KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Montana Tech football team checked in fifth in the latest STADIONIC NAIA Football National Selection Committee poll, the NAIA office announced Tuesday afternoon. 

The Orediggers (8-1) moved down a spot in the rankings despite Saturday's 41-0 drubbing of Rocky Mountain that gave Tech sole possession of first place in the Frontier Conference East Division standings. The team can clinch the East's automatic berth to the NAIA Football Championship Series this Saturday with a win over Dickinson State. 

New to the NAIA this year, the weekly coaches' top 25 poll was replaced with the National Selection Committee's rankings at the two-thirds mark in the season. The NAIA had previously relied on the coaches' top 25 to determine its rankings while only publicly revealing the NSC's Area Ratings Committee rankings at points late in the regular season. 

Beginning in 2026-27, the NAIA will replace its coaches' polls with NSC rankings across all sports as their seasons approach postseason competition. The committee ranks the top 15 teams in the association. 

Montana Tech trailed No. 1 St. Thomas (Fla.), No. 2 The College of Idaho, No. 3 Benedictine, and No. 4 Morningside in the poll. Carroll also represented the Frontier Conference at No. 12. 

The Orediggers remained No. 2 in the West Region ARC ratings Tuesday as well after being ranked fourth in the Massey Ratings and fifth in the NAIA's Football Performance Index, both of which were announced Monday. The FPI and Massey indexes are primary criteria in the NAIA's postseason selection process. 

Montana Tech and Dickinson State kick off Saturday at 1 p.m. on Bob Green Field.

STADIONIC/NAIA Football National Selection Committee Poll (Nov. 3)

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