The 2003 NCAA Division II football rankings are from the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA). This is for the 2003 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 | |
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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] | Week 12 Nov 19[12] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Grand Valley State | Grand Valley State (0–0) (25) | Grand Valley State (1–0) (24) | Grand Valley State (2–0) (24) | Grand Valley State (3–0) (23) | Grand Valley State (4–0) (23) | Grand Valley State (5–0) (22) | Grand Valley State (6–0) (25) | Valdosta State (7–0) (22) | Valdosta State (8–0) (26) | Saginaw Valley State (9–0) (17) | Saginaw Valley State (10–0) (23) | Saginaw Valley State (11–0) (24) | 1. |
| 2. | Valdosta State | Valdosta State (1–0) (1) | Valdosta State (2–0) (2) | Valdosta State (2–0) (2) | Valdosta State (3–0) (3) | Valdosta State (4–0) (3) | Valdosta State (5–0) (4) | Valdosta State (6–0) (1) | Saginaw Valley State (7–0) (4) | Saginaw Valley State (8–0) | North Alabama (9–0) (9) | North Alabama (10–0) (3) | North Alabama (11–0) (2) | 2. |
| 3. | Carson–Newman | Carson–Newman (1–0) | Carson–Newman (2–0) | Carson–Newman (3–0) | Carson–Newman (3–0) | Carson–Newman (4–0) | Carson–Newman (5–0) | Carson–Newman (6–0) | Carson–Newman (7–0) | North Alabama (8–0) | Texas A&M–Kingsville (7–1) | Texas A&M–Kingsville (8–1) | Texas A&M–Kingsville (9–1) | 3. |
| 4. | Northwest Missouri State | Northwest Missouri State (0–0) | IUP (1–0) | IUP (2–0) | IUP (3–0) | IUP (4–0) | IUP (5–0) | Pittsburg State (6–0) | North Alabama (7–0) | Texas A&M–Kingsville (6–1) | Grand Valley State (8–1) | Grand Valley State (9–1) | Grand Valley State (10–1) | 4. |
| 5. | Texas A&M–Kingsville | Texas A&M–Kingsville (0–0) | Saginaw Valley State (1–0) | Pittsburg State (2–0) | Pittsburg State (3–0) | Pittsburg State (4–0) | Pittsburg State (5–0) | Saginaw Valley State (6–0) | Texas A&M–Kingsville (5–1) | Central Oklahoma (7–1) | Valdosta State (8–1) | Valdosta State (9–1) | Valdosta State (10–1) | 5. |
| 6. | IUP [note 1] | IUP (0–0) | St. Cloud State (2–0) | Saginaw Valley State (2–0) | Saginaw Valley State (3–0) | Saginaw Valley State (4–0) | Saginaw Valley State (5–0) | Texas A&M–Kingsville (4–1) | Central Oklahoma (7–0) | Grand Valley State (7–1) | Catawba (8–1) | IUP (9–1) | IUP (10–1) | 6. |
| 7. | Saginaw Valley State | Saginaw Valley State (0–0) | Pittsburg State (1–0) | Central Missouri State (2–0) | Central Missouri State (3–0) | Central Missouri State (4–0) | Central Missouri State (5–0) | North Alabama (6–0) | Grand Valley State (6–1) | Catawba (7–1) | IUP (8–1) | North Dakota (9–1) | North Dakota (9–1) | 7. |
| 8. | St. Cloud State | St. Cloud State (1–0) | Central Missouri State (1–0) | Catawba (2–0) | Catawba (3–0) | Texas A&M–Kingsville (2–1) | Nebraska–Omaha (5–1) | North Dakota State (5–1) | Catawba (6–1) | IUP (7–1) | North Dakota (8–1) | Carson–Newman (9–1) | Carson–Newman (10–1) | 8. |
| 9. | Central Washington | Pittsburg State (0–0) | Minnesota–Duluth (1–0) | Chadron State (2–0) | Southern Arkansas (3–0) | Winona State (5–0) | Texas A&M–Kingsville (3–1) | Central Oklahoma (6–0) | IUP (6–1) | North Dakota (7–1) | Pittsburg State (8–1) | Pittsburg State (9–1) | Winona State (10–1) | 9. |
| 10. | Tuskegee | Tuskegee (0–1) | Catawba (1–0) | Southern Arkansas (2–0) | Texas A&M–Kingsville (1–1) | Nebraska–Omaha (4–1) | Emporia State (5–0) | Catawba (5–1) | North Dakota (6–1) | Pittsburg State (7–1) | Carson–Newman (8–1) | Emporia State (9–1) | Mesa State (10–1) | 10. |
| 11. | Pittsburg State | Minnesota–Duluth (0–0) | Bloomsburg (1–0) | Texas A&M–Kingsville (0–1) | Winona State (4–0) | St. Cloud State (4–1) | North Alabama (5–0) | IUP (5–1) | Pittsburg State (6–1) | Carson–Newman (7–1) | Emporia State (8–1) | Winona State (9–1) | Catawba (9–2) | 11. |
| 12. | Minnesota–Duluth | Central Missouri State (1–0) | Chadron State (0–0) | Central Arkansas (2–0) | St. Cloud State (3–1) | Emporia State (4–0) | North Dakota State (4–1) | North Dakota (5–1) | Emporia State (6–1) | Emporia State (7–1) | Central Missouri State (8–1) | Central Oklahoma (8–1) | Southern Arkansas (9–2) | 12. |
| 13. | Tarleton State | Catawba (0–0) | Texas A&M–Kingsville (0–1) | Tuskegee (2–1) | Nebraska–Omaha (3–1) | North Alabama (4–0) | Central Oklahoma (5–0) | Delta State (5–1) | Winona State (7–1) | Central Missouri State (7–1) | Winona State (8–1) | Catawba (8–2) | Pittsburg State (9–2) | 13. |
| 14. | Catawba | Tarleton State (0–0) | Tuskegee (1–1) | Fayetteville State (2–0) | Shippensburg (3–0) | North Dakota State (3–1) | Chadron State (4–1) | Winona State (6–1) | Central Missouri State (6–1) | Winona State (7–1) | Central Oklahoma (7–1) | Mesa State (9–1) | Delta State (9–2) | 14. |
| 15. | Chadron State | Bloomsburg (1–0) | Central Arkansas (1–0) | Winona State (3–0) | Minnesota–Duluth (2–1) | Southern Arkansas (3–1) | Catawba (4–1) | Central Missouri State (5–1) | Mesa State (6–1) | Tusculum (7–1) | Mesa State (8–1) | Southern Arkansas (8–2) | Central Missouri State (9–2) | 15. |
| 16. | Central Missouri State | Chadron State (0–0) | Southern Arkansas (1–0) | St. Cloud State (2–1) | East Stroudsburg (3–0) | Chadron State (3–1) | North Dakota (4–1) | Mesa State (5–1) | North Dakota State (6–2) | Mesa State (7–1) | North Dakota State (7–2) | Delta State (8–2) | Emporia State (9–2) | 16. |
| 17. | Fayetteville State | Fayetteville State (0–0) | Fayetteville State (1–0) | Northwest Missouri State (1–1) | Emporia State (3–0) | Catawba (3–1) | Delta State (4–1) | Bentley (6–0) | Nebraska–Omaha (6–2) | North Dakota State (6–2) | Southern Arkansas (7–2) | Central Missouri State (8–2) | Tusculum (9–2) | 17. |
| 18. | Bloomsburg | Nebraska–Omaha (1–0) | Northwest Missouri State (0–1) | Findlay (2–0) | North Dakota State (2–1) | Central Oklahoma (4–0) | Winona State (5–1) | Emporia State (5–1) | St. Cloud State (6–2) | Nebraska–Omaha (7–2) | Tarleton State (7–2) | Tusculum (8–2) | Edinboro (9–2) | 18. |
| 19. | Central Arkansas | Central Arkansas (0–0) | North Dakota (1–0) | Nebraska–Omaha (2–1) | Tarleton State (2–1) | Eastern New Mexico (4–0) | Shippensburg (4–1) | Nebraska–Omaha (5–2) | Bentley (7–0) | Southern Arkansas (6–2) | Bentley (8–0) | Bentley (9–0) | Bentley (10–0) | 19. |
| 20. | Southern Arkansas (0–0) | North Dakota State (2–0) | Shippensburg (2–0) | Fayetteville State (2–1) | North Dakota (3–1) | Bentley (5–0) | St. Cloud State (5–2) | Tusculum (6–1) | Bentley (8–0) | Delta State (7–2) | Edinboro (8–2) | Central Oklahoma (8–2) | 20. | |
| 21. | Shepherd (0–0) | Central Washington (1–1) | Minnesota–Duluth (1–1) | Chadron State (2–1) | Delta State (3–1) | St. Cloud State (4–2) | Eastern New Mexico (5–1) | Southern Arkansas (5–2) | Tarleton State (6–2) | Tusculum (7–2) | Chadron State (7–2) | Tarleton State (8–3) | 21. | |
| 22. | Nebraska–Omaha | Central Washington (0–1) | Winona State (2–0) | North Dakota State (2–1) | North Alabama (3–0) | Shippensburg (3–1) | Mesa State (4–1) | Tusculum (5–1) | Tarleton State (5–2) | Delta State (6–2) | Edinboro (7–2) | Nebraska–Omaha (8–3) | Chadron State (8–2) | 22. |
| 23. | Shepherd | Abilene Christian (0–0) | Findlay (1–0) | South Dakota (2–0) | Central Arkansas (2–1) | Bentley (4–0) | Eastern New Mexico (4–1) | Mansfield (6–0) | Northwest Missouri State (5–2) | Edinboro (6–2) | Chadron State (7–2) | North Dakota State (7–3) | North Dakota State (8–3) | 23. |
| 24. | Southern Arkansas | North Dakota (0–0) | Nebraska–Omaha (1–1) | Tarleton State (1–1) т | Central Oklahoma (3–0) | West Chester (3–1) | Tusculum (4–1) | Tarleton State (4–2) | Delta State (5–2) | Chadron State (6–2) | Southeastern Oklahoma State (7–2) | Tarleton State (7–3) | Nebraska–Omaha (8–3) | 24. |
| 25. | Abilene Christian | Findlay (1–0) | Tarleton State (0–1) | East Stroudsburg (2–0) т | North Dakota (2–1) | East Stroudsburg (3–1) | Findlay (4–1) | Northwest Missouri State (4–2) | Concordia (MN) (6–1) | Missouri Western State (6–2) | Nebraska–Omaha (7–3) | Minnesota–Duluth (8–2) | Northwest Missouri State (8–3) | 25. |
| 26. | Emporia State (2–0) 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] | Week 12 Nov 19[12] | ||
Dropped:
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| Dropped: 25 Missouri Western State | Dropped: 24 Southeastern Oklahoma State | Dropped: 25 Minnesota–Duluth | |||
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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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