The American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) polls were released late Monday, and they gave the Lions the fifth best spot in the country. The teams coming ahead of the Lions were defending National Champion Northwest Missouri State at 1, followed Grand Valley State (the team that knocked the Lions out of the NCAA playoffs last year), Ferris State, and Emporia State. Essentially, this says the Lions are the top ranked team in Super Region 4 which should do wonders for getting a look into the future with playoff seedings and home field advantage. The team just to the south of the Lions in the poll is North Alabama, the team the Lions will open with on August 31st.
LSC Teams were not given a whole lot of love, but Midwestern State checked in at 24th in the initial poll and TAMU-Kingsville was just outside as they were receding poll votes. The high ranking gives the teams a lot of reason to be pumped and also a little weary at the same time because of that word “EXPECTATIONS” that floats around a lot. Either way, the talk around Commerce is National Title or Bust. If the Lions do get out of Super Region 4 and get to the national semifinals, I would bet that NW Missouri or Ferris/Grand Valley is who will be waiting for them.
This is the 33rd time since the poll’s inception in 2000 that the Lions have made an appearance in the AFCA polls. It is also the 27th straight week that the Lions have been there going back to 2015. Below is the complete poll.
AFCA DIVISION II COACHES’ POLL
Preseason — August 14, 2017
| Rk | School | (1st) | Rec. | Pts. | Rank* |
| 1. | Northwest Missouri St. | (34) | 15-0 | 850 | 1 |
| 2. | Grand Valley St. (Mich.) | 12-1 | 765 | 4 | |
| 3. | Ferris St. (Mich.) | 12-3 | 716 | 5 | |
| 4. | Emporia St. (Kan.) | 11-2 | 652 | 10 | |
| 5. | A&M-COMMERCE | 11-2 | 634 | 9 | |
| 6. | North Alabama | 11-2 | 622 | 2 | |
| 7. | Shepherd (W.Va.) | 13-1 | 574 | 3 | |
| 8. | California (Pa.) | 11-1 | 568 | 7 | |
| 9. | Indiana (Pa.) | 10-2 | 500 | 12 | |
| 10. | Minnesota-Duluth | 10-2 | 431 | 14 | |
| 11. | Valdosta St. (Ga.) | 8-3 | 390 | 18 | |
| 12. | Colorado St.-Pueblo | 8-3 | 349 | NR | |
| 13. | Azusa Pacific (Calif.) | 9-3 | 302 | 25 | |
| 14. | LIU-Post (N.Y.) | 12-1 | 288 | 11 | |
| 15. | Harding (Ark.) | 13-1 | 281 | 6 | |
| 16. | Colorado School of Mines | 10-3 | 254 | 15 | |
| 17. | Sioux Falls (S.D.) | 12-1 | 235 | 8 | |
| 18. | Southwest Baptist (Mo.) | 10-2 | 227 | 22 | |
| 19. | UNC Pembroke | 10-2 | 220 | 13 | |
| 20. | Minnesota St. | 8-3 | 201 | NR | |
| 21. | Central Missouri | 9-3 | 189 | 21 | |
| 22. | Southern Arkansas | 9-3 | 157 | NR | |
| 23. | Colorado Mesa | 9-3 | 154 | NR | |
| 24. | Midwestern St. (Texas) | 8-3 | 138 | 24 | |
| 25. | Bemidji St. (Minn.) | 9-3 | 133 | NR |
