Montana Tech moved up one spot to No. 16 in the latest NAIA Top 25 Coaches’ Poll, which was released Monday afternoon.
The move comes two days after Tech’s defense scored two touchdowns in a 24-6 win over then-No. 22 Rocky Mountain College in Billings.
The Orediggers (3-1) are ranked for third straight week. They started at No. 20 before moving to No. 17 last week.
Carroll College moved up three spots to No. 8 after Saturday’s 28-7 beating of Eastern Oregon, which fell from No. 8 to No. 14.
Rocky fell out of the top 25.
The Orediggers put their No. 16 ranking on the line Saturday when they play host to Southern Oregon. The game caps Homecoming week for the Orediggers.
2012 NAIA Football Coaches’ Top 25 Poll – No. 3 (Sept. 24)
| RANK | LAST TIME | SCHOOL (1ST PLACE VOTES) | 2012 RECORD | TOTAL POINTS |
| 1 | 1 | Saint Xavier (Ill.) (14) | 4-0 | 314 |
| 2 | 2 | Marian (Ind.) | 4-0 | 301 |
| 3 | 3 | Georgetown (Ky.) | 4-0 | 291 |
| 4 | 4 | Morningside (Iowa) | 4-0 | 272 |
| 4 | 5 | Missouri Valley | 4-0 | 272 |
| 6 | 6 | Benedictine (Kan.) | 4-0 | 249 |
| 7 | 7 | William Penn (Iowa) | 4-0 | 242 |
| 8 | 11 | Carroll (Mont.) | 3-2 | 220 |
| 9 | 10 | St. Ambrose (Iowa) | 3-0 | 213 |
| 10 | 12 | Saint Francis (Ind.) | 3-1 | 203 |
| 11 | 13 | MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) | 2-1 | 185 |
| 12 | 14 | Cumberlands (Ky.) | 4-0 | 184 |
| 13 | 9 | Baker (Kan.) | 4-1 | 166 |
| 14 | 8 | Eastern Oregon | 2-1 | 160 |
| 15 | 16 | Northwestern (Iowa) | 3-1 | 156 |
| 16 | 17 | Montana Tech | 3-1 | 126 |
| 17 | 18 | St. Francis (Ill.) | 3-2 | 111 |
| 18 | 15 | Grand View (Iowa) | 3-2 | 95 |
| 19 | 21 | Cumberland (Tenn.) | 3-1 | 85 |
| 19 | 23 | Doane (Neb.) | 3-1 | 85 |
| 21 | 20 | Valley City State (N.D.) | 3-1 | 77 |
| 22 | 19 | Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) | 3-0 | 72 |
| 23 | 24 | Kansas Wesleyan | 3-1 | 63 |
| 24 | 25 | Menlo (Calif.) | 4-1 | 32 |
| 25 | RV | Faulkner (Ala.) | 3-1 | 29 |
Others receiving votes: Friends (Kan.) 19; Hastings (Neb.) 13; Rocky Mountain (Mont.) 7.
