The 1988 NCAA Division II football rankings are from the Associated Press. This is for the 1988 season. The preseason poll and the first two weeks had 10 entries. From the third week onward, the poll was switched to a "Top 20".
| Increase in ranking | ||
| Decrease in ranking | ||
| Not ranked previous week | ||
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Win–loss record | |
(Italics)
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Number of first place votes | |
т
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Tied with team above or below also with this symbol |
| Preseason [1] | Week 1 Sept 13[2] | Week 2 Sept 20[3] | Week 3 Sept 27[4] | Week 4 Oct 3[5] | Week 5 Oct 10[6] | Week 6 Oct 17[7] | Week 7 Oct 24[8] | Week 8 Oct 31[9] | Week 9 Nov 7[10] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Troy State | Troy State (2–0) | North Dakota State (2–0) | North Dakota State (3–0) | North Dakota State (4–0) | North Dakota State (5–0) | North Dakota State (6–0) | North Dakota State (7–0) | North Dakota State (8–0) | North Dakota State (9–0) | 1. |
| 2. | Portland State | North Dakota State (1–0) | UCF (3–0) | UCF (4–0) | UCF (5–0) | Winston–Salem State (6–0) | Winston–Salem State (7–0) | East Texas State (7–1) | East Texas State (8–1) | West Chester (8–1) | 2. |
| 3. | Northern Michigan | UCF (2–0) | IUP (2–0) | IUP (3–0) | IUP (4–0) | Jacksonville State (6–0) | Jacksonville State (7–0) | West Chester (6–1) | West Chester (7–1) | Texas A&I (7–2) | 3. |
| 4. | Texas A&I | IUP (1–0) | St. Cloud State (3–0) | St. Cloud State (4–0) | Winston–Salem State (5–0) | Millersville (5–0) | Millersville (6–0) | Texas A&I (5–2) | Texas A&I (6–2) | Portland State (7–2–1) | 4. |
| 5. | UCF | Northeast Missouri State (2–0) | West Chester (2–0) | Cal State Northridge (4–0) | Texas A&I (3–1) | East Texas State (5–1) | East Texas State (6–1) | Portland State (5–2–1) | Portland State (6–2–1) | Winston–Salem State (8–1) | 5. |
| 6. | North Dakota State | St. Cloud State (2–0) | Cal State Northridge (3–0) | Winston–Salem State (4–0) | Jacksonville State (5–0) | Cal State Northridge (5–1) | Butler (6–1) | Sacramento State (6–1) | Winston–Salem State (8–1) | Mississippi College (8–2) | 6. |
| 7. | West Chester | West Chester (1–0) | Winston–Salem State (3–0) | Texas A&I (2–1) | Millersville (4–0) | Butler (4–1) | West Chester (5–1) | Winston–Salem State (7–1) | Mississippi College (7–2) | Jacksonville State (8–1) | 7. |
| 8. | Mankato State | Texas A&I (1–1) | Troy State (2–1) т | Troy State (3–1) | Butler (4–1) | West Chester (4–1) | Texas A&I (4–2) | Jacksonville State (7–1) | Jacksonville State (7–1) | Butler (8–1–1) | 8. |
| 9. | IUP | Cal State Northridge (2–0) | Texas A&I (1–1) т | Jacksonville State (4–0) | Augustana (4–1) | Albany State (5–0) | Portland State (4–2–1) | Bowie State (8–0) | Butler (7–1–1) | Tennessee–Martin (9–1) | 9. |
| 10. | Angelo State | Butler (1–1) т | East Texas State (2–0) | Sacramento State (3–0) | East Texas State (4–1) | Texas A&I (3–2) | UCF (6–1) | Mississippi College (6–2) | Bowie State (8–0–1) | Sacramento State (7–2) | 10. |
| 11. | Winston–Salem State (2–0) т | Millersville (4–0) | West Chester (3–1) | Portland State (3–2–1) | Sacramento State (5–1) | Butler (6–1–1) | Tennessee–Martin (8–1) | Millersville (8–1) | 11. | ||
| 12. | Nebraska–Omaha (3–0) | Cal State Northridge (4–1) | IUP (4–1) | Mississippi College (5–2) | Tennessee–Martin (7–1) | Sacramento State (6–2) | Albany State (8–1) | 12. | |||
| 13. | Butler (3–1) | Albany State (5–0) | New Haven (4–1) | Bowie State (7–0) | Bloomsburg (7–1) | Millersville (7–1) | UC Davis (6–2–1) | 13. | |||
| 14. | North Carolina Central (4–0) | Manual (3–1) | UCF (5–1) | Tennessee–Martin (6–1) | Northern Michigan (6–2) | Albany State (7–1) | IUP (7–2) | 14. | |||
| 15. | New Haven (4–0) | Bowie State (5–0) | Sacramento State (4–1) | North Dakota (5–2) | Millersville (6–1) | UC Davis (5–2–1) | East Texas State (8–2) | 15. | |||
| 16. | East Texas State (3–1) | Tennessee–Martin (4–0) | Mississippi College (4–2) | Bloomsburg (6–1) | Albany State (6–1) | IUP (6–2) | St. Cloud State (7–3) | 16. | |||
| 17. | Bloomsburg (3–1) | St. Cloud State (4–1) | Bowie State (6–0) | St. Cloud State (5–2) | UC Davis (7–1) | North Carolina Central (7–1–1) | North Carolina Central (8–1–1) | 17. | |||
| 18. | West Chester (2–1) | Bloomsburg (4–1) | Tennessee–Martin (5–1) | Northern Michigan (5–2) | North Carolina Central (7–1) | St. Cloud State (6–3) | Augustana (7–3) | 18. | |||
| 19. | Mississippi College (3–1) | Nebraska–Omaha (4–1) | Bloomsburg (5–1) | Albany State (5–1) | Ashland (6–1) | Northern Michigan (6–3) | Northern Michigan (7–3) | 19. | |||
| 20. | Augustana (3–1) | Northern Michigan (3–2) | Northern Colorado (3–2–1) | Ashland (5–1) | Augustana (6–2) | Augustana (6–3) | Bowie State (8–1–1) | 20. | |||
| Preseason [1] | Week 1 Sept 13[2] | Week 2 Sept 20[3] | Week 3 Sept 27[4] | Week 4 Oct 3[5] | Week 5 Oct 10[6] | Week 6 Oct 17[7] | Week 7 Oct 24[8] | Week 8 Oct 31[9] | Week 9 Nov 7[10] | ||
Dropped:
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| None | Dropped:
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| None | |||
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| Pre-divisional |
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| NCAA University Division |
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| NCAA Division I |
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| NCAA Division I-A/FBS |
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| NCAA Division I-AA/FCS |
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| Small college |
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| NCAA Division II |
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| NCAA Division III |
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| Polls |
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