By: SOU Sports Information
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Southern Oregon landed at No. 4 in the postseason NAIA Top 25 football coaches' poll released Tuesday, marking the third-highest final ranking in team history.
| Year |
Finish |
| 1987 |
15th |
| 1990 |
23rd |
| 1991 |
25th |
| 1997 |
24th |
| 1999 |
12th |
| 2001 |
5th |
| 2002 |
6th |
| 2003 |
23rd |
| 2012 |
5th |
| 2014 |
1st |
| 2015 |
2nd |
| 2017 |
4th |
Saint Francis (Ind.) won its second straight title on Saturday, 24-13 over Reinhardt (Ga.), and retained the No. 1 ranking all season. Reinhardt and Morningside (Iowa), the other national semifinalist, took the next two spots.
The Raiders finished 12-1 overall after starting at No. 25 in the preseason poll. They made their biggest jump, to No. 14, in the first poll of the regular season and didn't drop all year.
After winning the Frontier Conference title, the Raiders were No. 5 heading into the postseason and went on to eliminate No. 13 Dickinson State (N.D.), 55-24, and No. 4 Lindsey Wilson (Ky.), 34-29. They were knocked out in the semis by Reinhardt, 37-34, after two overtime sessions.
No other Frontier team finished in the Top 25, though Montana Tech and College of Idaho were the first two teams listed in the "receiving votes" category.
SOU has finished among the top-10 six times in school history, all since 2001.
2017 NAIA Football Coaches' Postseason Top 25 Poll (December 19, 2017)
| RANK |
PREVIOUS |
SCHOOL (1ST PLACE VOTES) |
2017 RECORD |
TOTAL POINTS |
| 1 |
1 |
Saint Francis (Ind.) (13) |
14-0 |
288 |
| 2 |
2 |
Reinhardt (Ga.) |
12-1 |
277 |
| 3 |
3 |
Morningside (Iowa) |
13-1 |
265 |
| 4 |
5 |
Southern Oregon |
12-1 |
256 |
| 5 |
4 |
Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) |
11-1 |
244 |
| 6 |
8 |
Saint Xavier (Ill.) |
10-2 |
223 |
| 7 |
12 |
Georgetown (Ky.) |
9-2 |
220 |
| 8 |
10 |
Northwestern (Iowa) |
10-3 |
215 |
| 9 |
6 |
Baker (Kan.) |
10-2 |
200 |
| 10 |
9 |
Southeastern (Fla.) |
8-2 |
188 |
| 11 |
11 |
Grand View (Iowa) |
9-3 |
174 |
| 12 |
15 |
Benedictine (Kan.) |
9-3 |
166 |
| 13 |
7 |
Langston (Okla.) |
10-1 |
157 |
| 14 |
13 |
Dickinson State (N.D.) |
9-2 |
152 |
| 15 |
14 |
Concordia (Mich.) |
9-2 |
144 |
| 16 |
16 |
Sterling (Kan.) |
9-3 |
124 |
| 17 |
17 |
Tabor (Kan.) |
8-2 |
108 |
| 18 |
19 |
Marian (Ind.) |
7-3 |
94 |
| 19 |
18 |
SAGU (Texas) |
8-3 |
92 |
| 20 |
20 |
Campbellsville (Ky.) |
8-2 |
76 |
| 21 |
21 |
Kansas Wesleyan |
8-3 |
60 |
| 22 |
22 |
Faulkner (Ala.) |
7-3 |
55 |
| 23 |
23 |
Dakota State (S.D.) |
8-3 |
38 |
| 24 |
24 |
Oklahoma Panhandle State |
7-3 |
35 |
| 25 |
25 |
Evangel (Mo.) |
7-4 |
21 |
Dropped from the Top 25: None
Others Receiving Votes: Montana Tech 9; College of Idaho 6; Cumberland (Tenn.) 4.
