With the first week including the NJCAA Football Computer Rankings (FCR), Butler football moved back down to 15th in this week's Top 20 poll.
The Grizzlies (3-2 overall, 2-1 KJCCC) dropped two spots from 13th in the poll, which featured the FCR that accounts for 1/3 of the rankings. Butler, who received 52 points this week, is the highest-ranked two-loss team in the poll.
Butler defeated Air Force Prep 57-0 on Saturday, giving the Grizzlies a second straight win by 56 points or more. It was also Butler's largest win over Air Force Prep, breaking a three-year old mark that was set in a 53-7 home win back in 2011.
The FCR also tinkered with the top spot, as defending national champion East Mississippi and previous-No. 2 Iowa Western each received 198.5 points, forcing a tie for the No. 1 ranking. East Mississippi received eight of the nine first-place votes while the other first-place vote went to No. 4 Trinity Valley, who dropped one spot in the poll. Mississippi Gulf Coast moved ahead of Trinity Valley at No. 3 and Hutchinson remained ranked fifth.
The biggest mover in the poll was Scottsdale, Ariz., which jumped six spots from 12th to sixth. Snow, Utah, also bumped up four spots to seventh, while Arizona Western and Nassau, N.Y., are tied at No. 8. Rounding out the top ten was Tyler, Texas.
Coffeyville, which moved into the polls last week for the first time since the 2013 preseason poll, moved ahead of Butler at 14th. The Red Ravens (4-1) were ranked 19th in last week's poll.
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. With Hutchinson, Coffeyville and Butler, the KJCCC has three teams ranked in the NJCAA top 15 for the first time since Week 1 of the 2013 season (Butler, 4; Garden City, 12; Hutchinson, 13).
After a three-game homestand, Butler hits the road to face Iowa Central for a noon contest Saturday at Fort Dodge, Iowa. The Tritons (2-3) have lost two straight road games to Hutchinson (42-14) and Coffeyville (38-7). This will be the second-ever meeting between Butler and Iowa Central. In the only game featuring the two teams, Butler defeated Iowa Central 24-0 in the 1989 R.C. Cola Bowl in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
| 2014 NJCAA TOP 20 FOOTBALL POLL | ||||
| September 30, 2014 | ||||
| Rank | Team | Record | Points | Prev. |
| t1. | East Mississippi (8) | 5-0 | 198.5 | 1 |
| t1. | Iowa Western |
5-0 | 198.5 | 2 |
| 3. | Mississippi Gulf Coast | 5-0 | 188 | 4 |
| 4. | Trinity Valley, TX (1) | 5-0 | 182 | 3 |
| 5. | Hutchinson | 5-0 | 161 | 5 |
| 6. | Scottsdale, AZ | 4-1 | 130.5 | 12 |
| 7. | Snow, UT |
4-1 | 129.5 | 11 |
| t8. | Arizona Western | 5-1 | 128.5 | 10 |
| t8. | Nassau, NY | 5-0 | 128.5 | 7 |
| 10. | Tyler, TX | 4-1 | 125 | 9 |
| 11. | Central Lakes-Brainerd, MN | 5-0 | 105 | 15 |
| 12. | Jones County, MS | 4-1 | 91 | 6 |
| 13. | Kilgore, TX | 4-1 | 84.5 | 14 |
| 14. | Coffeyville | 4-1 | 63 | 19 |
| 15. | Butler | 3-2 | 54 | 13 |
| 16. | Georgia Military | 3-2 | 43 | 16 |
| 17. | Navarro, TX | 3-2 | 39 | 8 |
| 18. | Dakota-Bottineau, ND |
4-1 | 31.5 | NR |
| 19. | Blinn, TX | 3-1 | 29 | 18 |
| 20. | Hudson Valley, NY | 4-0 | 21 | RV |
Other schools receiving votes: ASA, NY (2-1, 18); Garden City (3-1, 14); Dean, MA (4-1, 13.5); Copiah-Lincoln, MS (3-2, 9); North Dakota State College of Science (4-1, 7); Lackawanna, PA (3-1, 4); Hinds, MS (3-2, 3.5).
Dropped from rankings: ASA, NY (17); Copiah-Lincoln, MS (20).
