# 2006 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 2006 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 16-team playoff to determine the year's national champion. A final poll was then taken after completion of the 2006 NAIA Football National Championship.

## Poll release dates

The poll release dates were:
* August 16, 2006 (Preseason)
* September 11, 2006
* September 18, 2006
* September 25, 2006
* October 2, 2006
* October 9, 2006
* October 16, 2006
* October 23, 2006
* October 30, 2006
* November 6, 2006
* November 12, 2006 (Final)
* January 18, 2007 (Postseason)

## Week by week poll

| | Week 0-Preseason Aug 16 | Week Poll 1 Sep 11 | Week Poll 2 Sep 18 | Week Poll 3 Sep 25 | Week Poll 4 Oct 02 | Week Poll 5 Oct 09 | Week Poll 6 Oct 16 | Week Poll 7 Oct 23 | Week Poll 8 Oct 30 | Week Poll 9 Nov 06 | Week Final Nov 12 | Week Postseason Jan 18 | |
| 1. | Carroll (MT) | Carroll (MT) | Carroll (MT) | Carroll (MT) | Carroll (MT) | Carroll (MT) | Carroll (MT) | Carroll (MT) | Saint Francis (IN) | Saint Francis (IN) | Saint Francis (IN) | *Sioux Falls (SD) | 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) | Sioux Falls (SD) | Sioux Falls (SD) | Sioux Falls (SD) | Saint Francis (IN) | 2. |
| 3. | Sioux Falls (SD) | Sioux Falls (SD) | Sioux Falls (SD) | Sioux Falls (SD) | Sioux Falls (SD) | Sioux Falls (SD) | Sioux Falls (SD) | Sioux Falls (SD) | Walsh (OH) | St. Ambrose (IA) | St. Ambrose (IA) | Missouri Valley | 3. |
| 4. | Georgetown (KY) | Georgetown (KY) | Georgetown (KY) | Georgetown (KY) | Georgetown (KY) | Walsh (OH) | Walsh (OH) | Walsh (OH) | St. Ambrose (IA) | Carroll (MT) | Carroll (MT) | Saint Xavier (IL) | 4. |
| 5. | McKendree (IL) | Saint Xavier (IL) | Northwestern (IA) | Northwestern (IA) | Northwestern (IA) | Bethel (TN) | St. Ambrose (IA) | St. Ambrose (IA) | (T) Carroll (MT) | Missouri Valley | Missouri Valley | Carroll (MT) | 5. |
| 6. | Evangel (MO) | Northwestern (IA) | Walsh (OH) | Walsh (OH) | Walsh (OH) | St. Ambrose (IA) | Missouri Valley | Missouri Valley | (T) Missouri Valley | Northwestern (IA) | Northwestern (IA) | Northwestern (IA) | 6. |
| 7. | Dickinson State (SD) | Walsh (OH) | McKendree (IL) | Montana Tech | Saint Xavier (IL) | Missouri Valley | Northwestern (IA) | Northwestern (IA) | Montana State-Northern | Georgetown (KY) | Georgetown (KY) | Bethel (TN) | 7. |
| 8. | Saint Xavier (IL) | Azusa Pacific (CA) | Graceland (IA) | St. Ambrose (IA) | St. Ambrose (IA) | Northwestern (IA) | Montana State-Northern | Georgetown (KY) | Northwestern (IA) | Walsh (OH) | Bethel (TN) | Morningside (IA) | 8. |
| 9. | Morningside (IA) | Montana Tech | Montana Tech | Saint Xavier (IL) | Bethel (TN) | Montana State-Northern | Georgetown (KY) | Montana State-Northern | Georgetown (KY) | Bethel (TN) | Saint Xavier (IL) | St. Ambrose (IA) | 9. |
| 10. | Montana Tech | McKendree (IL) | St. Ambrose (IA) | Bethel (TN) | Missouri Valley | Georgetown (KY) | Kansas Wesleyan | Kansas Wesleyan | Bethel (TN) | Saint Xavier (IL) | Friends (KS) | Georgetown (KY) | 10. |
| 11. | Azusa Pacific (CA) | Graceland (IA) | Saint Xavier (IL) | Missouri Valley | Montana State-Northern | Kansas Wesleyan | Saint Xavier (IL) | Bethel (TN) | Saint Xavier (IL) | Friends (KS) | Montana State-Northern | Montana State-Northern | 11. |
| 12. | Northwestern (IA) | Bethel (TN) | Bethel (TN) | Kansas Wesleyan | Kansas Wesleyan | Morningside (IA) | Bethel (TN) | Saint Xavier (IL) | Friends (KS) | Black Hills State (SD) | Black Hills State (SD) | Black Hills State (SD) | 12. |
| 13. | Walsh (OH) | Cumberlands (KY) | Montana State-Northern | Montana State-Northern | Morningside (IA) | Benedictine (KS) | Friends (KS) | Friends (KS) | Black Hills State (SD) | Montana State-Northern | Morningside (IA) | Friends (KS) | 13. |
| 14. | Texas College | St. Ambrose (IA) | Kansas Wesleyan | Morningside (IA) | Montana Tech | Jamestown (ND) | Ohio Dominican | Black Hills State (SD) | Morningside (IA) | Morningside (IA) | Bethel (KS) | Jamestown (ND) | 14. |
| 15. | Lindenwood (MO) | Montana State-Northern | (T) Morningside (IA) | Geneva (PA) | Valley City State (ND) | Saint Xavier (IL) | Morningside (IA) | Morningside (IA) | Kansas Wesleyan | Bethel (KS) | Jamestown (ND) | Bethel (KS) | 15. |
| 16. | Graceland (IA) | Morningside (IA) | (T) Missouri Valley | Valley City State (ND) | Benedictine (KS) | Bethel (KS) | Black Hills State (SD) | Graceland (IA) | Graceland (IA) | Jamestown (ND) | Walsh (OH) | Walsh (OH) | 16. |
| 17. | Bethel (TN) | Geneva (PA) | (T) Geneva (PA) | Graceland (IA) | Jamestown (ND) | McKendree (IL) | Graceland (IA) | Montana Tech | Bethel (KS) | Ohio Dominican | Ohio Dominican | Ohio Dominican | 17. |
| 18. | Cumberlands (KY) | Kansas Wesleyan | (T) Jamestown (ND) | Virginia-Wise | Urbana (OH) | Friends (KS) | Montana Tech | Benedictine (KS) | Montana Tech | Benedictine (KS) | Malone (OH) | Benedictine (KS) | 18. |
| 19. | St. Ambrose (IA) | Friends (KS) | Azusa Pacific (CA) | Benedictine (KS) | Malone (OH) | Ohio Dominican | Langston (OK) | Jamestown (ND) | Jamestown (ND) | Sterling (KS) | Benedictine (KS) | Malone (OH) | 19. |
| 20. | Geneva (PA) | Missouri Valley | Nebraska Wesleyan | Urbana (OH) | Bethel (KS) | Valley City State (ND) | Benedictine (KS) | Bethel (KS) | Ohio Dominican | Kansas Wesleyan | Kansas Wesleyan | Kansas Wesleyan | 20. |
| 21. | Tabor (KS) | Jamestown (ND) | Cumberlands (KY) | Jamestown (ND) | McKendree (IL) | Montana Tech | Jamestown (ND) | Ohio Dominican | Virginia-Wise | Graceland (IA) | Northwestern Oklahoma State | Northwestern Oklahoma State | 21. |
| 22. | Friends (KS) | Nebraska Wesleyan | Valley City State (ND) | McKendree (IL) | Friends (KS) | Langston (OK) | Bethel (KS) | Cumberlands (KY) | MidAmerica Nazarene (KS) | Malone (OH) | MidAmerica Nazarene (KS) | MidAmerica Nazarene (KS) | 22. |
| 23. | Kansas Wesleyan | William Jewell (MO) | MidAmerica Nazarene (KS) | Malone (OH) | Virginia-Wise | Graceland (IA) | Malone (OH) | Nebraska Wesleyan | Langston (OK) | Montana Tech | Nebraska Wesleyan | Nebraska Wesleyan | 23. |
| 24. | Valley City State (ND) | Valley City State (ND) | Malone (OH) | Bethel (KS) | Graceland (IA) | Black Hills State (SD) | Nebraska Wesleyan | Virginia-Wise | Benedictine (KS) | Cumberlands (KY) | Virginia-Wise | Virginia-Wise | 24. |
| 25. | Minot State (ND) | Tabor (KS) | Tabor (KS) | Friends (KS) | Shorter (GA) | Urbana (OH) | Cumberlands (KY) | Langston (OK) | Sterling (KS) | Northwestern Oklahoma State | Sterling (KS) | Sterling (KS) | 25. |
| | Week 0-Preseason Aug 16 | Week Poll 1 Sep 11 | Week Poll 2 Sep 18 | Week Poll 3 Sep 25 | Week Poll 4 Oct 02 | Week Poll 5 Oct 09 | Week Poll 6 Oct 16 | Week Poll 7 Oct 23 | Week Poll 8 Oct 30 | Week Poll 9 Nov 06 | Week Final Nov 12 | Week Postseason Jan 18 | |
| | | Dropped: Dickinson State(SD)Evangel (MO)Lindenwood (MO)Minot State (ND)Texas College | Dropped: Friends (KS)William Jewell (MO) | Dropped: Azusa Pacific (CA)Cumberlands (KY)MidAmerica Nazarene (KS)Nebraska WesleyanTabor (KS) | Dropped: Geneva (PA) | Dropped: Malone (OH)Shorter (GA)Virginia-Wise | Dropped: McKendree (IL)Urbana (OH)Valley City State (ND) | Dropped: Malone (OH) | Dropped: Cumberlands (KY)Nebraska Wesleyan | Dropped: Langston (OK)MidAmerica Nazarene (KS)Virginia-Wise | Dropped: Cumberlands (KY)Graceland (IA)Montana Tech | 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 2006 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) | 40 (4) |
| Georgetown (KY) | 23 (2) |
| Sioux Falls (SD) | 17 (1) |
| Northwestern Oklahoma State | 12 (1) |
| Azusa Pacific (CA) | 3 |
| Saint Francis (IN) | 3 |