Football ranked No. 9 by D3Football.com, American Football Coaches Association
ADA — The Ohio Northern football team is ranked No. 9 in the third weekly 2011 D3Football.com poll and in the first weekly American Football Coaches Association poll.
The Polar Bears (2-0 overall, 1-0 Ohio Athletic Conference) held off Otterbein 34-33 in overtime on Saturday in the OAC opener for both teams at Dial-Roberson Stadium under eighth-year head coach Dean Paul.
In the D3Football.com poll, Northern was ranked No. 12 last week, was No. 13 in the first weekly poll and was No. 14 in the D3Football.com Preseason poll after finishing No. 8 in the final 2010 D3Football.com poll.
ONU received 345 points in this week's poll, 46 more than the 289 points it received in the week one poll.
Two-time defending national champion Wisconsin-Whitewater is No. 1, receiving 619 points and 19 first place votes.
Ohio Athletic Conference rival Mount Union is second with 606 points and the six remaining first place votes, Saint Thomas (Minn.) is third with 551 points and Mary Hardin-Baylor (Tex.) is fourth with 541 points.
In the AFCA poll, ONU received 565 points.
Wisconsin-Whitewater is No. 1, receiving 1046 points and 38 first place votes, Mount Union is second with 1012 points and the four remaining first place votes, Saint Thomas (Minn.) is third with 901 points and Mary Hardin-Baylor (Tex.) is fourth with 894 points.
Ohio Northern will take to the road for the first time this season with a 1:30 pm contest at Muskingum on Saturday.
D3Football.com 2011 Poll - Week #3
Sept. 18, 2011
| Rank | School (1st-place votes) |
2011 Record | Points | Last Week |
| 1. | Wisconsin-Whitewater (19) | 3-0 | 619 | 1 |
| 2. | Mount Union (6) | 2-0 | 606 | 2 |
| 3. | Saint Thomas (Minn.) | 3-0 | 551 | 4 |
| 4. | Mary Hardin-Baylor (Tex.) | 2-0 | 541 | 3 |
| 5. | Bethel (Minn.) | 3-0 | 526 | 5 |
| 6. | Linfield (Ore.) | 1-0 | 486 | 6 |
| 7. | Wheaton (Ill.) | 2-0 | 448 | 7 |
| 8. | Thomas More (Ky.) | 2-0 | 386 | 8 |
| 9. | Ohio Northern | 2-0 | 345 | 12 |
| 10. | Wartburg (Iowa) | 3-0 | 336 | 13 |
| 11. | North Central (Ill.) | 2-1 | 331 | 14 |
| 12. | Kean (N.J.) | 2-0 | 330 | 18 |
| 13. | Wesley (Del.) | 1-1 | 307 | 15 |
| 14. | Montclair State (N.J.) | 2-0 | 274 | 10 |
| 15. | Redlands (Calif.) | 2-0 | 260 | 17 |
| 16. | Alfred (N.Y.) | 2-0 | 248 | 16 |
| 17. | Wabash (Ind.) | 2-0 | 201 | 20 |
| 18. | Trine (Ind.) | 3-0 | 187 | 22 |
| 19. | Wittenberg | 3-0 | 171 | 21 |
| 20. | California Lutheran | 1-1 | 153 | 19 |
| 21. | Hardin-Simmons (Tex.) | 2-1 | 134 | 8 |
| 22. | Hampden-Sydney (Va.) | 3-0 | 125 | 23 |
| 23. | Mississippi College | 2-1 | 97 | NR |
| 24. | Cortland State (N.Y.) | 1-1 | 85 | 11 |
| 25. | Delaware Valley (Pa.) | 3-0 | 84 | 25 |
Others Receiving Votes: Salisbury 62; Baldwin-Wallace 53; Johns Hopkins 52; Louisiana College 32; Springfield 15; Franklin 12; Monmouth 10; UW-Platteville 9; St. John Fisher 8; Rowan 7; UW-Eau Claire 6; UW-Stout 6; Williams 6; Pacific Lutheran 3; Washington and Jefferson 3; Widener 3; Adrian 2; McMurry 2; St. John's 2; UW-Oshkosh 1.
AFCA 2011 Poll - Week #3
Sept. 18, 2011
| Rank | School (1st-place votes) |
2011 Record | Points | Last Week |
| 1. | Wisconsin-Whitewater (19) | 3-0 | 1046 | — |
| 2. | Mount Union (6) | 2-0 | 1012 | — |
| 3. | Saint Thomas (Minn.) | 3-0 | 901 | — |
| 4. | Mary Hardin-Baylor (Tex.) | 2-0 | 894 | — |
| 5. | Bethel (Minn.) | 3-0 | 828 | — |
| 6. | Wheaton (Ill.) | 2-0 | 751 | — |
| 7. | Linfield (Ore.) | 1-0 | 629 | — |
| 8. | Thomas More (Ky.) | 2-0 | 568 | — |
| 9. | Ohio Northern | 2-0 | 565 | — |
| 10. | Montclair State (N.J.) | 2-0 | 547 | — |
| 11. | Wartburg (Iowa) | 3-0 | 509 | — |
| 12. | Alfred (N.Y.) | 2-0 | 463 | — |
| 13. | North Central (Ill.) | 2-1 | 462 | — |
| 14. | Hampden-Sydney (Va.) | 3-0 | 448 | — |
| 15. | Trine (Ind.) | 3-0 | 440 | — |
| 16. | Delaware Valley (Pa.) | 3-0 | 368 | — |
| 17. | Kean (N.J.) | 2-0 | 355 | — |
| 18. | Wittenberg | 3-0 | 343 | — |
| 19. | Wesley (Del.) | 1-1 | 319 | — |
| 20. | Wabash (Ind.) | 2-0 | 314 | — |
| 21. | Salisbury (Md.) | 3-0 | 276 | — |
| 22. | Redlands (Calif.) | 2-0 | 252 | — |
| 23. | Johns Hopkins (Md.) | 3-0 | 192 | — |
| 24. | Muhlenberg (Pa.) | 3-0 | 176 | — |
| 25. | Hardin-Simmons (Tex.) | 2-1 | 148 | — |
Others Receiving Votes: California Lutheran, 125; Baldwin-Wallace (Ohio), 114; Illinois Wesleyan, 94; St. John Fisher (N.Y.), 92; Mississippi College, 74; Springfield (Mass.), 74; Cortland St. (N.Y.), 70; Franklin (Ind.), 46; St. John's (Minn.), 32; Wis.-Stevens Point, 28; Washington & Jefferson (Pa.), 19; Albright (Pa.), 14; Louisiana College, 11; Wis.-Eau Claire, 8; Widener (Pa.), 6; Wis.-Stout, 6; Dubuque (Iowa), 5; Adrian (Mich.), 3; Muhlenberg (Pa.), 3; Randolph-Macon (Va.), 3; Williams (Mass.), 3; Endicott (Mass.), 2; Pacific Lutheran (Wash.), 2; Trinity (Conn.), 2; Washington & Lee (Va.), 2; Waynesburg (Pa.), 2; Wis.-Platteville, 2; Central (Iowa), 1; Washington (Mo.), 1.