By: SOU Sports Information
ASHLAND – Southern Oregon's stock rose again in Monday's NAIA Football GoRout Top 25. So too did that of its next opponent.
The Raiders (7-1 overall, 4-1 Frontier Conference) moved up two spots to No. 8 with three games left on the regular-season schedule. They'll play for first place on Saturday at No. 21 Carroll (Mont.) (6-1, 5-0), which is attached to a ranking for the first time this fall after its 43-29 upset win at then-No. 12 College of Idaho.
C of I (6-3, 4-2) fell 12 spots to No. 24 as a result of the loss. No. 4 Montana Western (6-1, 4-1) and No. 13 Montana Tech (6-2, 3-2) are both up two spots.
The Raiders have won three consecutive games by 40-plus points for the first time in team history. It's a stretch that was preceded by their 42-35 loss at Montana Tech, but they're 2-1 against Top 25 opponents this season.
Carroll's win over C of I was its first of the Top 25 variety. After hosting SOU, the Saints still have to travel to Montana Western and Montana Tech.
SOU remains in good position to make its first NAIA Championship Series appearance since 2017. In the new (as of last year) 20-team playoff format, the top-12 teams get a bye through the Nov. 23 first round.
| RANK |
LAST |
SCHOOL [1st-place votes] |
RECORD |
POINTS |
| 1 |
1 |
Keiser (Fla.) [16] |
6-0 |
375 |
| 2 |
2 |
Grand View (Iowa) [1] |
7-0 |
356 |
| 3 |
3 |
Indiana Wesleyan |
7-1 |
349 |
| 4 |
6 |
Montana Western |
6-1 |
314 |
| 5 |
5 |
St. Thomas (Fla.) |
6-1 |
312 |
| 6 |
8 |
Morningside (Iowa) |
7-1 |
299 |
| 7 |
7 |
Benedictine (Kan.) |
7-1 |
296 |
| 8 |
10 |
Southern Oregon |
7-1 |
263 |
| 9 |
9 |
Northwestern (Iowa) |
6-1 |
261 |
| 10 |
4 |
Dordt (Iowa) |
6-1 |
234 |
| 11 |
11 |
Texas Wesleyan |
7-0 |
224 |
| 12 |
13 |
MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) |
7-0 |
208 |
| 13 |
15 |
Montana Tech |
6-2 |
191 |
| 13 |
14 |
Georgetown (Ky.) |
5-2 |
191 |
| 15 |
17 |
Baker (Kan.) |
6-1 |
160 |
| 16 |
20 |
Evangel (Mo.) |
7-0 |
143 |
| 17 |
21 |
Dickinson State (N.D.) |
6-1 |
115 |
| 18 |
22 |
Southeastern (Fla.) |
5-1 |
114 |
| 19 |
23 |
St. Francis (Ill.) |
6-1 |
97 |
| 20 |
24 |
OUAZ (Ariz.) |
6-1 |
81 |
| 21 |
RV |
Carroll (Mont.) |
6-1 |
64 |
| 22 |
25 |
Cumberland (Tenn.) |
6-2 |
44 |
| 23 |
19 |
Friends (Kan.) |
7-1 |
41 |
| 24 |
12 |
College of Idaho |
6-3 |
36 |
| 25 |
16 |
Bethel (Tenn.) |
5-2 |
35 |
Dropped From Top 25: Marian (Ind.)
Receiving Votes: Concordia (Neb.) 26, Southwestern (Kan.) 12, Saint Francis (Ind.) 5, Marian (Ind.) 4
