1985 NCAA Division I-AA football rankings

The 1985 NCAA Division I-AA football rankings are from the NCAA Division I-AA football committee. This is for the 1985 season.

Legend

		Increase in ranking
		Decrease in ranking
		Not ranked previous week
(#–#)		Win–loss record
(Italics)		Number of first place votes
т		Tied with team above or below also with this symbol

NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll

	Week 1 Sept 24[1]	Week 2 Oct 1[2]	Week 3 Oct 8[3]	Week 4 Oct 15[4]	Week 5 Oct 22[5]	Week 6 Oct 29[6]	Week 7 Nov 5[7]	Week 8 Nov 12[8]	Week 9 Nov 19[9]	Week 10 Nov 26[10]
1.	Richmond (3–0)	Richmond (4–0)	Richmond (5–0)	Richmond (6–0)	Richmond (7–0)	Middle Tennessee State (7–0)	Middle Tennessee State (8–0)	Middle Tennessee State (9–0)	Middle Tennessee State (10–0)	Middle Tennessee State (11–0)	1.
2.	Nevada (3–0)	Grambling State (3–0)	Grambling State (4–0)	Grambling State (5–0)	Grambling State (6–0)	Furman (7–1)	Furman (8–1)	Furman (8–1)	Furman (9–1) т	Furman (10–1) т	2.
3.	Marshall (4–0)	Marshall (5–0)	Idaho (4–1) т	Middle Tennessee State (5–0)	Middle Tennessee State (6–0)	Nevada (7–1)	Nevada (8–1)	Nevada (9–1)	Nevada (10–1) т	Nevada (10–1) т	3.
4.	Grambling State (2–0)	Middle Tennessee State (4–0)	Middle Tennessee State (4–0) т	Idaho (5–1)	Idaho (6–1)	Richmond (7–1)	Grambling State (7–1)	Grambling State (8–1)	Northern Iowa (9–1)	Northern Iowa (10–1)	4.
5.	Middle Tennessee State (3–0)	William & Mary (3–1)	William & Mary (4–1) т	Furman (5–1)	Furman (6–1)	Grambling State (6–1) т	Northern Iowa (7–1)	Northern Iowa (8–1)	Idaho (8–2)	Idaho (9–2)	5.
6.	Arkansas State (2–2)	Idaho (3–1)	Murray State (4–0–1)	Mississippi Valley State (5–0)	Nevada (6–1)	Northern Iowa (6–1) т	Idaho (7–2)	Idaho (8–2)	Arkansas State (7–3)	Arkansas State (8–3)	6.
7.	William & Mary (2–1)	Murray State (3–0–1)	Marshall (5–0–1)	Nevada (5–1)	Northern Iowa (5–1)	Georgia Southern (6–1)	Mississippi Valley State (7–1)	Arkansas State (6–3) т	Rhode Island (9–2)	Rhode Island (9–2)	7.
8.	Delaware State (4–0) т	Illinois State (3–0–1) т	Mississippi Valley State (5–0)	Louisiana Tech (5–1) т	Georgia Southern (5–1)	Idaho (6–2)	Arkansas State (5–3)	Akron (7–2) т	Grambling State (8–2) т	Grambling State (9–2)	8.
9.	Murray State (2–0–1) т	Mississippi Valley State (4–0) т	Furman (4–1)	Northern Iowa (5–1) т	Delaware State (6–1)	Mississippi Valley State (6–1) т	Louisiana Tech (7–2) т	Richmond (8–2)	Murray State (7–2–1) т	Georgia Southern (9–2)	9.
10.	Idaho (2–1)	Furman (3–1)	Eastern Washington (5–0)	Georgia Southern (5–1)	Eastern Washington (6–1)	Eastern Washington (6–1) т	Akron (6–2) т	Rhode Island (8–2)	Georgia Southern (8–2) т	Akron (8–3)	10.
11.	Lamar Tech (3–0)	Nevada (3–1)	Nevada (5–0)	Delaware State (6–1)	Marshall (6–1–1)	Marshall (6–1–1)	Richmond (7–2)	Murray State (7–2–1)	Eastern Washington (7–2)	Eastern Washington (8–2)	11.
12.	Illinois State (2–0–1)	Louisiana Tech (3–1) т	Northern Iowa (4–1) т	William & Mary (4–2)	Mississippi Valley State (5–1)	Louisiana Tech (6–2)	Rhode Island (7–2)	Georgia Southern (7–2)	Delaware State (8–2)	Appalachian State (8–3) т	12.
13.	Mississippi Valley State (3–0)	Western Carolina (3–1) т	Louisiana Tech (4–1) т	Murray State (4–1–1) т	Akron (5–2)	Akron (5–2)	Murray State (6–2–1)	Delaware (7–3) т	Akron (7–3)	Delaware State (9–2) т	13.
14.	Delaware (2–1)	Northern Iowa (3–1)	Western Carolina (3–1–1)	Northeast Louisiana (4–1) т	Arkansas State (4–3)	New Hampshire (6–1)	Colgate (6–2)	Eastern Washington (6–2) т	Jackson State (7–2)	Louisiana Tech (8–3)	14.
15.	Rhode Island (2–1)	Lamar Tech (3–1)	Lamar Tech (3–1)	Southwest Missouri State (4–1–1)	Appalachian State (4–2)	Arkansas State (4–3)	Eastern Washington (6–2)	Delaware State (7–2)	Alcorn State (7–2)	Jackson State (8–2)	15.
16.	Appalachian State (2–1)	Harvard (2–0)	Delaware State (5–1)	Marshall (5–1–1)	Colgate (5–1)	Murray State (5–2–1)	Georgia Southern (6–2)	Jackson State (7–2)	Mississippi Valley State (8–2)	William & Mary (7–4)	16.
17.	UMass (2–1) [note 1]	Delaware State (4–1)	Eastern Kentucky (3–1) т	Eastern Washington (5–1)	Delaware (5–2)	Rhode Island (6–2) т	Delaware (6–3) т	Colgate (6–2–1)	Appalachian State (7–3)	Murray State (7–3–1)	17.
18.	Furman (2–1)	Southwest Missouri State (3–1–1)	Southwest Missouri State (4–1–1) т	Akron (4–2)	Louisiana Tech (5–2)	Eastern Kentucky (5–2) т	Delaware State (6–2) т	Mississippi Valley State (7–2) т	William & Mary (7–4)	Richmond (8–3)	18.
19.	Western Carolina (2–1)	Eastern Kentucky (2–1)	Georgia Southern (4–1)	Appalachian State (3–2) т	Murray State (4–2–1)	Idaho State (5–2) т	Penn (6–1) т	Alcorn State (6–2) т	Louisiana Tech (8–3)	Eastern Kentucky (8–3)	19.
20.	Louisiana Tech (2–1)	North Texas State (2–2)	Holy Cross (3–1)	Western Carolina (3–2–1) т	New Hampshire (5–1)	Delaware State (6–2) т	Chattanooga (5–3)	Marshall (7–2–1)	Richmond (8–3) т	Alcorn State (8–3)	20.
21.				Southern (4–1) т					Boise State (7–3) т		21.
22.				Arkansas State (3–3) т							22.
23.				Colgate (4–1) т							23.
24.				Delaware (4–2) т							24.
	Week 1 Sept 24[1]	Week 2 Oct 1[2]	Week 3 Oct 8[3]	Week 4 Oct 15[4]	Week 5 Oct 22[5]	Week 6 Oct 29[6]	Week 7 Nov 5[7]	Week 8 Nov 12[8]	Week 9 Nov 19[9]	Week 10 Nov 26[10]
		Dropped: 6 Arkansas State 14 Delaware 15 Rhode Island 16 Appalachian State 17 UMass	Dropped: 8 Illinois State 16 Harvard 20 North Texas State	Dropped: 15 Lamar Tech 17 Eastern Kentucky 20 Holy Cross	Dropped: 12 William & Mary 14 Northeast Louisiana 15 Southwest Missouri State 20 Western Carolina 20 Southern	Dropped: 15 Appalachian State 16 Colgate 17 Delaware	Dropped: 11 Marshall 14 New Hampshire 18 Eastern Kentucky 19 Idaho State	Dropped: 9 Louisiana Tech 19 Penn 20 Chattanooga	Dropped: 13 Delaware 17 Colgate 20 Marshall	Dropped: 16 Mississippi Valley State 20 Boise State

Notes

1. In the actual printed polls, UMass was listed as Massachusetts

References

1. "Furman 18th in I-AA poll". The Greenville News. Greenville, South Carolina. September 24, 1985. p. C1. Retrieved May 15, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "Division I-AA poll". The Times. Shreveport, Louisiana. October 2, 1985. p. 5-C. Retrieved May 15, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Paladins now No. 9". The Greenville News. Greenville, South Carolina. October 8, 1985. p. C1. Retrieved May 15, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Paladins climb to 5th spot". The Greenville News. Greenville, South Carolina. October 15, 1985. p. C1. Retrieved May 15, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Paladins stay at No. 5". The Greenville News. Greenville, South Carolina. October 22, 1985. p. C1. Retrieved May 15, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Furman ranked No. 2". The Greenville News. Greenville, South Carolina. October 29, 1985. p. C1. Retrieved May 15, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Paladins stay at No. 2". The Greenville News. Greenville, South Carolina. November 5, 1985. p. C1. Retrieved May 15, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Furman stays in second spot". The Greenville News. Greenville, South Carolina. November 12, 1985. p. C2. Retrieved May 15, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Furman tied for second". The Greenville News. Greenville, South Carolina. November 19, 1985. p. 2C. Retrieved May 15, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "NCAA I-AA poll". The Salina Journal. Salina, Kansas. November 27, 1985. p. 15. Retrieved May 15, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.