The 2018 NCAA Division II football rankings are from the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA). This is for the 2018 season.
| Increase in ranking | ||
| Decrease in ranking | ||
| Not ranked previous week or no change | ||
| Selected for College Football Playoff | ||
(#–#) | Win–loss record | |
(Italics) | Number of first place votes | |
т | Tied with team above or below also with this symbol |
| Preseason [1] | Week 1 Sep 3 [2] | Week 2 Sep 10 | Week 3 Sep 17 [3] | Week 4 Sept 24 [4] | Week 5 Oct 1 | Week 6 Oct 8 | Week 7 Oct 15 [5] | Week 8 Oct 22 | Week 9 Oct 29 | Week 10 Nov 5 [6] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Texas A&M–Commerce 13 | Texas A&M–Commerce (1–0) 21 | Texas A&M–Commerce (2–0) | Texas A&M–Commerce (3–0) | Minnesota State (4–0) 26 | Minnesota State (5–0) | Minnesota State (6–0) | Minnesota State (7–0) | Minnesota State (8–0) | Minnesota State (9–0) | Minnesota State (10–0) | 1. |
| 2. | West Florida 14 | West Florida (1–0) 6 | Minnesota State (2–0) | Minnesota State (3–0) | IUP (4–0) 5 | Grand Valley State (5–0) | Grand Valley State (6–0) | Ferris State (7–0) | Ferris State (8–0) | Ferris State (9–0) | Ferris State (10–0) | 2. |
| 3. | Minnesota State 2 | Minnesota State (1–0) 4 | IUP (2–0) | IUP (3–0) | Grand Valley State (4–0) | Ferris State (5–0) | Ferris State (6–0) | West Georgia (7–0) | West Georgia (8–0) | West Georgia (9–0) | West Georgia (10–0) | 3. |
| 4. | IUP 2 | IUP (1–0) 1 | Northwest Missouri State (2–0) | Northwest Missouri State (3–0) | Ferris State (4–0) 2 | MSU Texas (5–0) | West Georgia (6–0) | Ouachita Baptist (7–0) | Ouachita Baptist (8–0) | Ouachita Baptist (9–0) | Ouachita Baptist (10–0) | 4. |
| 5. | Fort Hays State т | Fort Hays State (1–0) | Grand Valley State (2–0) | Grand Valley State (3–0) | MSU Texas (4–0) | West Georgia (5–0) | Ouachita Baptist (6–0) | Minnesota–Duluth (7–0) | Minnesota–Duluth (8–0) | Minnesota–Duluth (9–0) | Valdosta State (9–0) | 5. |
| 6. | Northwest Missouri State 2 т | Northwest Missouri State (1–0) | Ferris State (2–0) | Ferris State (3–0) | West Georgia (4–0) | Ouachita Baptist (5–0) | Minnesota–Duluth (6–0) | Colorado Mines (7–0) | Colorado Mines (8–0) | Colorado Mines (9–0) | Minnesota–Duluth (10–0) | 6. |
| 7. | Harding | Harding (1–0) 1 | MSU Texas (2–0) | MSU Texas (3–0) | Ouachita Baptist (4–0) | Minnesota–Duluth (5–0) | Texas A&M–Commerce (5–1) | Valdosta State (7–0) | Valdosta State (7–0) | Valdosta State (8–0) | Tarleton State (9–0) | 7. |
| 8. | Ferris State | Grand Valley State (1–0) | West Alabama (2–0) | West Georgia (3–0) | Minnesota–Duluth (4–0) | Pittsburg State (5–0) | Valdosta State (6–0) | Grand Valley State (6–1) | Tarleton State (7–0) | Tarleton State (8–0) | Grand Valley State (9–1) | 8. |
| 9. | Central Washington | Ferris State (1–0) | CSU Pueblo (2–0) | Ouachita Baptist (3–0) | Texas A&M–Commerce (3–1) | Texas A&M–Commerce (4–1) | Colorado Mines (6–0) | Tarleton State (6–0) | Grand Valley State (7–1) | Grand Valley State (8–1) | West Chester (9–0) | 9. |
| 10. | Grand Valley State | MSU Texas (1–0) | West Georgia (2–0) | West Florida (2–1) | Pittsburg State (4–0) | Valdosta State (5–0) | West Florida (5–1) | MSU Texas (6–1) | MSU Texas (6–1) | Northwest Missouri State (8–1) | Colorado State–Pueblo (9–1) | 10. |
| 11. | MSU Texas | West Alabama (1–0) | Winona State (2–0) | Minnesota–Duluth (3–0) | West Florida (3–1) | West Florida (4–1) | West Chester (5–0) | Northwest Missouri State (6–1) | Northwest Missouri State (7–1) | West Chester (8–0) | Notre Dame (OH) (10–0) | 11. |
| 12. | West Alabama | CSU Pueblo (1–0) | Ohio Dominican (2–0) | Central Washington (2–1) | West Chester (4–0) | Colorado Mines (5–0) | MSU Texas (5–1) | West Chester (6–0) | West Chester (7–0) | Colorado State–Pueblo (8–1) | Indianapolis (8–1) | 12. |
| 13. | Indianapolis | West Georgia (1–0) | West Florida (1–1) | West Chester (3–0) | Valdosta State (4–0) | West Chester (5–0) | Northwest Missouri State (5–1) | Colorado State–Pueblo (6–1) | Colorado State–Pueblo (7–1) | Notre Dame (OH) (9–0) | LIU Post (9–0) | 13. |
| 14. | CSU Pueblo | Sioux Falls (1–0) | Ouachita Baptist (2–0) | Colorado Mesa (3–0) | Central Washington (3–1) т | IUP (4–1) | Colorado State–Pueblo (5–1) | Notre Dame (OH) (7–0) | Notre Dame (OH) (8–0) | Indianapolis (7–1) | Texas A&M–Commerce (8–2) | 14. |
| 15. | Ashland | Winona State (1–0) | Central Washington (1–1) | Pittsburg State (3–0) | Colorado Mines (4–0) т | Colorado State–Pueblo (4–1) | Southern Arkansas (6–0) | Kutztown (6–0) | Kutztown (7–0) | Tiffin (9–0) | Colorado Mines (9–1) | 15. |
| 16. | Shepherd | Central Washington (0–1) | Minnesota–Duluth (2–0) | Valdosta State (3–0) | Colorado State–Pueblo (3–1) | Northwest Missouri State (4–1) | Tarleton State (5–0) | Indianapolis (5–1) | Indianapolis (6–1) | Texas A&M–Commerce (7–2) | MSU Texas (7–2) | 16. |
| 17. | Assumption | Ohio Dominican (1–0) | Fort Hays State (1–1) | Colorado Mines (3–0) | Northwest Missouri State (3–1) | Southern Arkansas (5–0) | Notre Dame (OH) (6–0) | Tiffin (7–0) | Tiffin (8–0) | LIU Post (8–0) | Lenoir–Rhyne (9–1) | 17. |
| 18. | Central Missouri | Ashland (0–1) | West Chester (2–0) | Fort Hays State (2–1) | Fort Hays State (3–1) | Fort Hays State (4–1) | Pittsburg State (5–1) | Texas A&M–Commerce (5–2) | Texas A&M–Commerce (6–2) | MSU Texas (6–2) | Central Washington (8–2) | 18. |
| 19. | West Georgia | Findlay (1–0) т | Colorado Mesa (2–0) | Harding (2–1) т | Southern Arkansas (4–0) | Harding (4–1) | Kutztown (5–0) | West Florida (5–2) | LIU Post (7–0) | Central Washington (7–2) | Northwest Missouri State (8–2) | 19. |
| 20. | Sioux Falls | Ouachita Baptist (1–0) т | Central Missouri (1–1) | Central Missouri (2–1) т | Harding (3–1) | Notre Dame (OH) (5–0) | Indianapolis (4–1) | LIU Post (6–0) | Central Washington (6–2) | Southern Arkansas (8–1) | Hillsdale (9–1) | 20. |
| 21. | Winona State | Central Missouri (0–1) | Harding (1–1) | Southern Arkansas (3–0) | West Alabama (3–1) | Tarleton State (5–0) | Central Washington (4–2) | Central Washington (5–2) | Southern Arkansas (7–1) | Lenoir–Rhyne (8–1) | Kutztown (8–1) | 21. |
| 22. | Carson–Newman | Indianapolis (0–1) | Indianapolis (1–1) | Colorado State–Pueblo (2–1) | Indianapolis (2–1) | Indianapolis (3–1) | Tiffin (6–0) | Southern Arkansas (6–1) | IUP (6–2) | IUP (7–2) | Fort Hays State (8–2) | 22. |
| 23. | Ohio Dominican | West Chester (1–0) | Pittsburg State (2–0) | West Alabama (2–1) | Notre Dame (OH) (4–0) | West Alabama (3–2) | IUP (4–2) | IUP (5–2) | Harding (6–2) | Kutztown (7–1) | IUP (8–2) | 23. |
| 24. | Ouachita Baptist | Minnesota–Duluth (1–0) | Sioux Falls (1–1) | Azusa Pacific (3–0) | Colorado Mesa (3–1) | Azusa Pacific (4–1) | Harding (4–2) | Harding (5–2) | Lenoir–Rhyne (7–1) | Harding (7–2) | Tiffin (9–1) | 24. |
| 25. | Findlay | Colorado Mesa (1–0) | Southern Arkansas (2–0) | Indianapolis (1–1) | Tarleton State (4–0) | Central Washington (3–2) | LIU Post (5–0) | Ohio Dominican (6–1) | Hillsdale (7–1) | Hillsdale (8–1) | Harding (8–2) | 25. |
| Preseason [7] | Week 1 Sep 3 [8] | Week 2 Sep 10 | Week 3 Sep 17 [9] | Week 4 Sept 24 [10] | Week 5 Oct 1 | Week 6 Oct 8 | Week 7 Oct 15 [11] | Week 8 Oct 22 | Week 9 Oct 29 | Week 10 Nov 5 [12] | ||
Dropped:
| Dropped:
| Dropped:
| Dropped:
| Dropped: 24 Colorado Mesa | Dropped:
| Dropped: 18 Pittsburg State | Dropped:
| None | Dropped: 20 Southern Arkansas |