ODESSA, Texas (October 5, 2026) – After upsetting Northeastern State University 38-27 on Saturday, the UT Permian Basin football team has been ranked No. 23 in both the latest American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division II Coaches' Poll and the latest D2Football.com Top 25 Media Poll.

Falcons' Last Time Out
Fueled by five interceptions, UT Permian Basin upset No. 21 Northeastern State 38-27 in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. Nicholas Butler had two interceptions, including one for a touchdown, while McKyle So'oto, Leonard Adams and Dwayne Wingfield had one pick each. UTPB, which has won four games in a row, had interceptions on four straight drives during the second half. Nate TenBarge passed for 224 yards and ran for 52 yards, totaling two touchdowns (one passing and one rushing). So'oto added 15 tackles and one sack and Eli Leiataua had 12 tackles. Diego Chavarria had a 32-yard field goal for UTPB.

Numbers to Know

• UTPB is scoring a conference-best 45.8 points per game and allowing a league-low 20.4 points per game.
• UTPB ranks first in all of NCAA Division II in total interceptions (13), interception return yards (313), defensive touchdowns (4), turnovers gained (19 – 13 INT, 6 FUM REC) and turnover margin (+11, 2.20 avg.).
• The Falcons have set program single-game records for sacks (8 at Eastern New Mexico) and interceptions (5 at Northeastern State) in back-to-back games.
• With 13 interceptions on the season, the Falcons are just three away from tying the program's season record (16).

AFCA Coaches' Poll
UT Permian Basin took a 17-14 lead into halftime against then-No. 21t Northeastern State and never looked back, winning 38-27. The Falcon defense was the difference in the game as they recorded five interceptions, including four straight on four NSU drives, and held the RiverHawks to just 13 points over the final 43 minutes of the game. With the win, UT Permian Basin returns to the poll at No. 23 in this week's AFCA Division II Coaches Poll, presented by GoRout Gridiron, while Northeastern State falls out.

There was very little movement in the poll this week as only three top 25 teams lost. The top eight teams stayed put with Ferris State still on top. Only Emporia State and Indiana (Pa.) flipped positions in the top 10 even though both teams won.

Newberry and Walsh joined Northeastern State as casualties to the top 25, allowing two new teams to be ranked. Central Missouri comes in at No. 24 after beating Central Oklahoma, 33-31, and moving its record to 4-1. The Mules will get to test their new ranking this coming Saturday as they travel to No. 14 Northwest Missouri State.

Northern State makes its first-ever appearance in the AFCA poll at No. 25. The Wolves are 5-1 on the season after beating Bemidji State, 16-9, with perineal power Minnesota-Duluth on deck as their next opponent.

D2Football.com Media Poll
This week's Top 25 welcomes three new additions as UT Permian Basin, Michigan Tech and Edward Waters join the poll. They are replacing Northeastern State, Western Oregon and Kentucky State.

Recent History in the Polls:
At the beginning of the current 2026 season, UTPB was ranked No. 18 in both the 2026 D2Football.com Preseason Top 25 Poll and the 2026 AFCA Division II Coaches' Preseason Poll. In 2025, the Falcons ended at No. 3 in the D2Football.com End of Season Top 25 Poll and No. 5 in the final AFCA Poll after making the NCAA Division II Playoffs for the second time in the last three seasons and advancing to the Super Region Final (NCAA Quarterfinals) for the first time in program history. The No. 3 national ranking was a new program record for the highest national ranking in program history. In addition, last year saw UTPB break into the top-10 of both the D2Football.com Media Poll and the AFCA Coaches' Poll for the first time in program history and set a regular-season record for ranking as high as No. 4 in the D2Football.com Poll and No. 6 in the AFCA Poll following its 5-0 start to the season. During the playoffs the Falcons were ranked No. 10 in the AFCA Poll and No. 11 in the D2Football.com Poll.

LSC Teams in the Polls:

Team	D2Football.com Media Poll Ranking	AFCA Coaches' Poll Ranking
Central Washington	No. 8	No. 13
UT Permian Basin	No. 23	No. 23
Midwestern State	NR	RV