The Cougars put their stamp in the NAIA record book by winning three of the last four titles and fourth overall. The four championships ties them for fifth on the NAIA all-time list with Findlay (Ohio) for most championships won. Sioux Falls will enter the 2010 season on a 29-game winning streak, the longest active streak in any level of college football.

The national runner-up, No. 2 Lindenwood (Mo.) secured 402 total points in the poll. The Lions fell 25-22 to Sioux Falls in their first appearance in the title contest. With a 13-1 record, Lindenwood wrapped up its third straight season of at least 10 wins. The No. 2 ranking is a school record and Lindenwood has now been ranked in each of the last 37 straight polls.

Carroll (Mont.) falls one spot to No. 3 after finishing the season with a 14-1 mark and an appearance in the Football Championship Series semifinal round. Carroll lost 42-35 in its second straight semifinal game against Lindenwood. The Fighting Saints totaled 385 points in the poll. With the slide to No. 3, Carroll has its stretch of 32 straight rankings halted when it was either No. 1 or 2.

Holding at the No. 4 spot is St. Xavier (Ill.) with 369 total points. The ranking ties its highest position this year. The Cougars advanced to the semifinals before dropping a 48-6 decision to national champion Sioux Falls. St. Xavier ended its season with a 13-1 record.

No. 5 Morningside (Iowa) jumped up two spots with 352 total points. The Mustangs went 10-2 on the year with both of its losses against Sioux Falls. The second setback came in the quarterfinals in a 49-21 game in Sioux Falls, S.D. In 12 of 13 polls this year, Morningside was ranked in the top five.

The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences and independents.

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NOTES: Sioux Falls (S.D.) was ranked No. 1 for the entire season (including Top 25 Spring Poll and Top 25 Postseason Poll), which marks the first time since Carroll (Mont.) did it in 2005… Sioux Falls (S.D.) has now been ranked No. 1 a total of 43 times since the 2000 season including 26 mentions since 2007… The No. 1 Sioux Falls defense was superb again this year as no opposing player rushed for 100 yards or more since the 2007 National Championship - a span of 29 games… The last time a team other than Carroll (Mont.) or Sioux Falls (S.D.) was ranked at No. 1 was Saint Francis (Ind.) on Nov. 12, 2006 - a streak of 41 polls… Carroll has now been ranked in the top 5 in the last 64 straight polls dating back to Nov. 2004… St. Francis boasts the longest consecutive stretch of being named in the Coaches' Top 25 Poll - now standing at 128 straight mentions - the last time St. Francis was not mentioned in the Top 25 was Oct. 19, 1999… After St. Francis, Carroll is the next team in line with 115 straight Top 25 rankings while Sioux Falls stands at 114 straight mentions… Since 2000, Carroll has been ranked No. 1 53 times, the highest amount of any program during that time span; Sioux Falls is second with 43 mentions at No. 1 followed by Georgetown (Ky.) with 14, Northwestern Oklahoma State with 11 and St. Francis with three… Since 2000, there are seven teams that have been ranked at least one time each season - Carroll (Mont.), MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.), St. Ambrose (Iowa), St. Francis (Ind.), St. Xavier (Ill.) and Sioux Falls (S.D.)… There are 77 schools that have been ranked at least once in the Top 25 since 2000, of that group of schools, six no longer sponsor NAIA football.

2009 NAIA Football Coaches' Top 25 Poll - (Jan. 11 - Postseason)

Others receiving votes:

Black Hills State University (S.D.) 5; Georgetown College (Ky.) 4; Montana Tech 3; Campbellsville University (Ky.) 3; William Penn University (Iowa) 1

^ Ranking indicated in final regular season Top 25 (Nov. 15)

* Record as submitted by schools and raters