Orediggers rise again in NAIA national football rankings

After last weekend's gritty 44-35 win over then #7 College of Idaho, the Montana Tech Oredigger football team has again moved up in the national rankings and now sit just outside of the top ten.  The following is from the Montana Tech Athletics Department:

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics dropped the third NAIA Football Coaches’ Top 25 Poll today. The Montana Tech Orediggers jumped to No. 11 this week as they continue to move up the rankings.

The Orediggers (3-1, 2-0) are coming off a huge win defeating not just a conference opponent but a top 10 team. The than-No. 7 College of Idaho (3-1, 1-1) fell to Montana Tech 44-35 Saturday. The Yotes were the only team in the top 10 picking up a loss last weekend as the Yotes fell to No. 12 in the recent poll.  Now-No. 9 Carroll College (4-0, 2-0) moved up one spot as the three Frontier Conference teams are still high in the national rankings. Montana Western (3-1, 1-1) and Rocky Mountain (3-1, 1-1) are on the cusp of entering the top 25 with both schools receiving votes.  The top six teams held their positions with Northwestern (Iowa) (4-0) still taking the top spot. The top five are rounded out with No. 2 Grand View (Iowa) (4-0), N. 3 Morningside (Iowa) (4-0), Indiana Wesleyan (4-0), and Marin (Ind.) (4-0).

The No. 11 ranking is the highest under head coach Kyle Samson who is in his third season at the helm. The last time the Orediggers were this high in the rankings was 2017.

The Orediggers are on the road this week when they travel to Ashland, Oregon to face the Southern Oregon Raiders. The game this Saturday kicks off at 2 p.m. MST.