holy Cross (4–0) т | Eastern Illinois (5–1) т | Georgia Southern (5–2) т | Georgia Southern (5–2) | Tennessee State (8–0–1) | Tennessee State (9–0–1) | William & Mary (8–2) | Jackson State (9–2) | 9. |
| 10. | Richmond т | Delaware State (2–0) | Appalachian State (2–1) | Northern Iowa (2–0–1) | Nicholls State (5–0) т | Nicholls State (6–0) т | Nicholls State (7–0) | William & Mary (6–1) | Nicholls State (8–1) | Akron (7–2) т | Jackson State (8–2) | Eastern Kentucky (8–2–1) | 10. |
| 11. | Louisiana Tech | Eastern Kentucky (1–0) | Northern Iowa (1–0–1) | Holy Cross (3–0) | Eastern Illinois (4–1) | Furman (3–1–1) | Penn (5–0) | New Hampshire (6–1) | New Hampshire (7–1) | Jackson State (8–2) т | Delaware (8–2) | Sam Houston State (9–2) | 11. |
| 12. | Northeast Louisiana | UMass (2–0) | UMass (2–0) | Nicholls State (4–0) | Furman (3–1–1) | Idaho (4–1) | Delaware State (5–1) | Akron (5–2) т | Akron (6–2) т | Delaware (7–2) | Eastern Kentucky (7–2–1) | Nicholls State (9–2) | 12. |
| 13. | Eastern Kentucky | Delaware (1–1) | Louisiana Tech (2–1) т | Grambling State (3–0) | Idaho (4–1) | New Hampshire (5–1) | New Hampshire (5–1) | Jackson State (7–2) т | Jackson State (7–2) т | North Carolina A&T (8–1) | North Carolina A&T (9–1) | Delaware (8–3) | 13. |
| 14. | Jackson State | Grambling State (1–0) | Maine (3–0) т | Jackson State (4–1) т | New Hampshire (4–1) | Delaware (4–1) т | North Carolina A&T (6–0) | Morehead State (6–1) т | Delaware (6–2) т | Eastern Kentucky (6–2–1) | Sam Houston State (8–2) | Tennessee State (9–1–1) | 14. |
| 15. | Boise State | Louisiana Tech (1–1) | Eastern Illinois (3–1) | UMass (3–0) т | Delaware (3–1) | Delaware State (4–1) т | Idaho (4–2) | Delaware (5–2) | Delaware State (7–1) т | Sam Houston State (7–2) | Cornell (8–2) | Furman (7–2–2) | 15. |
| 16. | Colgate | Akron (2–0) | Grambling State (2–0) | Eastern Illinois (3–1) | Southern (4–1) т | Northern Iowa (3–1–1) | Delaware (4–2) | Delaware State (6–1) | Southern Illinois (7–3) | Cornell (7–1) | Nicholls State (8–2) | Idaho (8–3) | 16. |
| 17. | Delaware State | Middle Tennessee State (1–1) | Nicholls State (3–0) | Idaho (3–1) | Stephen F. Austin (4–0) т | Penn (4–0) | Akron (4–2) | UMass (6–1) | Marshall (6–2–1) | Nicholls State (8–2) | Akron (7–3) | Southern Illinois (7–4) | 17. |
| 18. | Eastern Illinois | North Texas State (1–0) | Jackson State (3–1) | Connecticut (3–0) | North Carolina A&T (5–0) | North Carolina A&T (6–0) | Furman (3–2–1) т | Southern Illinois (6–3) | Eastern Kentucky (5–2–1) | Northern Arizona (7–3) | UMass (8–2) | Murray State (7–3–1) т | 18. |
| 19. | William & Mary | Richmond (1–1) | Delaware (2–1) | Delaware (3–1) | Penn (3–0) | Stephen F. Austin (4–1) | Stephen F. Austin (4–2) т | North Texas State (5–2) | Louisiana Tech (5–3–1) | Delaware State (7–2) | Furman (6–2–2) | Connecticut (8–3) т | 19. |
| 20. | North Texas State | Southern Illinois (2–1) | Connecticut (2–0) | Eastern Kentucky (2–0–1) | Grambling State (3–1) | Louisiana Tech (4–2) | Southern Illinois (5–3) | Marshall (5–2–1) | North Carolina A&T (7–1) | New Hampshire (7–2) | Southern Illinois (7–4) т | North Carolina A&T (9–2) | 20. |
| 21. | | | | | | | | | | | Idaho (7–3) т | | 21. |
| | Preseason | Week 1 Sept 16 | Week 2 Sept 23 | Week 3 Sept 30 | Week 4 Oct 7 | Week 5 Oct 14 | Week 6 Oct 21 | Week 7 Oct 28 | Week 8 Nov 4 | Week 9 Nov 11 | Week 10 Nov 18 | Week 11 Nov 25 | |
| | | Dropped: 12 Northeast Louisiana14 Jackson State15 Boise State16 Colgate18 Eastern Illinois | Dropped: 11 Eastern Kentucky16 Akron17 Middle Tennessee State18 North Texas State19 Richmond20 Southern Illinois | Dropped: 6 Eastern Washington13 Louisiana Tech14 Maine | Dropped: 7 Delaware State14 Jackson State15 UMass18 Connecticut20 Eastern Kentucky | Dropped: 16 Southern20 Grambling State | Dropped: 16 Northern Iowa20 Louisiana Tech | Dropped: 14 North Carolina A&T15 Idaho18 Furman19 Stephen F. Austin20 Southern Illinois | Dropped: 14 Morehead State17 UMass19 North Texas State | Dropped: 16 Southern Illinois17 Marshall19 Louisiana Tech | Dropped: 18 Northern Arizona19 Delaware State20 New Hampshire | Dropped: 15 Cornell17 Akron18 UMass | |