The 2002 NCAA Division II football rankings are from the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA). This is for the 2002 season.
| 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 [note 2] | Week 1 Sept 3[1] | Week 2 Sept 10[2] | Week 3 Sept 17[3] | Week 4 Sept 24[4] | Week 5 Oct 1[5] | Week 6 Oct 8[6] | Week 7 Oct 15[7] | Week 8 Oct 22[8] | Week 9 Oct 29[9] | Week 10 Nov 5[10] | Week 11 Nov 12[11] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Grand Valley State | Grand Valley State (0–0) (21) | Grand Valley State (1–0) (27) | Grand Valley State (1–0) (27) | Grand Valley State (2–0) (26) | Grand Valley State (3–0) (26) | Grand Valley State (4–0) (26) | Grand Valley State (5–0) (27) | Grand Valley State (6–0) (27) | Grand Valley State (7–0) (27) | Grand Valley State (8–0) (27) | Grand Valley State (9–0) (26) | 1. |
| 2. | North Dakota | North Dakota (1–0) (6) | Valdosta State (2–0) | Valdosta State (2–0) | Valdosta State (3–0) | Valdosta State (4–0) | Valdosta State (5–0) | Valdosta State (6–0) | Valdosta State (7–0) | Valdosta State (8–0) | Valdosta State (9–0) | Valdosta State (10–0) (1) | 2. |
| 3. | Valdosta State | Valdosta State (1–0) | Pittsburg State (1–0) | Pittsburg State (2–0) | Pittsburg State (3–0) | Pittsburg State (4–0) | Pittsburg State (5–0) | Saginaw Valley State (6–0) | Carson–Newman (7–0) | Carson–Newman (8–0) | Carson–Newman (9–0) | Carson–Newman (10–0) | 3. |
| 4. | Pittsburg State | Pittsburg State (1–0) | Saginaw Valley State (1–0) | Saginaw Valley State (2–0) | Saginaw Valley State (3–0) | Saginaw Valley State (4–0) | Saginaw Valley State (5–0) | Carson–Newman (6–0) | Northwest Missouri State (7–0) | Northwest Missouri State (8–0) | Northwest Missouri State (9–0) | Northwest Missouri State (10–0) | 4. |
| 5. | Texas A&M–Kingsville | Texas A&M–Kingsville (0–0) | Carson–Newman (2–0) | Carson–Newman (3–0) | Carson–Newman (4–0) | Carson–Newman (4–0) | Carson–Newman (5–0) | Northwest Missouri State (6–0) | UC Davis (5–1) | UC Davis (6–1) | UC Davis (7–1) | Central Washington (11–0) | 5. |
| 6. | UC Davis | UC Davis (0–0) | Tarleton State (2–0) | Tarleton State (3–0) | Tarleton State (4–0) | Northwest Missouri State (4–0) | Northwest Missouri State (5–0) | UC Davis (4–1) | Central Missouri (7–0) | Central Missouri (8–0) | Central Washington (10–0) | IUP (10–1) | 6. |
| 7. | IUP [note 1] | Carson–Newman (1–0) | Tuskegee (2–0) | Northwest Missouri State (2–0) | Northwest Missouri State (3–0) | Central Arkansas (4–0) | Central Arkansas (5–0) | Texas A&M–Kingsville (4–1) | Texas A&M–Kingsville (5–1) | Central Washington (9–0) | IUP (9–1) | Northern Colorado (9–1) | 7. |
| 8. | Carson–Newman | Saginaw Valley State (0–0) | Catawba (1–0) | Tuskegee (3–0) | Tuskegee (4–0) (1) | Tuskegee (4–0) (1) | Tuskegee (4–1) (1) | Central Missouri (6–0) | Central Washington (8–0) | Texas A&M–Kingsville (6–1) | Northern Colorado (8–1) | Central Missouri (9–1) | 8. |
| 9. | Saginaw Valley State | Bloomsburg (0–0) | Northwest Missouri State (1–0) | Central Arkansas (2–0) | Central Arkansas (3–0) | UC Davis (3–1) | UC Davis (3–1) | Central Washington (7–0) | Saginaw Valley State (6–1) | IUP (8–1) | Catawba (7–1) | Tuskegee (9–1) | 9. |
| 10. | Bloomsburg | Tarleton State (1–0) | Chadron State (1–0) | UC Davis (1–1) | UC Davis (2–1) | Texas A&M–Kingsville (2–1) | Texas A&M–Kingsville (5–0) | IUP (6–1) | IUP (7–1) | Catawba (6–1) | Tuskegee (8–1) | C.W. Post (10–0) | 10. |
| 11. | Nebraska–Omaha | Tuskegee (1–0) | UC Davis (0–1) | Nebraska–Kearney (2–0) | Tusculum (4–0) | Tusculum (4–0) | Tusculum (5–0) | Pittsburg State (5–1) | Tarleton State (6–1) | Northern Colorado (7–1) | Central Missouri (8–1) | Minnesota–Duluth (10–0) | 11. |
| 12. | Tarleton State | Catawba (0–0) | Central Arkansas (1–0) | Texas A&M–Kingsville (1–1) | Texas A&M–Kingsville (1–1) | Central Missouri (4–0) | Central Missouri (6–0) | Tarleton State (5–1) | Catawba (5–1) | Tuskegee (7–1) | C.W. Post (9–0) | Nebraska–Kearney (9–1) | 12. |
| 13. | Tuskegee | Chadron State (0–0) | Nebraska–Kearney (2–0) | Tusculum (3–0) | Central Missouri (3–0) | IUP (4–1) | Central Washington (5–1) | Catawba (4–1) | Northern Colorado (6–1) | C.W. Post (8–0) | Nebraska–Kearney (8–1) | Pittsburg State (8–2) | 13. |
| 14. | Chadron State | Northwest Missouri State (0–0) | Texas A&M–Kingsville (0–1) | Central Missouri (2–0) | IUP (3–1) | Central Washington (5–0) | IUP (4–0) | Central Arkansas (5–1) | C.W. Post (7–0) | Nebraska–Kearney (7–1) | Minnesota–Duluth (9–0) | UC Davis (7–2) | 14. |
| 15. | Catawba | Central Arkansas (0–0) | Tusculum (2–0) | IUP (2–1) | Western Washington (2–0) | Western Washington (3–0) | Western Washington (5–1) | C.W. Post (6–0) | Tuskegee (6–1) | Minnesota–Duluth (8–0) | Pittsburg State (7–2) | Saginaw Valley State (8–2) | 15. |
| 16. | Northwest Missouri State | Nebraska–Kearney (1–0) | Central Missouri (1–0) | North Dakota (2–1) | Central Washington (4–0) | C.W. Post (4–0) | Tarleton State (5–1) | Northern Colorado (5–1) | Nebraska–Kearney (6–1) | Emporia State (7–1) | Saginaw Valley State (7–2) | Fayetteville State (9–1) | 16. |
| 17. | Central Arkansas | Tusculum (1–0) | C.W. Post (1–0) | Western Washington (2–0) | C.W. Post (3–0) | Catawba (2–1) | Catawba (3–1) | Tuskegee (5–1) | Tusculum (6–1) | Pittsburg State (6–2) | Tarleton State (6–2) | Tarleton State (7–2) | 17. |
| 18. | Central Missouri (1–0) | IUP (1–1) | C.W. Post (2–0) | Catawba (2–1) | Tarleton State (4–1) | C.W. Post (5–0) | Harding (6–0) | Minnesota–Duluth (7–0) | Saginaw Valley State (6–2) | Fayetteville State (8–1) | Catawba (7–2) | 18. | |
| 19. | C.W. Post (0–0) | North Dakota (1–1) | Catawba (1–1) | Northern Colorado (2–1) | Northern Colorado (3–1) | Northern Colorado (4–1) | Chadron State (5–1) | East Stroudsburg (5–1) | Harding (7–1) | Texas A&M–Kingsville (6–2) | Findlay (9–1) | 19. | |
| 20. | C.W. Post | Shepherd (0–0) | Western Washington (1–0) | Central Washington (3–0) | Bloomsburg (2–1) | Bloomsburg (3–1) | Findlay (5–0) | Nebraska–Kearney (5–1) | Pittsburg State (5–2) | Tarleton State (6–2) | Findlay (8–1) | Texas A&M–Kingsville (7–2) | 20. |
| 21. | Tusculum | Fort Valley State (1–0) | Shepherd (1–0) | Shepherd (2–0) | Chadron State (2–1) | Chadron State (3–1) | Chadron State (4–1) | Tusculum (5–1) | St. Cloud State (6–1) | Fayetteville State (7–1) | Bentley (9–0) | St. Cloud State (8–2) | 21. |
| 22. | Shepherd | IUP (0–1) | Central Washington (2–0) | Missouri Western State (2–0) | Nebraska–Kearney (2–1) | Findlay (4–0) | Harding (5–0) | East Stroudsburg (5–1) | Emporia State (6–1) | Bentley (8–0) | Chadron State (7–2) | Chadron State (7–2) | 22. |
| 23. | Central Missouri | Nebraska–Omaha (0–1) | Northern Colorado (1–0) | Bloomsburg (1–1) | Findlay (3–0) | Nebraska–Kearney (3–1) | Nebraska–Kearney (4–1) | Western Washington (4–1) | Central Arkansas (5–2) | Findlay (7–1) | Emporia State (7–2) | Emporia State (8–2) | 23. |
| 24. | Fort Valley State | Western Washington (0–0) | Bloomsburg (0–1) | Chadron State (1–1) | Harding (3–0) | Harding (4–0) | East Stroudsburg (4–1) | Minnesota–Duluth (6–0) | Harding (6–1) | Tusculum (6–2) | Southern Arkansas (7–2) | Bentley (9–1) | 24. |
| 25. | Nebraska–Kearney | Northern Colorado (0–0) | Missouri Western State (2–0) | Northern Colorado (1–1) | Fort Valley State (3–1) | Eastern New Mexico (4–0) | St. Cloud State (5–0) | North Dakota (4–2) | Bentley (7–0) т | Chadron State (6–2) | St. Cloud State (7–2) | Eastern New Mexico (8–2) | 25. |
| 26. | Fayetteville State (6–1) т | 26. | |||||||||||
| Preseason [note 2] | Week 1 Sept 3[1] | Week 2 Sept 10[2] | Week 3 Sept 17[3] | Week 4 Sept 24[4] | Week 5 Oct 1[5] | Week 6 Oct 8[6] | Week 7 Oct 15[7] | Week 8 Oct 22[8] | Week 9 Oct 29[9] | Week 10 Nov 5[10] | Week 11 Nov 12[11] | ||
Dropped:
| Dropped:
| None | Dropped:
| Dropped: 25 Fort Valley State | Dropped:
| Dropped:
| Dropped:
| Dropped:
| Dropped:
| Dropped: 24 Southern Arkansas | |||
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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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