Butler football moved up two spots to 13th in this week's NJCAA Top 20 rankings after handling Fort Scott 63-7 this past Saturday.
The Grizzlies (2-2 overall, 2-1 KJCCC) broke a two-game losing streak with the win and jumped over Kilgore, Texas and Copiah-Lincoln, Miss., who tumbled in the poll after losing this past week.
The top eight stayed locked from the previous week, with only a slight change regarding the first-place votes. Defending national champion East Mississippi remained in the top spot for the fifth straight week, but received eight of the nine first-place votes. Iowa Western held steady at No. 2, while No. 3 Trinity Valley, Texas, grabbed the other first-place vote.
Mississippi Gulf Coast, Hutchinson, Jones County and Nassau - all 4-0 on the season - held down spots 4 through 7, while Navarro, Tyler and Arizona Western rounded out the rest of the top 10.
Along with Butler and Hutchinson, Coffeyville (3-1) entered the poll for the first time this year at 19th. Since losing to Iowa Western in the opening week, the Red Ravens have reeled off three straight wins. Prior to this week's rankings, Coffeyville was last ranked in the 2013 preseason poll at 12th.
Butler will host its third straight home contest this Saturday, as the Grizzlies will face Air Force Prep at 7 p.m. at BG Products Veterans Sports Complex.
| 2014 NJCAA TOP 20 FOOTBALL POLL | ||||
| September 23, 2014 | ||||
| Rank | Team | Record | Points | Prev. |
| 1. | East Mississippi (8) | 4-0 | 139 | 1 |
| 2. | Iowa Western |
4-0 | 133 | 2 |
| 3. | Trinity Valley, TX (1) | 4-0 | 126 | 3 |
| 4. | Mississippi Gulf Coast | 4-0 | 119 | 4 |
| 5. | Hutchinson | 4-0 | 112 | 5 |
| 6. | Jones County, MS | 4-0 | 104 | 6 |
| 7. | Nassau, NY |
4-0 | 98 | 7 |
| 8. | Navarro, TX | 3-1 | 91 | 8 |
| 9. | Tyler, TX | 3-1 | 84 | 10 |
| 10. | Arizona Western | 4-1 | 76 | 12 |
| 11. | Snow, UT | 3-1 | 70 | 13 |
| 12. | Scottsdalle, AZ | 3-1 | 62 | 14 |
| 13. | Butler | 2-2 | 52 | 15 |
| 14. | Kilgore, TX | 3-1 | 40 | 11 |
| 15. | Central Lakes-Brainerd, MN | 4-0 | 34 | 16 |
| 16. | Georgia Military | 2-2 | 22 | 20 |
| 17. | ASA, NY | 2-1 | 21 | 18 |
| 18. | Blinn, TX |
3-1 | 20 | NR |
| 19. | Coffeyville | 3-1 | 14 | RV |
| t20. | Copiah-Lincoln, MS | 2-2 | 11 | 9 |
| t20. | North Dakota State College of Science | 4-1 | 11 | NR |
Other schools receiving votes: Lackawanna, PA (3-0, 9); Hudson Valley, NY (3-0, 5); Dean, MA (3-1, 2).
Dropped from rankings: Dean, MA (17); Rochester, MN (19).
