After a 57-16 season-opening win over Independence, the Butler football team moved up one spot to fifth in the NJCAA Top 20 National Poll, which was released on Wednesday.
The Grizzlies are the only new addition to the top five, as first four - East Misssissippi, Iowa Western, Copiah-Lincoln (MS) and Trinity Valley (TX) - all remained in the same spot as the preseason poll. East Mississippi received 140 points and all nine first-place votes, while Iowa Western had 133 points and Copiah-Lincoln had 125. Butler received 111 points, just nine shy of Trinity Valley's 120.
Butler replaced Georgia Military, who fell 50-30 to then-No. 8 Navarro (TX) back on Aug. 23. Navarro moved up two spots to sixth behind Butler. Georgia Military had the biggest drop in the poll, falling from fifth to 14th.
Rounding out the top 10 are Mississippi Gulf Coast, ASA (NY), Jones County (MS) and Arizona Western. ASA is the only school in the top 20 that has yet to play a game. Arizona Western moved up two spots from 12th to 10th, becoming the only new addition to the top 10 from the preseason poll.
The Grizzlies will square off against No. 2 Iowa Western this Saturday at 6 p.m. in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The two teams have faced off twice in last two Graphic Edge Bowls, with Iowa Western winning both contests - including a 27-7 victory in the 2012 NJCAA National Championship game. The Reivers opened up their season at home with a 57-35 win over Coffeyville.
Butler is one of two KJCCC teams ranked in this week's poll, with Hutchinson (1-0) holding steady at 11th. The Blue Dragons defeated Bethany College JV 45-7 in their season opener. Dodge City, ranked 17th in the preseason poll, fell out of the rankings after suffering a 39-34 loss to Ellsworth (IA). The Conquistadors were one of six teams to receive votes.
| 2014 NJCAA TOP 20 FOOTBALL POLL | ||||
| September 3, 2014 | ||||
| Rank | Team | Record | Points | Prev. |
| 1. | East Mississippi (9) | 1-0 | 140 | 1 |
| 2. | Iowa Western |
1-0 | 133 | 2 |
| 3. | Copiah-Lincoln, MS | 1-0 | 125 | 3 |
| 4. | Trinity Valley, TX | 1-0 | 120 | 4 |
| 5. | Butler |
1-0 | 111 | 6 |
| 6. | Navarro, TX |
2-0 | 105 | 8 |
| 7. | Mississippi Gulf Coast |
1-0 | 92 | 9 |
| 8. | ASA, NY | 0-0 | 84 | 7 |
| 9. | Jones County, MS | 1-0 | 81 | 10 |
| 10. | Arizona Western | 2-0 | 78 | 12 |
| 11. | Hutchinson | 1-0 | 77 | 11 |
| 12. | Snow, UT | 1-0 | 56 | 15 |
| 13. | Nassau, NY | 1-0 | 53 | 14 |
| 14. | Georgia Military | 0-1 | 52 | 5 |
| 15. | Rochester C&TC, MN | 2-0 | 30 | 18 |
| 16. | Tyler, TX | 0-1 | 27 | 13 |
| 17. | Ellsworth, IA | 1-0 | 25 | NR |
| 18. | Central Lakes-Brainerd, MN |
1-0 | 19 | 20 |
| 19. | Glendale, AZ | 2-0 | 14 | NR |
| 20. | DuPage, IL | 1-0 | 10 | NR |
Other schools receiving votes: Kilgore, TX (1-0, 8); Scottsdale, AZ (0-1, 4); Blinn, TX (1-0, 4); Dodge City (0-1, 2); Itawamba, MS (0-1, 2); Dean, MA (1-0, 1).
Dropped from rankings: Scottsdale, AZ (16); Dodge City (17); Itawamba, MS (19).
