In the final Division II football Top 25 rankings that were released by the American Football Coaches Association, Missouri Western from St. Joseph finished 5th at 12-2 , Northwest Missouri State from Maryville finished 10th at 10-3 and Missouri S & T from Rolla finished 24th after going 10-1.
The Miners, who finished the season at 10-1, were the only team that did not participate in a post-season game that was in the final poll for the season. Missouri S&T tied its single-season record for victories with 10 and also set a one-year scoring record with 458 points as it finished second in the Great Lakes Valley Conference to Indianapolis, who was ranked No. 15 in the last poll.
The Griffons win six straight games against top-25 opponents and opened up the season 6-0 for the first time ever under head coach Jerry Partridge and the first time since 1981. The six straight victories by the Griffons to start the season helped them garner a #4 ranking in the AFCA poll and #3 by D2Football.com which are the highest in school history.
The Bearcats finish ranked 10th after their ninth straight 10-win season and advancing to the NCAA Division II playoffs. It was also the ninth straight trip to the NCAA playoffs for Northwest – the longest current streak in NCAA – as the Bearcats advanced to the second round before falling to Minnesota State Mankato in a double overtime thriller.