ODESSA, Texas (October 12, 2026) – Following its fifth straight win and a 4-0 start in the Lone Star Conference with a 24-17 road victory at West Texas A&M University on Saturday, the UT Permian Basin football team has been ranked No. 19 in the latest D2Football.com Top 25 Media Poll and No. 20 in the latest American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division II Coaches' Poll.

Falcons' Last Time Out
Nate TenBarge threw and ran for a touchdown and No. 23 UT Permian Basin forced two more interceptions to record a 24-17 win over West Texas A&M at Buffalo Stadium in Canyon, Texas. UTPB improved to 4-0 in league play. TenBarge was 17-for-33 passing for 202 yards. McKyle So'oto and Nicholas Butler had interceptions for the Falcons. WT pulled within 21-17 with 14:45 to play when Knox Porter connected with Joseph White on a 34-yard pass. UTPB's Diego Chavarria made a 22-yard field goal with 9:10 left to complete the scoring. UTPB held WT to 48 rushing yards and did not allow a touchdown in the second and third quarters. Porter finished 26-for-52 passing for 287 yards. Daytin Navy had an interception and three pass breakups for WT.

Numbers to Know

• UTPB is allowing a league-low 19.8 points per game and a league-low 111.2 rushing yards per game.
• UTPB ranks first in all of NCAA Division II in total interceptions (15), interception return yards (339) and turnovers gained (21 – 15 INT, 6 FUM REC).
• The UTPB defense has recorded at least two interceptions, two sacks and one forced fumble in five straight games.
• With 15 interceptions on the season, the Falcons are just one away from tying the program's season record (16).

 
AFCA Coaches' Poll
UTPB moved up three spots from No. 23 to No. 20.

In a back-and-forth game that saw both Michigan Tech and Grand Valley State trade the lead, the Huskies tied the score, 35-35, with 65 seconds left to go, sending the game into overtime. The Lakers didn't get a first down in their OT possession, then fumbled the snap on the field goal attempt, which meant all Michigan Tech had to do was score and win the game. Huskies quarterback Alex Bueno ran for 23 yards on the first play, then pushed his way into the endzone two plays later to give Michigan Tech a 41-35 overtime win. It was the Huskies first win over Grand Valley State since 2014. The win moved the Huskies up to No. 14 in this week's AFCA Division II Coaches Poll, presented by GoRout Gridiron, while the loss dropped the Lakers to No. 13.

Grand Valley State will have to rebound quickly as they host No. 1 Ferris State this coming Saturday. The Bulldogs come in 6-0 after handing Saginaw Valley State a 55-0 loss. No. 2 Harding also has a ranked conference game, but this one is for control of the Great American Conference as undefeated and 15th ranked Henderson State comes to town. Both teams are 6-0 and tied for the top spot in the GAC.    

Minnesota-Duluth beat then-No. 25 Northern State, 34-7, dropping the Wolves out of the poll and allowing the Bulldogs to jump back in at No. 23. Virginia Union also rejoins the poll at No. 24. The Panthers were off this past weekend and will travel to Bowie State on Saturday. Making their first appearance in the top 25 this year is Wayne State (Neb.) at No. 25. The Wildcats are 6-1 after beating Bemidji State, 45-13, and have a week off before traveling to No. 5 Minnesota State.

D2Football.com Media Poll
UTPB moved up four spots from No. 23 to No. 19.

Four previously undefeated teams took their first loss in week six. As a result, Grand Valley dropped from No. 5 to No. 13, IUP fell from No. 13 to No. 23 and North Greenville moved from No. 16 to No. 22. Mars Hill, ranked No. 21 last week, fell out of the Top 25. Northern State and Central Missouri also exited the poll. Rejoining the Top 25 this week are Carson-Newman at No. 20, Shepherd at No. 24 and Johnson C. Smith at No. 25.

LSC Teams in the Polls:

Team	D2Football.com Media Poll Ranking	AFCA Coaches' Poll Ranking
Central Washington	No. 7	No. 11
UT Permian Basin	No. 19	No. 20
Midwestern State	NR	RV

 
Next Up
The Falcons will play at home for only the second time in their first seven games of the season as UTPB takes on Western Oregon University starting at 6 p.m. on Saturday, October 17, from Astound Broadband Stadium in Midland, Texas.