# 2002 NCAA Division I-AA football rankings

The 2002 NCAA Division I-AA football rankings are from the Sports Network poll of Division I-AA head coaches, athletic directors, sports information directors and media members. This is for the 2002 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 |

## The Sports Network poll

| | Preseason | Week 1 Sept 3 | Week 2 Sept 10 | Week 3 Sept 17 | Week 4 Sept 24 | Week 5 Oct 1 | Week 6 Oct 8 | Week 7 Oct 15 | Week 8 Oct 22 | Week 9 Oct 29 | Week 10 Nov 5 | Week 11 Nov 12 | Week 12 Nov 19 | Week 13 Nov 26 | Week 14 Postseason | |
| 1. | Montana (79) | Montana (1–0) (85) | Montana (2–0) (106) | Montana (3–0) (115) | Montana (4–0) (99) | Montana (4–0) (95) | Montana (5–0) (97) | Montana (6–0) (99) | Montana (7–0) (100) | Montana (8–0) (99) | Montana (9–0) (95) | Montana (10–0) (95) | McNeese State (9–1) (88) | McNeese State (10–1) (77) | Western Kentucky (12–3) (41) | 1. |
| 2. | Appalachian State | Northern Iowa (1–0) | Lehigh (2–0) (3) | McNeese State (3–0) (4) | McNeese State (3–0) (6) | McNeese State (4–0) (10) | Maine (6–0) (1) | McNeese State (4–1) (1) | McNeese State (5–1) (2) | McNeese State (6–1) (6) | McNeese State (7–1) (8) | McNeese State (8–1) (6) | Eastern Illinois (8–2) (1) | Georgia Southern (9–2) (3) | McNeese State (13–2) (4) | 2. |
| 3. | Northern Iowa | Lehigh (1–0) (2) | McNeese State (2–0) | Lehigh (2–0) (1) | Maine (4–0) | Maine (5–0) | McNeese State (4–1) (2) | Appalachian State (5–1) (2) | Northwestern State (6–1) | Northwestern State (7–1) | Northwestern State (8–1) | Eastern Illinois (7–2) | Georgia Southern (9–2) (3) | Western Illinois (10–1) | Georgia Southern (11–3) | 3. |
| 4. | Eastern Illinois (1) | Furman (0–0) (2) | Northern Iowa (1–1) | Maine (3–0) | Lehigh (3–0) (1) | Appalachian State (3–1) | Appalachian State (4–1) | Villanova (6–1) | Furman (5–2) | Furman (6–2) | Furman (6–2) | Georgia Southern (8–2) | Montana (10–1) (4) | Grambling State (10–1) | Villanova (11–4) | 4. |
| 5. | Georgia Southern (3) | Appalachian State (0–1) | Appalachian State (0–1) | Appalachian State (1–1) | Appalachian State (2–1) | Furman (3–1) | Furman (4–1) | Northwestern State (5–1) | Eastern Illinois (5–2) | Maine (8–1) | Maine (8–1) | Western Illinois (9–1) | Western Illinois (10–1) (1) | Appalachian State (8–3) | Western Illinois (11–2) | 5. |
| 6. | Lehigh (1) | McNeese State (1–0) | Maine (2–0) | Northern Iowa (1–1) | Northern Iowa (2–1) | Northern Iowa (3–1) | Villanova (5–1) | Furman (4–2) | Maine (7–1) | Eastern Illinois (5–2) | Eastern Illinois (6–2) | Grambling State (9–1) | Grambling State (10–1) (1) | Furman (8–3) | Maine (11–3) | 6. |
| 7. | Furman (3) | Eastern Illinois (0–1) | Furman (0–1) | Furman (1–1) | Furman (2–1) | Villanova (4–1) | Northwestern State (4–1) | Eastern Illinois (4–2) | Grambling State (6–1) | Grambling State (7–1) | Grambling State (8–1) | Northwestern State (8–2) | Appalachian State (8–3) | Maine (10–2) | Montana (11–3) | 7. |
| 8. | Youngstown State | Youngstown State (1–0) | Eastern Illinois (0–1) | Portland State (2–0) | Villanova (3–1) | Western Illinois (4–0) | Northern Arizona (4–1) | Maine (6–1) | Appalachian State (5–2) | Western Illinois (7–1) | Western Illinois (8–1) | Appalachian State (7–3) | Furman (7–3) | Northeastern (10–2) | Grambling State (11–2) | 8. |
| 9. | William & Mary | Delaware (1–0) | Georgia Southern (1–1) | Georgia Southern (1–1) | Portland State (2–1) | Northwestern State (3–1) | Eastern Illinois (3–2) | Grambling State (5–1) | Western Illinois (6–1) | Georgia Southern (6–2) | Georgia Southern (7–2) | Furman (6–3) | Maine (9–2) | Montana (10–2) | Furman (8–4) | 9. |
| 10. | Grambling State | William & Mary (0–1) | Portland State (1–0) | Northwestern State (3–0) | Northwestern State (3–1) | Florida A&M (4–1) | Lehigh (4–1) | Western Illinois (5–1) | Georgia Southern (5–2) | Bethune-Cookman (8–0) | Bethune-Cookman (9–0) (1) | Wofford (8–2) | Northeastern (9–2) | Eastern Illinois (8–3) | Appalachian State (8–4) | 10. |
| 11. | McNeese State | Maine (1–0) | Villanova (2–0) | Youngstown State (1–1) | Florida A&M (3–1) | Northeastern (4–0) | Grambling State (5–1) | Bethune-Cookman (7–0) | Bethune-Cookman (8–0) | Villanova (6–2) | Villanova (7–2) | Maine (8–2) | Bethune-Cookman (10–1) (2) | Bethune-Cookman (11–1) | Northeastern (10–3) | 11. |
| 12. | Sam Houston State | Georgia Southern (0–1) | Youngstown State (1–1) | Hofstra (2–1) | Western Illinois (3–0) | Northern Arizona (3–1) | Northern Iowa (3–2) | Portland State (4–2) | Villanova (6–2) | William & Mary (5–2) | UMass (7–2) | Northeastern (8–2) | Northwestern State (8–3) | Villanova (9–3) | Fordham (10–3) | 12. |
| 13. | Maine | Portland State (1–0) | Northwestern State (2–0) | Eastern Illinois (0–2) | Eastern Illinois (1–2) | Eastern Illinois (2–2) | Western Illinois (4–1) | Georgia Southern (4–2) | Portland State (5–2) | UMass (6–2) | Portland State (6–3) | Bethune-Cookman (9–1) | Villanova (8–3) | Northwestern State (9–3) | Eastern Illinois (8–4) | 13. |
| 14. | Eastern Kentucky | Sam Houston State (0–1) | Sam Houston State (1–1) | Villanova (2–1) | Northeastern (3–0) | Lehigh (3–1) | Portland State (3–2) | William & Mary (3–2) | William & Mary (4–2) | Appalachian State (5–3) | Appalachian State (6–3) | Villanova (7–3) | Wofford (8–3) | Wofford (9–3) | Wofford (9–3) | 14. |
| 15. | Hofstra | Villanova (1–0) | Delaware (1–1) | Florida A&M (2–1) | Grambling State (3–1) | Grambling State (4–1) | Bethune-Cookman (6–0) | Northeastern (5–1) | Northeastern (6–1) | Portland State (5–3) | Wofford (7–2) | Western Kentucky (7–3) | Western Kentucky (8–3) | Western Kentucky (8–3) | Bethune-Cookman (11–2) | 15. |
| 16. | Florida A&M | Northwestern State (1–0) | Eastern Kentucky (1–1) | Grambling State (2–1) | Northern Arizona (2–1) | Portland State (2–2) | Georgia Southern (3–2) | Northern Arizona (4–2) | UMass (5–2) | Lehigh (6–2) | Lehigh (7–2) | William & Mary (6–3) | Penn (8–1) | Penn (9–1) | Northwestern State (9–4) | 16. |
| 17. | Portland State | Eastern Kentucky (0–1) | Hofstra (1–1) | William & Mary (1–2) | William & Mary (1–2) | William & Mary (2–2) | William & Mary (2–2) | Youngstown State (4–2) | Northern Iowa (4–3) | Eastern Kentucky (6–3) | Eastern Kentucky (7–3) | Penn (7–1) | Nicholls State (7–3) | Idaho State (8–3) (1) | Penn (9–1) | 17. |
| 18. | Western Kentucky | Grambling State (0–1) | William & Mary (0–2) | Northeastern (2–0) | Georgia Southern (1–2) | Georgia Southern (2–2) | Wofford (4–1) | South Carolina State (5–1) | Lehigh (5–2) | Wofford (6–2) | Northeastern (7–2) | Nicholls State (7–3) | Idaho State (7–3) | Gardner-Webb (9–1) | Idaho State (8–3) | 18. |
| 19. | Northwestern State | Montana State (1–0) | Florida A&M (1–1) | Northern Arizona (2–1) | Wofford (3–0) | Bethune-Cookman (5–0) | Eastern Kentucky (4–2) | Lehigh (4–2) | Eastern Kentucky (5–3) | Idaho State (5–2) | Western Kentucky (7–3) | UMass (7–3) | Gardner-Webb (9–1) | Eastern Kentucky (8–4) | Montana State (7–6) | 19. |
| 20. | Montana State | Hofstra (0–1) | Grambling State (1–1) | Western Illinois (2–0) | Bethune-Cookman (4–0) | Wofford (3–1) | Northeastern (4–1) | UMass (4–2) | Idaho State (4–2) | Northeastern (6–2) | William & Mary (5–3) | Idaho State (6–3) | Lehigh (8–3) | Nicholls State (7–4) | Murray State (7–5) | 20. |
| 21. | Northern Arizona | Florida A&M (0–1) | Western Kentucky (1–1) | Eastern Kentucky (1–2) | Eastern Kentucky (2–2) | Eastern Kentucky (3–2) | Florida A&M (4–2) | Northern Iowa (3–3) | South Carolina State (5–2) | South Carolina State (6–2) | Penn (6–1) | Portland State (6–4) | Duquesne (11–0) | Fordham (9–2) | Eastern Kentucky (8–4) | 21. |
| 22. | Delaware | Western Kentucky (0–1) | Northeastern (2–0) | Richmond (1–1) | Youngstown State (1–2) | Youngstown State (2–2) | Youngstown State (3–2) | Eastern Kentucky (4–3) | Nicholls State (6–2) | Western Kentucky (6–3) | Nicholls State (6–3) | Gardner-Webb (8–1) | Eastern Kentucky (7–4) | Southeast Missouri State (8–4) | Gardner-Webb (9–1) | 22. |
| 23. | Harvard | Hampton (1–0) | Richmond (1–1) | Holy Cross (2–0) | James Madison (3–1) | Penn (2–0) | Nicholls State (5–1) | Stephen F. Austin (4–2) | Youngstown State (4–3) | Nicholls State (6–3) | Idaho State (5–3) | Lehigh (7–3) | William & Mary (6–4) | Murray State (7–4) | Nicholls State (7–4) | 23. |
| 24. | Jacksonville State | Jacksonville State (1–0) | Jacksonville State (1–0) | Bethune-Cookman (3–0) | Hofstra (2–2) | Nicholls State (4–1) | Penn (3–0) | Idaho State (4–2) | Western Kentucky (5–3) | Penn (5–1) | Florida A&M (7–3) | Duquesne (10–0) | Southeast Missouri (8–4) | Montana State (7–5) | Southeast Missouri State (8–4) | 24. |
| 25. | Hampton | Harvard (0–0) | Holy Cross (1–0) | Alabama State (3–0) | Western Kentucky (2–2) | Harvard (2–0) | South Carolina State (4–1) | Southern Illinois (4–3) | Wofford (5–2) | Illinois State (5–3) | Gardner-Webb (7–1) | Eastern Kentucky (7–4) | Fordham (8–2) | Colgate (9–3) | Colgate (9–3) | 25. |
| | Preseason | Week 1 Sept 3 | Week 2 Sept 10 | Week 3 Sept 17 | Week 4 Sept 24 | Week 5 Oct 1 | Week 6 Oct 8 | Week 7 Oct 15 | Week 8 Oct 22 | Week 9 Oct 29 | Week 10 Nov 5 | Week 11 Nov 12 | Week 12 Nov 19 | Week 13 Nov 26 | Week 14 Postseason | |
| | | Dropped: 21 Northern Arizona | Dropped: 19 Montana State23 Hampton25 Harvard | Dropped: 14 Sam Houston State15 Delaware21 Western Kentucky24 Jacksonville State | Dropped: 22 Richmond23 Holy Cross25 Alabama State | Dropped: 23 James Madison24 Hofstra25 Western Kentucky | Dropped: 25 Harvard | Dropped: 18 Wofford21 Florida A&M23 Nicholls State24 Penn | Dropped: 16 Northern Arizona23 Stephen F. Austin25 Southern Illinois | Dropped: 17 Northern Iowa23 Youngstown State | Dropped: 21 South Carolina State25 Illinois State | Dropped: 24 Florida A&M | Dropped: 19 UMass21 Portland State | Dropped: 20 Lehigh21 Duquesne23 William & Mary24 Southeast Missouri | None | |