The Grizzlies earned their third victory over a ranked team and their second over a team in the top 10 when they defeated Iowa Central on Saturday, and that victory was appreciated in the polls as the Grizzlies moved up two spots in the rankings to No. 6 in the nation when the newest poll was released on Monday.
The Grizzlies have now played five ranked teams this season and they'll be facing back-to-back ranked teams in the next two weeks as they head to face an Iowa Western team who is ranked second in the country before returning home to face No. 10 Coffeyville.
The only two teams to defeat Butler this season remain in the top 10, as Hutchinson remains the No. 1 team in the country for another week while Snow comes in just behind the Grizzlies in the seventh spot.
Three Jayhawk Conference teams made the rankings, and Garden City, who the Grizzlies defeated in the season opener, are just outside the top 15 as they received votes after a narrow loss against Snow on Saturday.
The Grizzlies will travel to Council Bluffs to face the Reivers on Saturday afternoon looking to be the first team to beat Iowa Western at home in nearly three seasons. The last team to beat the Reivers was Snow, when they knocked off Iowa Western, 31-30 in 2020. The Reivers have won 11 straight games at home.
NJCAA DI Football Rankings
Week 8 - October 17 2022
| 2022 NJCAA DI Football Poll | Week 8 - 10-17-22 | |||||||
| Place | Team | Record | Points | First Place Votes | Previous | ||
| 1 | Hutchinson | 6-0 | 147 | 7 | 1 | ||
| 2 | Iowa Western | 6-0 | 143 | 4 | 2 | ||
| 3 | Northwest Mississippi | 7-0 | 130 | 1 | 3 | ||
| 4 | Jones | 7-0 | 120 | 4 | |||
| 5 | New Mexico Military | 6-1 | 110 | 5 | |||
| 6 | Butler | 5-2 | 98 | 8 | |||
| 7 | Snow | 5-2 | 83 | 9 | |||
| 8 | Trinity Valley | 5-1 | 73 | 14 | |||
| 9 | Georgia Military | 5-1 | 63 | 11 | |||
| 10 | Coffeyville | 4-2 | 51 | 12 | |||
| 11 | Navarro | 4-3 | 48 | 6 | |||
| 12 | Kilgore | 4-2 | 47 | 13 | |||
| 13 | Lackawanna | 4-1 | 37 | 15 | |||
| 14 | East Mississippi | 4-3 | 27 | 7 | |||
| 15 | Iowa Central | 4-3 | 14 | 10 | |||
Receiving Votes: Garden City, Tyler, Pearl River, Northeast Mississippi
