# 1997 NCAA Division II football rankings

The 1997 NCAA Division II football rankings are from the NCAA Division II football committee. This is for the 1997 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 II Football Committee poll

| | Preseason | Week 1 Sept 9 | Week 2 Sept 16 | Week 3 Sept 23 | Week 4 Sept 30 | Week 5 Oct 7 | Week 6 Oct 14 | Week 7 Oct 21 | Week 8 Oct 28 | Week 9 Nov 4 | Week 10 Nov 11 | Week 11 Nov 18 | |
| 1. | Northern Colorado (4) | Northern Colorado (1–0) (3) | Carson–Newman (2–0) (4) | Carson–Newman (3–0) (4) | Carson–Newman (3–0) (4) | Carson–Newman (4–0) (4) | Carson–Newman (6–0) (4) | Carson–Newman (6–0) (4) | Carson–Newman (7–0) (4) | Carson–Newman (8–0) (4) | Carson–Newman (9–0) | Carson–Newman (9–0) (4) | 1. |
| 2. | Carson–Newman | Carson–Newman (2–0) (1) | Texas A&M–Kingsville (1–0) | Pittsburg State (2–0) | Pittsburg State (3–0) | Pittsburg State (4–0) | Pittsburg State (5–0) | Pittsburg State (6–0) | New Haven (7–1) | New Haven (8–1) | New Haven (9–1) | New Haven (9–1) | 2. |
| 3. | Texas A&M–Kingsville | Texas A&M–Kingsville (0–0) | Pittsburg State (1–0) | New Haven (4–0) | New Haven (5–0) | New Haven (5–0) | New Haven (6–0) | New Haven (6–1) | Angelo State (7–0) | Angelo State (8–0) | Angelo State (9–0) | Northwest Missouri State (11–0) | 3. |
| 4. | Ferris State | Pittsburg State (1–0) т | Catawba (2–0) | Catawba (3–0) | Catawba (4–0) | Angelo State (4–0) | Angelo State (5–0) | Angelo State (6–0) | Northwest Missouri State (8–0) | Northwest Missouri State (9–0) | Northwest Missouri State (10–0) | Texas A&M–Kingsville (9–1) | 4. |
| 5. | Pittsburg State | Clarion (0–0) т | Grand Valley State (2–0) | Angelo State (2–0) | Angelo State (3–0) | Northwest Missouri State (5–0) | Northwest Missouri State (6–0) | Northwest Missouri State (7–0) | Texas A&M–Kingsville (6–1) | Texas A&M–Kingsville (7–1) | Texas A&M–Kingsville (8–1) | Albany State (10–0) | 5. |
| 6. | West Georgia | Central Oklahoma (1–0) | Northwest Missouri State (2–0) | Northwest Missouri State (3–0) | Northwest Missouri State (4–0) | Texas A&M–Kingsville (3–1) | Texas A&M–Kingsville (4–1) | Texas A&M–Kingsville (5–1) | Albany State (7–0) | Albany State (8–0) | Albany State (9–0) | Angelo State (9–1) | 6. |
| 7. | UC Davis | Catawba (2–0) | Angelo State (1–0) | Grand Valley State (3–0) | Texas A&M–Kingsville (2–1) | Albany State (5–0) | Albany State (6–0) | Albany State (6–0) | North Dakota (6–1) | North Dakota (7–1) | North Dakota (8–1) | Slippery Rock (10–1) | 7. |
| 8. | Clarion | Bloomsburg (1–0) | Albany State (2–0) т | Texas A&M–Kingsville (1–1) | Saginaw Valley State (4–0) | Grand Valley State (5–0) | Grand Valley State (6–0) | Grand Valley State (7–0) | Slippery Rock (7–1) | Slippery Rock (8–1) | Slippery Rock (9–1) | Pittsburg State (9–1) | 8. |
| 9. | Northwest Missouri State | Northwest Missouri State (1–0) | New Haven (2–0) т | Albany State (3–0) | Nebraska–Omaha (4–0) | Western State (CO) (4–1) | Western State (CO) (5–1) | West Georgia (5–1) | West Georgia (6–1) | West Georgia (7–1) | Pittsburg State (8–1) | Western State (CO) (9–2) | 9. |
| 10. | Delta State | Angelo State (1–0) | Nebraska–Omaha (2–0) | Nebraska–Omaha (3–0) | Albany State (4–0) | North Dakota (4–0) | North Dakota (5–0) | North Dakota State (6–1) | Central Oklahoma (7–1) | Pittsburg State (7–1) | Western State (CO) (8–2) | Southern Arkansas (9–1) | 10. |
| 11. | IUP | Grand Valley State (1–0) | Western State (CO) (1–1) | Saginaw Valley State (3–0) | Western State (CO) (3–1) | West Georgia (4–1) | West Georgia (5–1) | Central Oklahoma (6–1) | Pittsburg State (6–1) | Shepherd (8–0) т | Southern Arkansas (8–1) | Northern Colorado (8–3) | 11. |
| 12. | Central Oklahoma | Albany State (1–0) | Saginaw Valley State (2–0) | Western State (CO) (2–1) | Grand Valley State (3–0) | Indianapolis (6–0) | Central Oklahoma (5–1) | Slippery Rock (6–1) | Saginaw Valley State (7–1) | Western State (CO) (6–2) т | Northern Colorado (8–2) | Ashland (9–1) | 12. |
| 13. | Nebraska–Omaha | Nebraska–Omaha (1–0) | Virginia State (3–0) | North Dakota (2–0) | North Dakota (3–0) | Central Oklahoma (4–1) | Slippery Rock (5–1) | Nebraska–Omaha (6–1) | Livingstone (9–0) | Northern Colorado (7–2) | Ashland (9–1) | North Alabama (9–2) | 13. |
| 14. | Bloomsburg | New Haven (1–0) | North Dakota (1–0) | Virginia State (3–0) | Indianapolis (5–0) | Livingstone (6–0) | Nebraska–Omaha (5–1) | Livingstone (8–0) | Truman State (6–1) т | Southern Arkansas (7–1) | North Alabama (8–2) | UC Davis (7–4) | 14. |
| 15. | Angelo State | UC Davis (0–1) | Northern Colorado (1–1) | Central Oklahoma (2–1) | Central Oklahoma (3–1) | Nebraska–Omaha (4–1) | Livingstone (7–0) | Shepherd (6–0) | Shepherd (7–0) т | Grand Valley State (8–1) | UC Davis (6–4) | Glenville State (9–2) | 15. |
| 16. | Catawba | North Dakota (0–0) | Indianapolis (3–0) | Indianapolis (4–0) | West Georgia (4–1) | Slippery Rock (4–1) | North Dakota State (5–1) | UC Davis (4–3) | UC Davis (5–3) | New Mexico Highlands (7–2) | West Georgia (7–2) | North Dakota State (9–2) | 16. |
| 17. | North Dakota | Virginia State (2–0) | Central Oklahoma (1–1) | West Georgia (3–1) | Northern Colorado (3–1) | Catawba (4–1) | Shepherd (5–0) | North Dakota (5–1) | North Alabama (6–2) | North Alabama (7–2) | Glenville State (8–2) | | 17. |
| 18. | West Chester | Delta State (0–1) | West Georgia (2–1) | Northern Colorado (2–1) | Chadron State (3–1) | North Dakota State (4–1) | Virginia State (4–1) | Western State (CO) (5–2) | Western State (CO) (5–2) | Truman State (6–2) | New Mexico Highlands (7–3) | | 18. |
| 19. | Chadron State | Edinboro (1–0) | Fairmont State (2–0) | Chadron State (2–1) | Livingstone (5–0) | UC Davis (3–2) | Abilene Christian (5–1) | Ashland (6–1) | Northern Colorado (6–2) | Ashland (8–1) | Nebraska–Omaha (8–2) т | | 19. |
| 20. | Albany State | Chadron State (1–0) | Chadron State (1–1) | Northern Michigan (4–0) | Northern Michigan (5–0) | Shepherd (4–0) | Ashland (6–1) | Valdosta State (5–2) | Grand Valley State (7–1) | UC Davis (5–4) | Saginaw Valley State (8–2) т | | 20. |
| | Preseason | Week 1 Sept 9 | Week 2 Sept 16 | Week 3 Sept 23 | Week 4 Sept 30 | Week 5 Oct 7 | Week 6 Oct 14 | Week 7 Oct 21 | Week 8 Oct 28 | Week 9 Nov 4 | Week 10 Nov 11 | Week 11 Nov 18 | |
| | | Dropped: 4 Ferris State6 West Georgia11 IUP18 West Chester | Dropped: 5 Clarion8 Bloomsburg15 UC Davis18 Delta State19 Edinboro | Dropped: 19 Fairmont State | Dropped: 14 Virginia State | Dropped: 8 Saginaw Valley State17 Northern Colorado18 Chadron State20 Northern Michigan | Dropped: 12 Indianapolis17 Catawba19 UC Davis | Dropped: 18 Virginia State19 Abilene Christian | Dropped: 10 North Dakota State13 Nebraska–Omaha19 Ashland20 Valdosta State | Dropped: 10 Central Oklahoma12 Saginaw Valley State13 Livingstone | Dropped: 11 Shepherd15 Grand Valley State18 Truman State | Dropped: 7 North Dakota16 West Georgia18 New Mexico Highlands19 Nebraska–Omaha20 Saginaw Valley State | |