# 2005 NAIA football rankings

Legend :
| | Increase in ranking |
| | Decrease in ranking |
| | Not ranked previous week |
| * | NAIA National Champion |
| т | Tied with team above or below also with this symbol |
One human poll made up the 2005 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) football rankings, sometimes called the NAIA Coaches' Poll or the football ratings. Once the regular season was complete, the NAIA sponsored a playoff to determine the year's national champion. A final poll was then taken after completion of the 2005 NAIA Football National Championship.

## Poll release dates

The poll release dates were:
* August 16, 2005 (Preseason)
* September 12, 2005
* September 19, 2005
* September 26, 2005
* October 3, 2005
* October 10, 2005
* October 17, 2005
* October 24, 2005
* October 31, 2005
* November 7, 2005
* November 14, 2005 (Final)
* January 18, 2006 (Postseason)

## Week by week poll

| | Week 0-Preseason Aug 16 | Week Poll 1 Sep 12 | Week Poll 2 Sep 19 | Week Poll 3 Sep 26 | Week Poll 4 Oct 03 | Week Poll 5 Oct 10 | Week Poll 6 Oct 17 | Week Poll 7 Oct 24 | Week Poll 8 Oct 31 | Week Poll 9 Nov 07 | Week Final Nov 14 | Week Postseason Jan 18 | |
| 1. | Carroll (MT) | Carroll (MT) | Carroll (MT) | Carroll (MT) | Carroll (MT) | Carroll (MT) | Carroll (MT) | Carroll (MT) | Carroll (MT) | Carroll (MT) | Carroll (MT) | *Carroll (MT) | 1. |
| 2. | Saint Francis (IN) | Saint Francis (IN) | Saint Francis (IN) | Saint Francis (IN) | Saint Francis (IN) | Saint Francis (IN) | Saint Francis (IN) | Saint Francis (IN) | Saint Francis (IN) | Saint Francis (IN) | Saint Francis (IN) | Saint Francis (IN) | 2. |
| 3. | Georgetown (KY) | Sioux Falls (SD) | Sioux Falls (SD) | Sioux Falls (SD) | Sioux Falls (SD) | Sioux Falls (SD) | Morningside (IA) | Morningside (IA) | Morningside (IA) | Morningside (IA) | Morningside (IA) | Morningside (IA) | 3. |
| 4. | Azusa Pacific (CA) | Georgetown (KY) | MidAmerica Nazarene (KS) | Morningside (IA) | Morningside (IA) | Morningside (IA) | (T) Sioux Falls (SD) | Sioux Falls (SD) | Sioux Falls (SD) | Sioux Falls (SD) | Sioux Falls (SD) | Sioux Falls (SD) | 4. |
| 5. | Sioux Falls (SD) | MidAmerica Nazarene (KS) | Georgetown (KY) | McKendree (IL) | McKendree (IL) | Saint Xavier (IL) | (T) St. Ambrose (IA) | MidAmerica Nazarene (KS) | Cumberlands (KY) | Georgetown (KY) | Georgetown (KY) | Georgetown (KY) | 5. |
| 6. | Dickinson State (SD) | McKendree (IL) | Morningside (IA) | Saint Xavier (IL) | Saint Xavier (IL) | MidAmerica Nazarene (KS) | MidAmerica Nazarene (KS) | Cumberlands (KY) | Georgetown (KY) | Tabor (KS) | Tabor (KS) | Tabor (KS) | 6. |
| 7. | Lindenwood (MO) | Morningside (IA) | Montana Tech | St. Ambrose (IA) | (T) St. Ambrose (IA) | St. Ambrose (IA) | Pikeville (KY) | Georgetown (KY) | Tabor (KS) | Saint Xavier (IL) | Saint Xavier (IL) | Montana Tech | 7. |
| 8. | Northwestern Oklahoma State | Montana Tech | Graceland (IA) | MidAmerica Nazarene (KS) | (T) MidAmerica Nazarene (KS) | Pikeville (KY) | Cumberlands (KY) | Tabor (KS) | Saint Xavier (IL) | McKendree (IL) | McKendree (IL) | Evangel (MO) | 8. |
| 9. | McKendree (IL) | Cumberlands (KY) | McKendree (IL) | Pikeville (KY) | Pikeville (KY) | Montana Tech | Georgetown (KY) | Saint Xavier (IL) | St. Ambrose (IA) | MidAmerica Nazarene (KS) | Azusa Pacific (CA) | Saint Xavier (IL) | 9. |
| 10. | MidAmerica Nazarene (KS) | Dickinson State (SD) | Saint Xavier (IL) | Montana Tech | Montana Tech | Cumberlands (KY) | Tabor (KS) | St. Ambrose (IA) | McKendree (IL) | Azusa Pacific (CA) | Evangel (MO) | McKendree (IL) | 10. |
| 11. | Montana Tech | Graceland (IA) | Geneva (PA) | (T) Cumberlands (KY) | Cumberlands (KY) | Tabor (KS) | Walsh (OH) | McKendree (IL) | Montana Tech | Walsh (OH) | Montana Tech | Dickinson State (SD) | 11. |
| 12. | Morningside (IA) | Trinity International (IL) | Pikeville (KY) | (T) Tabor (KS) | Tabor (KS) | Georgetown (KY) | Graceland (IA) | Pikeville (KY) | MidAmerica Nazarene (KS) | Cumberlands (KY) | Graceland (IA) | Azusa Pacific (CA) | 12. |
| 13. | Hastings (NB) | Benedictine (KS) | St. Ambrose (IA) | Georgetown (KY) | Graceland (IA) | Graceland (IA) | McKendree (IL) | Montana Tech | Azusa Pacific (CA) | Evangel (MO) | Pikeville (KY) | Graceland (IA) | 13. |
| 14. | Cumberlands (KY) | Saint Xavier (IL) | Northwestern Oklahoma State | Northwestern Oklahoma State | Georgetown (KY) | McKendree (IL) | Saint Xavier (IL) | Azusa Pacific (CA) | Walsh (OH) | Pikeville (KY) | St. Ambrose (IA) | Geneva (PA) | 14. |
| 15. | Lambuth (TN) | Northwestern Oklahoma State | Nebraska Wesleyan | Graceland (IA) | Walsh (OH) | Walsh (OH) | Valley City State (ND) | Walsh (OH) | Evangel (MO) | Montana Tech | Dickinson State (SD) | Pikeville (KY) | 15. |
| 16. | Trinity International (IL) | (T) Pikeville (KY) | Cumberlands (KY) | Azusa Pacific (CA) | Azusa Pacific (CA) | Urbana (OH) | Montana Tech | Webber International (FL) | Pikeville (KY) | Graceland (IA) | Geneva (PA) | St. Ambrose (IA) | 16. |
| 17. | Saint Xavier (IL) | (T) Geneva (PA) | Tabor (KS) | Valley City State (ND) | Missouri Valley | Eastern Oregon | Azusa Pacific (CA) | Urbana (OH) | Graceland (IA) | St. Ambrose (IA) | Northwestern (IA) | Northwestern (IA) | 17. |
| 18. | Pikeville (KY) | St. Ambrose (IA) | Azusa Pacific (CA) | Walsh (OH) | Urbana (OH) | Valley City State (ND) | Webber International (FL) | Evangel (MO) | Kansas Wesleyan | Valley City State (ND) | Walsh (OH) | Walsh (OH) | 18. |
| 19. | Tabor (KS) | Tabor (KS) | Valley City State (ND) | Geneva (PA) | Eastern Oregon | Evangel (MO) | Northwestern Oklahoma State | Kansas Wesleyan | Valley City State (ND) | Dickinson State (SD) | MidAmerica Nazarene (KS) | MidAmerica Nazarene (KS) | 19. |
| 20. | Northwestern (IA) | Azusa Pacific (CA) | Walsh (OH) | Missouri Valley | Sterling (KS) | Azusa Pacific (CA) | Urbana (OH) | Graceland (IA) | Dickinson State (SD) | Geneva (PA) | Cumberlands (KY) | Kansas Wesleyan | 20. |
| 21. | Walsh (OH) | Hastings (NB) | Dickinson State (SD) | Nebraska Wesleyan | Valley City State (ND) | Northwestern Oklahoma State | Kansas Wesleyan | Valley City State (ND) | Geneva (PA) | Northwestern (IA) | Kansas Wesleyan | Cumberlands (KY) | 21. |
| 22. | St. Ambrose (IA) | (T) Nebraska Wesleyan | Virginia-Wise | Benedictine (KS) | Evangel (MO) | Webber International (FL) | Missouri Valley | Dickinson State (SD) | Northwestern (IA) | Webber International (FL) | Valley City State (ND) | Valley City State (ND) | 22. |
| 23. | Graceland (IA) | (T) Olivet Nazarene (IL) | Benedictine (KS) | Urbana (OH) | Northwestern Oklahoma State | Black Hills State (SD) | Evangel (MO) | Eastern Oregon | Webber International (FL) | Kansas Wesleyan | Bethel (TN) | Bethel (TN) | 23. |
| 24. | Minot State (ND) | Walsh (OH) | Trinity International (IL) | Sterling (KS) | Webber International (FL) | Bacone (OK) | Dickinson State (SD) | Geneva (PA) | Urbana (OH) | Bethel (TN) | Black Hills State (SD) | Black Hills State (SD) | 24. |
| 25. | Montana State-Northern | Valley City State (ND) | Sterling (KS) | Eastern Oregon | Geneva (PA) | Kansas Wesleyan | Eastern Oregon | (T) Nebraska Wesleyan(T) Northwestern (IA) | Benedictine (KS) | Midland Lutheran (NB) | Texas College | Texas College | 25. |
| | Week 0-Preseason Aug 16 | Week Poll 1 Sep 12 | Week Poll 2 Sep 19 | Week Poll 3 Sep 26 | Week Poll 4 Oct 03 | Week Poll 5 Oct 10 | Week Poll 6 Oct 17 | Week Poll 7 Oct 24 | Week Poll 8 Oct 31 | Week Poll 9 Nov 07 | Week Final Nov 14 | Week Postseason Jan 18 | |
| | | Dropped: Lambuth (TN)Lindenwood (MO)Minot State (ND)Montana State-NorthernNorthwestern (IA) | Dropped: Hastings (NB)Olivet Nazarene (IL) | Dropped: Dickinson State (SD)Trinity International (IL)Virginia-Wise | Dropped: Benedictine (KS)Nebraska Wesleyan | Dropped: Geneva (PA)Missouri ValleySterling (KS) | Dropped: Bacone (OK)Black Hills State (SD) | Dropped: Missouri ValleyNorthwestern Oklahoma State | Dropped: Eastern OregonNebraska Wesleyan | Dropped: Benedictine (KS)Urbana (OH) | Dropped: Midland Lutheran (NB)Webber International (FL) | None | |

## Leading vote-getters

Since the inception of the Coaches' Poll in 1999, the #1 ranking in the various weekly polls has been held by only a select group of teams. Through the postseason poll of the 2005 season, the teams and the number of times they have held the #1 weekly ranking are shown below. The number of times a team has been ranked #1 in the postseason poll (the national champion) is shown in parentheses.
In 1999, the results of a postseason poll, if one was conducted, are not known. Therefore, an additional poll has been presumed, and the #1 postseason ranking has been credited to the postseason tournament champion, the Northwestern Oklahoma State Rangers.
| Team | Total #1 Rankings |
| Carroll (MT) | 32 (4) |
| Georgetown (KY) | 23 (2) |
| Sioux Falls (SD) | 16 |
| Northwestern Oklahoma State | 12 (1) |
| Azusa Pacific (CA) | 3 |