# 2001 NCAA Division II football rankings

The 2001 NCAA Division II football rankings are from the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA). This is for the 2001 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 |

## American Football Coaches Association poll

| | Preseason | Week 1 Sept 4 | Week 2 Sept 11 | Week 3 Sept 18 | Week 4 Sept 25 | Week 5 Oct 2 | Week 6 Oct 9 | Week 7 Oct 16 | Week 8 Oct 23 | Week 9 Oct 30 | Week 10 Nov 6 | Week 11 Nov 13 | |
| 1. | Delta State | Delta State | Delta State (1–0) (26) | Delta State (2–0) (26) | Delta State (3–0) (26) | Delta State (4–0) (26) | Valdosta State (6–0) (27) | Valdosta State (7–0) (27) | Valdosta State (8–0) (27) | Valdosta State (9–0) (27) | Valdosta State (10–0) (27) | Valdosta State (11–0) (28) | 1. |
| 2. | North Dakota State | North Dakota State | North Dakota State (2–0) (1) | North Dakota State (2–0) (1) | North Dakota State (3–0) (1) | North Dakota State (4–0) (1) | Nebraska–Omaha (6–0) | Nebraska–Omaha (6–0) | Nebraska–Omaha (7–0) | Nebraska–Omaha (8–0) | IUP (8–0) (1) | Grand Valley State (10–0) | 2. |
| 3. | UC Davis | UC Davis | UC Davis (2–0) | UC Davis (2–0) | UC Davis (3–0) | UC Davis (4–0) | North Dakota (6–0) | North Dakota (7–0) | Catawba (8–0) | IUP (7–0) (1) | Grand Valley State (9–0) | Chadron State (10–0) | 3. |
| 4. | Valdosta State | Valdosta State | Valdosta State (2–0) (1) | Valdosta State (3–0) (1) | Valdosta State (4–0) (1) | Valdosta State (5–0) (1) | Catawba (4–0) | Catawba (7–0) | IUP (6–0) (1) | Grand Valley State (8–0) | Chadron State (9–0) | North Dakota (10–1) | 4. |
| 5. | Carson–Newman | Nebraska–Omaha | Nebraska–Omaha (2–0) | Nebraska–Omaha (3–0) | Nebraska–Omaha (4–0) | Nebraska–Omaha (5–0) | IUP (6–0) | IUP (5–0) (1) | Grand Valley State (7–0) | Chadron State (8–0) | North Dakota (9–1) | Bloomsburg (9–1) | 5. |
| 6. | Northwest Missouri State | Catawba | Catawba (2–0) | Catawba (3–0) | Catawba (4–0) | Catawba (5–0) | Pittsburg State (4–0) | Chadron State (7–0) | Chadron State (8–0) | North Dakota (8–1) | Bloomsburg (8–1) | Pittsburg State (10–1) | 6. |
| 7. | Nebraska–Omaha | Bloomsburg | Bloomsburg (1–0) | Bloomsburg (2–0) | Bloomsburg (3–0) | Bloomsburg (4–0) | Tuskegee (6–0) | Grand Valley State (6–0) | Delta State (6–1) | Bloomsburg (7–1) | Pittsburg State (9–1) | Catawba (10–1) | 7. |
| 8. | Bloomsburg | Tuskegee | Tuskegee (2–0) | Tuskegee (2–0) | Tuskegee (3–0) | IUP (3–0) | Chadron State (4–1) | Northwest Missouri State (6–1) | North Dakota (7–1) | Pittsburg State (8–1) | Central Arkansas (9–1) | IUP (8–1) | 8. |
| 9. | Catawba | Pittsburg State | IUP (1–0) | IUP (1–0) | IUP (2–0) | Tuskegee (3–0) | Delta State (4–1) | Delta State (5–1) | Bloomsburg (6–1) | Central Arkansas (8–1) | Catawba (9–1) | Saginaw Valley State (10–1) | 9. |
| 10. | Tuskegee | IUP | Pittsburg State (2–0) | Pittsburg State (3–0) | Pittsburg State (4–0) | Pittsburg State (5–0) | North Dakota State (5–1) | UC Davis (5–1) | Pittsburg State (7–1) | Catawba (8–1) | Nebraska–Omaha (8–1) | Tuskegee (8–1) | 10. |
| 11. | IUP | West Georgia | North Dakota (2–0) | North Dakota (3–0) | North Dakota (4–0) | North Dakota (5–0) | Northwest Missouri State (5–0) | Central Missouri (7–0) | West Georgia (7–1) | Tuskegee (6–1) | Tuskegee (7–1) | Texas A&M–Kingsville (9–1) | 11. |
| 12. | Pittsburg State | North Dakota | West Georgia (2–0) | West Georgia (3–0) | Chadron State (4–0) | Chadron State (5–0) | Grand Valley State (4–1) | Shepherd (6–0) | Central Arkansas (7–1) | C.W. Post (9–0) | Saginaw Valley State (9–1) | UC Davis (8–2) | 12. |
| 13. | West Georgia | Carson–Newman | Chadron State (2–0) | Chadron State (3–0) | Carson–Newman (2–1) | Northwest Missouri State (4–1) | UC Davis (5–0) | Bloomsburg (5–1) | Tuskegee (5–1) | Tusculum (7–1) | Central Missouri (9–1) | Winona State (10–1) | 13. |
| 14. | North Dakota | Northwest Missouri State | Carson–Newman (1–1) | Carson–Newman (1–1) | Northwest Missouri State (3–1) | Carson–Newman (3–1) | Arkansas Tech (6–0) | Pittsburg State (6–1) | C.W. Post (8–0) | Saginaw Valley State (8–1) | UC Davis (7–2) | Central Arkansas (9–2) | 14. |
| 15. | Northwood | | Grand Valley State (2–0) | Grand Valley State (2–0) | Grand Valley State (3–0) | Grand Valley State (4–0) | Central Missouri (4–1) | West Georgia (6–1) | UC Davis (5–2) | UC Davis (6–2) | Texas A&M–Kingsville (8–1) | Nebraska–Omaha (8–2) | 15. |
| 16. | Northeastern State | | Northwest Missouri State (1–1) | Northwest Missouri State (2–1) | Arkansas Tech (3–0) | Arkansas Tech (4–0) | Bloomsburg (4–1) | Tuskegee (4–1) | Tusculum (6–1) | Central Missouri (8–1) | Winona State (9–1) | Arkansas Tech (8–2) | 16. |
| 17. | Chadron State | Chadron State | Slippery Rock (2–0) | Slippery Rock (2–0) | Kutztown (3–0) | Central Missouri (5–0) | Shepherd (5–0) | Central Arkansas (6–1) | Saginaw Valley State (7–1) | Delta State (6–2) | Western Washington (8–2) | Tarleton State (9–2) | 17. |
| 18. | Mesa State | Grand Valley State | Kutztown (2–0) | Kutztown (2–0) | Eastern New Mexico (4–0) | Shepherd (4–0) | West Georgia (5–1) | C.W. Post (7–0) | North Dakota State (5–2) | Shepherd (7–1) | West Georgia (8–2) | Tusculum (8–2) | 18. |
| 19. | Presbyterian | Slippery Rock | Missouri Western State (2–0) | Arkansas Tech (2–0) | Central Missouri (4–0) | West Georgia (4–1) | Central Arkansas (5–1) | North Dakota State (4–2) | Northwest Missouri State (6–2) | Winona State (8–1) | Minnesota–Duluth (9–1) | C.W. Post (10–1) | 19. |
| 20. | Angelo State | Kutztown | Presbyterian (1–1) | Eastern New Mexico (3–0) | Shepherd (4–0) | Tusculum (5–0) | C.W. Post (6–0) | Tusculum (6–1) | Central Missouri (7–1) | Texas A&M–Kingsville (7–1) | C.W. Post (9–1) | Central Missouri (9–2) | 20. |
| 21. | Kutztown | | Arkansas Tech (1–0) | Central Arkansas (3–0) | West Georgia (3–1) | Central Arkansas (4–1) | Saginaw Valley State (5–1) | Saginaw Valley State (6–1) | Truman State (7–1) | West Georgia (7–2) | Missouri Western State (8–2) | Fort Valley State (8–2) | 21. |
| 22. | Grand Valley State | Presbyterian | Eastern New Mexico (2–0) | Presbyterian (1–1) | Tusculum (4–0) | C.W. Post (5–0) | Tusculum (5–1) | Arkansas Tech (5–1) | Shepherd (6–1) | Western Washington (7–2) | Tusculum (7–2) | North Dakota State (7–3) | 22. |
| 23. | Slippery Rock | Fairmont State | Central Arkansas (2–0) | Winston–Salem State (2–1) | Central Arkansas (3–1) | Texas A&M–Kingsville (4–0) | Winona State (5–1) | Winona State (6–1) | Winona State (7–1) | Minnesota–Duluth (8–1) | Arkansas Tech (7–2) | Western Washington (8–3) | 23. |
| 24. | Saginaw Valley State | Missouri Western State | Winston–Salem State (2–1) | Central Missouri (3–0) | C.W. Post (4–0) | Saginaw Valley State (4–1) | Texas A&M–Commerce (5–1) | Texas A&M–Commerce (6–1) | Texas A&M–Kingsville (6–1) | Truman State (7–2) | Tarleton State (8–2) | Minnesota–Duluth (9–2) | 24. |
| 25. | Western Michigan | | Shepherd (2–0) | Shepherd (3–0) | Slippery Rock (2–1) | Eastern New Mexico (4–1) | Carson–Newman (3–2) т | Concordia (MN) (6–1) | Concordia (MN) (7–1) | Mars Hill (7–2) | North Dakota State (6–3) | West Georgia (8–3) | 25. |
| 26. | | | | | | | Concordia (MN) (6–0) т | | | | | | 26. |
| | Preseason | Week 1 Sept 4 | Week 2 Sept 11 | Week 3 Sept 18 | Week 4 Sept 25 | Week 5 Oct 2 | Week 6 Oct 9 | Week 7 Oct 16 | Week 8 Oct 23 | Week 9 Oct 30 | Week 10 Nov 6 | Week 11 Nov 13 | |
| | | Dropped: 15 Northwood16 Northeastern State18 Mesa State20 Angelo State24 Saginaw Valley State25 Western Michigan | Dropped: 15162123 Fairmont State25 | Dropped: 19 Missouri Western State | Dropped: 22 Presbyterian23 Winston–Salem State | Dropped: 17 Kutztown25 Slippery Rock | Dropped: 23 Texas A&M–Kingsville25 Eastern New Mexico | Dropped: 25 Carson–Newman | Dropped: 22 Arkansas Tech24 Texas A&M–Commerce | Dropped: 18 North Dakota State19 Northwest Missouri State25 Concordia (MN) | Dropped: 17 Delta State18 Shepherd24 Truman State25 Mars Hill | Dropped: 21 Missouri Western State | |