DWU up one spot to #8 in polls

DWU gained one spot to #8 in the polls. USF moved from #17 all the way up to #6. Dordt drops from #4 to Not Rated. Dordt went from Not Rated to #4 and then back to Not Rated in 3 consecutive weeks.
What does all this tell us? First it tells us that voting for NAIA polls is somewhat of a best guess science. The second thing it tell us is, although a high-early ranking is nice it really means nothing until the final poll!

NAIA rankings are based are primairly on coaching voting per conference. What I mean by that is all GPAC coaches vote for the conference and then the conference sends their rankings to the NAIA to determine the national rankings. Essentially the conference almost has a pre-determined place in the rankings. This is why Dordt could jump so much. They were voted #1 by the Conference - since the GPAC is good conference the National Polls placed them at #4. They probably dropped this week off the top 4 in GPAC conference voting by the coaches, thus dropping out of the national polls.

Does it seem kind of like a messed up system? Somewhat, but without national exposure and the ability for voters to see a majority of the teams play, it is probably the only way to do it. Whats important  to remember about the top 25 poll is that it determines who makes the National Tournament. What determines the 25 poll is the conference rankings. That is why doing well in the conference is so vital and winning conference games becomes so important.