Following last week's showdown when both teams were ranked in the top three, Montana Tech slid to No. 6 in the NAIA Football Coaches’ Top 25 Poll and College of Idaho moved into a tie for first.
The new poll was released Monday.
C of I, which was previously ranked third, defeated Tech 35-19 last Saturday in Caldwell, Idaho. The Orediggers were ranked second.
The game was the final non-conference matchup of the season for both teams. C of I (4-0) begins play in the Frontier Conference West Division this week against Simpson (Calif.). Tech (4-1) plays at Dakota State (S.D.), which is ranked 22nd in the NAIA poll, in the Frontier Conference East Division opener for both teams.
College of Idaho is tied with Keiser (Fla.) for the No. 1 spot in the top 25. The Yotes, who are averaging nearly 49 points per game, received five first-place votes, while Keiser (2-1) received six.
Following C of I and Keiser in the rankings are No. 3 Indiana Wesleyan, No. 4 Benedictine (Kan.) and No. 5 Grand View (Iowa).
Carroll College of the Frontier Conference is ranked 13th. The Fighting Saints improved to 3-1 last week with a 45-13 win at Rocky Mountain College.
Montana Western received votes in the poll but did not crack the top 25.
Conference play for Frontier Conference teams begin this week. Saturday's matchups, as well as the current non-conference standings, are below.
Frontier Conference schedule
Saturday, Oct. 3
No. 6 Montana Tech at No. 22 Dakota State, 12 p.m.
Simpson at No. T1 College of Idaho, 12 p.m.
Valley City State at Rocky Mountain , 1 p.m.
Southern Oregon at Montana Western, 1 p.m.
Mayville State at Dickinson State, 1 p.m.
Arizona Christian at Carroll, 6 p.m.
Frontier Conference standings
Tuesday, Sept. 29
East
| Conf. | Overall | |
| Dakota State | 0-0 | 4-1 |
| Mayville State | 0-0 | 4-1 |
| Montana Tech | 0-0 | 4-1 |
| Rocky Mountain | 0-0 | 1-3 |
| Valley City State | 0-0 | 1-3 |
| Dickinson State | 0-0 | 1-4 |
| MSU-Northern | 0-0 | 0-5 |
West
| Conf. | Overall | |
| College of Idaho | 0-0 | 4-0 |
| Carroll | 0-0 | 3-1 |
| Eastern Oregon | 0-0 | 3-1 |
| Montana Western | 0-0 | 2-2 |
| Simpson | 0-0 | 2-2 |
| Southern Oregon | 0-0 | 1-3 |
| Arizona Christian | 0-0 | 0-3 |
