Unbeaten Golden Bears reach new heights in Division II rankings
2024 Berks football coverage presented by
Utilities Employees Credit Union
Kutztown University football has broken into the top five of the American Football Coaches Association Division II Poll for the first time in program history.
The Golden Bears improved to 5-0 with Saturday’s 42-10 win over Bloomsburg and moved up from No. 8 to No. 5 in the latest poll following losses by three of the top seven ranked teams.
Kutztown held its third opponent in five weeks to 10 points or fewer and now ranks sixth in NCAA Division II in scoring defense (10.2). The Golden Bears own the nation’s second-best pass defense (122.8 yards per game) and fifth-best total defense (210.0).
Head coach Jim Clements picked up his 150th career college win on Saturday.
Prior to Monday’s poll release, Kutztown’s previous high ranking was sixth, on Nov. 14, 2011.
The Golden Bears weren’t ranked during last year’s regular season after starting 0-2 but used 12 consecutive victories to win the PSAC East, PSAC and Super Region One titles on their way to their first national semifinals appearance.
KU claimed the No. 7 ranking in the AFCA’s final DII Poll and opened the 2024 season ranked 10th.
Defending national champion Harding (Ark.), Grand Valley State (Mich.) and Valdosta State (Ga.) maintained the top three spots in this week’s poll; Ferris State (Mich.) moved up to fourth.
Falling out of the top eight were No. 4 Colorado School of Mines (now No. 12), which fell at Colorado Mesa; No. 6 Lenoir-Rhyne (now No. 17), which lost to Emory & Henry; and No. 7 Minnesota State (now No. 15), which was defeated by Sioux Falls (S.D.).
Kutztown returns home Saturday to face Lock Haven in a PSAC East game at noon.
AFCA Division II
| Record | Points | Previous | ||
| 1 | Harding (Ark.) | 5-0 | 750 | 1 |
| 2 | Grand Valley St. (Mich.) | 5-0 | 718 | 2 |
| 3 | Valdosta St. (Ga.) | 5-0 | 690 | 3 |
| 4 | Ferris St. (Mich.) | 4-1 | 654 | 5 |
| 5 | Kutztown | 5-0 | 605 | 8 |
| 6 | Slippery Rock | 5-0 | 590 | 9 |
| 7 | Pittsburg St. (Kan.) | 4-1 | 550 | 10 |
| 8 | Western Colorado | 5-0 | 498 | 13 |
| 9 | Central Washington | 4-1 | 471 | 11 |
| 10 | Ouachita Baptist (Ark.) | 5-0 | 470 | 14 |
| 11 | West Alabama | 4-0 | 412 | 15 |
| 12 | Colorado School of Mines | 4-1 | 404 | 4 |
| 13 | Central Oklahoma | 5-0 | 367 | 17 |
| 14 | Charleston (W.Va.) | 5-0 | 353 | 16 |
| 15 | Minnesota St. | 5-1 | 313 | 7 |
| 16 | Colorado St.-Pueblo | 5-1 | 306 | 18t |
| 17 | Lenoir-Rhyne (N.C.) | 4-1 | 287 | 6 |
| 18 | Emporia St. (Kan.) | 5-1 | 263 | 18t |
| 19 | Delta St. (Miss.) | 4-1 | 207 | 20 |
| 20 | Findlay (Ohio) | 5-0 | 171 | 23 |
| 21 | Indianapolis (Ind.) | 4-1 | 135 | 22 |
| 22 | Johnson C. Smith (N.C.) | 6-0 | 134 | 24 |
| 23 | Carson-Newman (Tenn.) | 5-0 | 118 | 25 |
| 24 | Frostburg St. (Md.) | 5-0 | 66 | NR |
| 25 | Indiana | 4-1 | 47 | 21 |
