# 2001 NCAA Division I-AA football rankings

The 2001 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 2001 season. Due to the events of September 11, 2001, all college football games were suspended during the following weekend. As a result, the poll released on September 18 was a repeat of the one released a week earlier.

## 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 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 | Week 12 Nov 20 | Week 13 Nov 27 | Week 14 Postseason | |
| 1. | Georgia Southern (69) | Georgia Southern (1–0) (91) | Georgia Southern (2–0) (95) | Georgia Southern (2–0) (95) | Georgia Southern (3–0) (75) | Georgia Southern (4–0) (93) | Georgia Southern (5–0) (81) | Georgia Southern (6–0) (96) | Georgia Southern (7–0) (90) | Montana (7–1) (61) | Montana (8–1) (79) | Montana (9–1) (85) | Montana (10–1) (67) | Montana (11–1) (53) | Montana (15–1) (37) | 1. |
| 2. | Montana (6) | Montana (1–0) (8) | Montana (1–1) | Montana (1–1) | Youngstown State (3–0) | Montana (3–1) (1) | Montana (4–1) | Montana (5–1) | Montana (6–1) (4) | Furman (6–1) (23) | Georgia Southern (8–1) (10) | Georgia Southern (9–1) (5) | Georgia Southern (9–1) (4) | Georgia Southern (10–1) (3) | Furman (12–3) | 2. |
| 3. | Western Kentucky | Appalachian State (1–0) | Youngstown State (2–0) | Youngstown State (2–0) | Montana (2–1) | Furman (3–1) (3) | Furman (4–1) (3) | Furman (5–1) (4) | Furman (6–1) (6) | Grambling State (7–0) (8) | Hofstra (8–1) (1) | Eastern Illinois (8–1) (1) | Eastern Illinois (9–1) (1) | Eastern Illinois (9–1) | Georgia Southern (13–2) | 3. |
| 4. | Delaware (1) | Hofstra (1–0) | Furman (1–1) (2) | Furman (1–1) (2) | Furman (2–1) (2) | McNeese State (3–1) | Rhode Island (5–0) | Rhode Island (6–0) | Rhode Island (7–0) | Georgia Southern (7–1) (2) | Eastern Illinois (8–1) | Furman (7–2) (3) | Furman (8–2) (3) | Furman (9–2) (2) | Northern Iowa (11–3) | 4. |
| 5. | Appalachian State | Youngstown State (1–0) | Appalachian State (1–1) | Appalachian State (1–1) | McNeese State (2–1) | Appalachian State (3–1) | Youngstown State (4–1) | Youngstown State (5–1) | Youngstown State (6–1) | Hofstra (7–1) | Furman (6–2) | Lehigh (9–0) (1) | Lehigh (10–0) (1) | Lehigh (10–0) (1) | Lehigh (11–1) | 5. |
| 6. | Furman (1) | Furman (0–1) (1) | Western Illinois (1–0) | Western Illinois (1–0) | Appalachian State (2–1) | Eastern Illinois (3–0) | Lehigh (4–0) | Grambling State (5–0) | Grambling State (6–0) | Eastern Illinois (6–1) | Western Kentucky (7–2) | Youngstown State (7–2) | Youngstown State (8–2) | Northern Iowa (9–2) | Appalachian State (9–4) | 6. |
| 7. | Hofstra | Western Illinois (1–0) | McNeese State (1–1) | McNeese State (1–1) | Western Kentucky (2–1) | Rhode Island (4–0) | Grambling State (4–0) | Lehigh (5–0) | Hofstra (6–1) | Western Kentucky (6–2) | Lehigh (8–0) (1) | Grambling State (8–1) | Northern Iowa (9–2) | Grambling State (9–1) | Sam Houston State (10–3) | 7. |
| 8. | Youngstown State | McNeese State (0–1) | Western Kentucky (1–1) | Western Kentucky (1–1) | Eastern Illinois (2–0) | Lehigh (3–0) | Appalachian State (3–2) | Hofstra (5–1) | Lehigh (6–0) | Lehigh (7–0) | Youngstown State (7–2) | Northern Iowa (8–2) | Grambling State (8–1) | Appalachian State (8–3) | Grambling State (10–1) | 8. |
| 9. | McNeese State | Lehigh (1–0) | Florida A&M (2–0) | Florida A&M (2–0) | Rhode Island (3–0) (1) | Youngstown State (3–1) | Hofstra (4–1) | Eastern Illinois (4–1) | Eastern Illinois (5–1) | Rhode Island (7–1) | Grambling State (7–1) | Appalachian State (7–3) | Appalachian State (8–1) | Hofstra (9–2) | Eastern Illinois (9–2) | 9. |
| 10. | Lehigh | Western Kentucky (0–1) | Lehigh (1–0) | Lehigh (1–0) | Lehigh (2–0) | Grambling State (4–0) | Eastern Illinois (3–1) | Western Kentucky (4–2) | Western Kentucky (5–2) | Youngstown State (6–2) | Northwestern State (7–2) | Hofstra (8–2) | Hofstra (9–2) | McNeese State (8–3) | Maine (9–3) | 10. |
| 11. | Eastern Illinois | Florida A&M (1–0) | Eastern Illinois (1–0) | Eastern Illinois (1–0) | Grambling State (2–0) | Western Kentucky (2–2) | Western Kentucky (3–2) | McNeese State (4–2) | Northern Iowa (6–1) | Appalachian State (5–3) | Appalachian State (6–3) (1) | McNeese State (8–3) | McNeese State (7–3) | Western Kentucky (8–3) | Hofstra (9–3) | 11. |
| 12. | Florida A&M | Eastern Illinois (0–0) | Rhode Island (2–0) | Rhode Island (2–0) | Hofstra (2–1) | Hofstra (3–1) | Villanova (4–0) | Western Illinois (4–1) | Appalachian State (4–3) | Northwestern State (6–2) | North Carolina A&T (7–1) | Western Kentucky (7–3) | Western Kentucky (8–3) | Youngstown State (8–3) | Western Kentucky (8–4) | 12. |
| 13. | Western Illinois | Richmond (0–1) | Richmond (0–1) | Richmond (0–1) | Western Illinois (1–1) | Villanova (3–0) | McNeese State (3–2) | Appalachian State (3–3) | Tennessee State (6–0) | McNeese State (5–3) | McNeese State (5–3) | Northern Arizona (8–2) | Sam Houston State (9–2) | Sam Houston State (9–2) | McNeese State (8–4) | 13. |
| 14. | Richmond | Grambling State (1–0) | Hofstra (1–1) | Hofstra (1–1) | Villanova (2–0) | Western Illinois (2–1) | Western Illinois (3–1) | Northern Iowa (5–1) | Sam Houston State (6–1) | North Carolina A&T (6–1) | Tennessee State (7–1) | Sam Houston State (8–2) | Northwestern State (8–3) | Northwestern State (8–3) | Northwestern State (8–4) | 14. |
| 15. | Grambling State | Delaware (0–1) | Grambling State (2–0) | Grambling State (2–0) | Eastern Washington (2–0) | Northwestern State (3–1) | Northern Iowa (4–1) | Tennessee State (5–0) | Northwestern State (5–2) | Tennessee State (6–1) | Northern Iowa (7–2) | Rhode Island (7–2) | Villanova (8–2) | Northern Arizona (8–3) | Youngstown State (8–3) | 15. |
| 16. | Illinois State | Portland State (1–0) | Villanova (2–0) | Villanova (2–0) | Northwestern State (3–0) | Eastern Washington (2–1) | Florida A&M (4–1) | Sam Houston State (5–1) | Western Illinois (4–2) | Northern Iowa (6–2) | Northern Arizona (7–2) | Northwestern State (7–3) | Northern Arizona (9–2) | Maine (8–2) | Northern Arizona (8–4) | 16. |
| 17. | Southwest Texas | Southwest Texas (1–0) | Portland State (1–0) | Portland State (1–0) | Richmond (0–2) | Florida A&M (3–1) | Southwest Texas (4–1) | Northwestern State (4–2) | McNeese State (4–3) | Northern Arizona (6–2) | Rhode Island (7–2) | Villanova (7–2) | Maine (8–2) | William & Mary (8–3) | William & Mary (8–4) | 17. |
| 18. | Portland State | Villanova (1–0) | Eastern Washington (1–0) | Eastern Washington (1–0) | Florida A&M (2–1) | Northern Iowa (3–1) | Tennessee State (4–0) | Northern Arizona (5–1) | Maine (5–1) | Penn (6–0) | Sam Houston State (7–2) | Maine (7–2) | Eastern Kentucky (8–2) | Eastern Kentucky (8–2) | Eastern Kentucky (8–2) | 18. |
| 19. | Eastern Washington | Rhode Island (1–0) | William & Mary (2–0) | William & Mary (2–0) | Southwest Texas (2–1) | Southwest Texas (3–1) | Sam Houston State (4–1) | Stephen F. Austin (4–2) | North Carolina A&T (5–1) | Sam Houston State (6–2) | Penn (7–0) | Harvard (8–0) | Harvard (9–0) | Harvard (9–0) | Harvard (9–0) | 19. |
| 20. | Villanova | Eastern Washington (0–0) | Southwest Texas (1–1) | Southwest Texas (1–1) | New Hampshire (3–0) | William & Mary (3–1) | Northwestern State (3–1) | Villanova (4–1) | Penn (5–0) | Florida A&M (6–2) | Maine (6–2) | Eastern Kentucky (7–2) | William & Mary (7–3) | Villanova (8–3) | Villanova (8–3) | 20. |
| 21. | UMass | Illinois State (0–1) | New Hampshire (2–0) | New Hampshire (2–0) | Northern Arizona (3–0) | Portland State (2–1) | Jacksonville State (4–0) | Southwest Texas (4–2) | Northern Arizona (5–2) | Eastern Washington (5–2) | Stephen F. Austin (5–3) | Stephen F. Austin (6–3) | Alabama State (8–2) | Rhode Island (8–3) | Rhode Island (8–3) | 21. |
| 22. | Bethune-Cookman | Bethune-Cookman (1–0) | Sam Houston State (2–0) | Sam Houston State (2–0) | William & Mary (2–1) | Tennessee State (3–0) | Northern Arizona (4–1) | Penn (4–0) | Jacksonville State (5–1) | Stephen F. Austin (4–3) | Eastern Kentucky (6–2) | North Carolina A&T (7–2) | Rhode Island (7–3) | Florida A&M (7–3) | Florida A&M (7–4) | 22. |
| 23. | Northern Iowa | William & Mary (1–0) | Delaware (0–2) | Delaware (0–2) | Portland State (1–1) | North Carolina A&T (3–0) | Stephen F. Austin (3–2) | North Carolina A&T (4–1) | Florida A&M (5–2) | Western Illinois (4–3) | Villanova (6–2) | Alabama State (7–2) | Tennessee Tech (7–3) | Tennessee Tech (7–3) | Tennessee Tech (7–3) | 23. |
| 24. | Wofford | Northern Iowa (1–0) | Northwestern State (2–0) | Northwestern State (2–0) | Delaware (1–2) | Richmond (0–3) | Penn (3–0) | Maine (4–1) | Stephen F. Austin (4–3) | Maine (5–2) | Harvard (7–0) | Tennessee State (7–2) | Florida A&M (7–3) | Penn (8–1) | Penn (8–1) | 24. |
| 25. | North Carolina A&T | Wofford (0–0) | Northern Arizona (2–0) | Northern Arizona (2–0) | Tennessee State (2–0) | Sam Houston State (3–1) | William & Mary (3–2) | Florida A&M (4–2) | Bethune-Cookman (5–1) | Eastern Kentucky (5–2) | Alabama State (6–2) | William & Mary (6–3) | Penn (8–1) | Tennessee State (8–3) | Tennessee State (8–3) | 25. |
| | 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 | Week 12 Nov 20 | Week 13 Nov 27 | Week 14 Postseason | |
| | | Dropped: 21 UMass25 North Carolina A&T | Dropped: 21 Illinois State22 Bethune-Cookman24 Northern Iowa25 Wofford | None | Dropped: 22 Sam Houston State | Dropped: 20 New Hampshire21 Northern Arizona24 Delaware | Dropped: 16 Eastern Washington21 Portland State23 North Carolina A&T24 Richmond | Dropped: 21 Jacksonville State25 William & Mary | Dropped: 20 Villanova21 Southwest Texas | Dropped: 22 Jacksonville State25 Bethune-Cookman | Dropped: 20 Florida A&M21 Eastern Washington23 Western Illinois | Dropped: 19 Penn | Dropped: 21 Stephen F. Austin22 North Carolina A&T24 Tennessee State | Dropped: 21 Alabama State | None | |