WACO, Texas – The Slippery Rock University football team moved up four spots to No. 13 in the latest set of Division II national rankings released Monday by the American Football Coaches Association.
 
The AFCA poll is widely regarded as the official national ranking used by the NCAA throughout the regular season.
 
Slippery Rock opened the season ranked No. 23 in the preseason poll, which marked the eighth straight season The Rock were ranked in the top 25 to begin the year. SRU reached a season-high ranking of No. 8 after the fourth week of the season, but slipped to No. 20 after a week five loss at Indiana (Pa.). Since then, SRU has climbed seven spots to No. 13 entering week nine.
 
The latest jump in the rankings comes after Slippery Rock posted a 42-24 win on the road at California (Pa.) Saturday evening to improve to 7-1 on the year. The Rock now find themselves in a tie for 13th in the national poll with Northwest Missouri State.
  
Slippery Rock remains one of just three Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference teams to be ranked in this week's poll. Shepherd held steady at No. 3, Indiana (Pa.) moved up two places to No. 11 and Slippery Rock climbed four spots to No. 13.
 
Super Region One only has five teams ranked in the top 25 this week with three of those being the PSAC squads mentioned above. Ashland from the Great Midwest Athletic Conference held steady at No. 6 this week and New Haven from the Northeast 10 slipped back into the poll at No. 25, despite being idle last week.
 
Only one other Super Region One team is listed in the "others receiving votes" section of the poll this week with The Rock's week 11 opponent, Kutztown, getting two points in the poll.
 
While the national poll is used for team rankings during the season, the only rankings that really matter in Division II will start to take shape later today when the NCAA Division II Football Committee announces the first set of official Super Regional rankings. The committee's announcement later today will include which 10 teams from each Super Region are currently in contention for playoff spots, but the lists released today will be posted in alphabetical order and not assigned a numerical ranking. The first regional ranking by number order will be next Monday, Oct. 31.
 
Slippery Rock will look to continue its ascent back up the national rankings and its push for a fourth straight playoff appearance with a noon kickoff on the road Saturday at Clarion.
 
AFCA DIVISION II NATIONAL POLL
Oct. 24, 2022

Rank	Team (1st Votes)	W-L	Pts.	Prev.
1.	Grand Valley St. (Mich.) (28)	8-0	748	1
2.	Angelo St. (Tex.) (2)	8-0	718	2
3.	Shepherd (W.Va.) ^	8-0	677	3
4.	Ouachita Baptist (Ark.)	8-0	654	4
5.	Pittsburg St. (Kan.)	8-0	627	5
6.	Ashland (Ohio) ^	7-0	593	6
7.	Ferris St. (Mich.)	6-1	565	7
8.	Delta St. (Miss.)	8-0	555	8
9.	West Florida	6-1	497	9
10.	Virginia Union	8-0	488	10
11.	Indiana (Pa.) *^	7-0	447	13
12.	Newberry (S.C.)	7-1	381	16
13.	Northwest Missouri St.	6-2	350	14
13.	SLIPPERY ROCK ^	7-1	350	17
15.	Benedict (S.C.)	8-0	328	18t
16.	Colorado School of Mines	6-2	272	18t
17.	Indianapolis (Ind.)	6-1	241	20
18.	Davenport (Mich.)	7-0	235	22
19.	Sioux Falls (S.D.)	7-1	191	11
20.	Texas A&M-Kingsville	7-1	163	15
21.	Harding (Ark.)	6-2	143	23
22.	Lenoir-Rhyne (N.C.)	6-2	138	12
23.	Saginaw Valley St. (Mich.)	6-2	128	24
24.	West Georgia	5-2	103	25
25.	New Haven (Conn.) ^	6-1	45	NR

 
Dropped Out: Augustana (S.D.) (21)
 
Others Receiving Votes: Truman St. (Mo.), 22; Wingate (N.C.), 22; Emporia St. (Kan.), 20; Henderson St. (Ark.), 13; Albany St. (Ga.), 10; Nebraska-Kearney, 9; Winona St. (Minn.), 5; Augustana (S.D.), 4; Minnesota St., 3; Kutztown (Pa.), 2*^; Wayne St. (Neb.), 2; Bemidji St. (Minn.), 1.

* SRU opponents in 2022
^ NCAA Super Region One School



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