The 2005 NCAA Division I-AA football rankings are from the Sports Network media poll and the coaches poll.
| 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 [1] | Week 1 Sept 6[2] | Week 2 Sept 13[3] | Week 3 Sept 20[4] | Week 4 Sept 27[5] | Week 5 Oct 4[6] | Week 6 Oct 11[7] | Week 7 Oct 18[8] | Week 8 Oct 25[9] | Week 9 Nov 1[10] | Week 10 Nov 8[11] | Week 11 Nov 15[12] | Week 12 Nov 22[13] | Week 13 Postseason[14] | ||
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| 1. | James Madison (49) | James Madison (1–0) (75) | Southern Illinois (2–0) (79) | Western Kentucky (2–0) (40) | New Hampshire (3–0) (65) | New Hampshire (4–0) (84) | Southern Illinois (4–1) (58) | Western Kentucky (5–1) (64) | Western Kentucky (6–1) (78) | Furman (7–1) (61) | New Hampshire (8–1) (57) | New Hampshire (9–1) (58) | New Hampshire (10–1) (45) | Appalachian State (12–3) (78) | 1. |
| 2. | Furman (21) | Furman (1–0) (19) | Western Kentucky (2–0) (4) | New Hampshire (2–0) (24) | Southern Illinois (2–1) (16) | Southern Illinois (3–1) (15) | Montana (4–1) (17) | Furman (6–1) (11) | Furman (7–1) (13) | New Hampshire (7–1) (25) | Hampton (9–0) (44) | Hampton (10–0) (39) | Hampton (11–0) (29) | Northern Iowa (11–4) | 2. |
| 3. | Montana (14) | Montana (1–0) (6) | New Hampshire (1–0) (5) | Southern Illinois (2–1) (31) | Western Kentucky (2–1) (14) | Western Kentucky (3–1) (5) | Western Kentucky (4–1) (11) | Cal Poly (5–1) (21) | Hampton (8–0) (13) | Hampton (8–0) (23) | Montana (7–2) (4) | Montana (8–2) (3) | Furman (9–2) | Furman (11–3) | 3. |
| 4. | Eastern Washington (11) | Southern Illinois (1–0) (3) | Montana (1–1) (8) | Montana (2–1) (5) | Montana (2–1) (7) | Montana (3–1) (6) | James Madison (4–1) (5) | Hampton (7–0) (16) | New Hampshire (6–1) (6) | Montana (6–2) (2) | Southern Illinois (7–2) | Furman (8–2) | Texas State (9–2) (1) | Texas State (11–3) | 4. |
| 5. | Southern Illinois (3) | Georgia Southern (1–0) | Eastern Washington (0–1) (10) | Eastern Washington (1–1) (10) | Delaware (3–0) (8) | James Madison (3–1) | Furman (5–1) (2) | New Hampshire (5–1) (1) | Montana (5–2) (1) | Southern Illinois (6–2) (1) | UMass (7–2) | Texas State (8–2) | Appalachian State (8–3) (3) | New Hampshire (11–2) | 5. |
| 6. | Georgia Southern | Eastern Washington (0–1) (1) | Delaware (1–0) (4) | Delaware (2–0) (4) | James Madison (2–1) | Furman (4–1) | Cal Poly (5–1) (12) | Eastern Washington (4–2) | Texas State (6–1) (3) | Western Kentucky (6–2) | Furman (7–2) | Appalachian State (7–3) (3) | Georgia Southern (8–3) | Cal Poly (9–4) | 6. |
| 7. | New Hampshire | New Hampshire (1–0) | William & Mary (1–1) (1) | James Madison (2–1) | Furman (3–1) (1) | Northern Iowa (3–1) (1) | Hampton (6–0) (9) | Texas State (5–1) (1) | UMass (6–1) (2) | Appalachian State (6–2) | Texas State (7–2) | UMass (7–3) | Northern Iowa (8–3) | Southern Illinois (9–4) | 7. |
| 8. | Western Kentucky | Western Kentucky (1–0) | James Madison (1–1) | North Dakota State (3–0) (3) | Northern Iowa (2–1) (1) | Hampton (5–0) (1) | New Hampshire (4–1) | UMass (5–1) (2) | Southern Illinois (5–2) | UMass (6–2) | Appalachian State (6–3) (3) | Georgia Southern (8–3) | Southern Illinois (8–3) | Richmond (9–4) | 8. |
| 9. | William & Mary (1) | Northwestern State (1–0) | Northern Iowa (2–0) (1) | Furman (2–1) | Hampton (4–0) (2) | Cal Poly (4–1) (3) | Montana State (4–2) | Montana (4–2) | William & Mary (5–2) | Coastal Carolina (7–1) | Coastal Carolina (8–1) | Coastal Carolina (9–1) | Montana (8–3) | Georgia Southern (8–4) | 9. |
| 10. | Delaware | Delaware (0–0) | Furman (1–1) | Northern Iowa (2–1) | Cal Poly (3–1) | Lehigh (3–1) | Texas State (4–1) | Southern Illinois (4–2) | Cal Poly (5–2) | Texas State (6–2) | Georgia Southern (7–3) | Northern Iowa (7–3) | Cal Poly (8–3) | Hampton (11–1) | 10. |
| 11. | Northwestern State | William & Mary (0–1) | Montana State (1–1) (1) | Hampton (3–0) | Lehigh (2–1) | Montana State (3–2) | William & Mary (3–2) | James Madison (4–2) | Youngstown State (7–1) (1) | Eastern Washington (5–3) | Montana State (6–3) | Southern Illinois (7–3) | Grambling State (8–1) | Grambling State (11–1) | 11. |
| 12. | Northern Iowa | Northern Iowa (1–0) | North Dakota State (2–0) (1) | Cal Poly (2–1) | Montana State (2–2) | North Dakota State (4–1) | Eastern Washington (3–2) | William & Mary (4–2) | Appalachian State (5–2) | Montana State (5–3) | Western Kentucky (6–3) | Lehigh (8–2) | Richmond (8–3) | Montana (8–4) | 12. |
| 13. | Hampton | Hampton (1–0) | Hampton (2–0) | Lehigh (1–1) | North Dakota State (3–1) | Delaware (3–1) | UMass (4–1) | Northern Iowa (4–2) | Coastal Carolina (6–1) | Lehigh (6–2) | Lehigh (7–2) | Cal Poly (7–3) | Youngstown State (8–3) | Eastern Washington (7–5) | 13. |
| 14. | Lehigh | Lehigh (1–0) | Georgia Southern (1–1) | Texas State (2–0) | Eastern Washington (1–2) | Texas State (3–1) | Northern Iowa (3–2) | Coastal Carolina (5–1) | Eastern Washington (4–3) | Georgia Southern (6–3) | Northern Iowa (6–3) | Grambling State (8–1) | South Carolina State (9–2) | Youngstown State (8–3) | 14. |
| 15. | UMass (1) [note 1] | UMass (1–0) | Northwestern State (1–1) | Harvard (1–0) (1) | Harvard (2–0) (1) | Eastern Washington (2–2) | Coastal Carolina (4–1) | Youngstown State (6–1) (1) | Montana State (4–3) | Youngstown State (7–2) | Cal Poly (6–3) | Youngstown State (8–3) | Eastern Washington (7–4) | Brown (9–1) | 15. |
| 16. | Sam Houston State | Montana State (0–1) | Lehigh (1–1) | William & Mary (1–2) | Texas State (2–1) | Appalachian State (3–1) | Georgia Southern (4–2) | Appalachian State (4–2) | Lehigh (5–2) | William & Mary (5–3) | Grambling State (7–1) | South Carolina State (8–2) | Brown (9–1) | Eastern Illinois (9–3) | 16. |
| 17. | Cal Poly[note 2] | Sam Houston State (1–0) | Coastal Carolina (2–0) | Hofstra (2–0) | Appalachian State (3–1) | William & Mary (2–2) | Youngstown State (5–1) | North Dakota State (4–2) | James Madison (4–3) | Northern Iowa (5–3) | South Carolina State (7–2) | Richmond (7–3) | Montana State (7–4) | Nicholls State (6–4) | 17. |
| 18. | Montana State | Harvard (0–0) (1) | Cal Poly (1–1) | Montana State (1–2) | Western Carolina (2–1) | UMass (3–1) | North Dakota State (4–2) | Montana State (4–3) | Illinois State (5–3) | Cal Poly (5–3) | Richmond (6–3) | Brown (8–1) | UMass (7–4) | Montana State (7–4) | 18. |
| 19. | Harvard (1) | Cal Poly (0–1) | Harvard (0–0) (1) | Western Carolina (2–1) | William & Mary (2–2) | Coastal Carolina (4–1) | Appalachian State (3–2) | South Carolina State (5–1) | Georgia Southern (5–3) | Grambling State (6–1) | Youngstown State (7–3) | Eastern Washington (6–4) | Eastern Illinois (9–2) | UMass (7–4) | 19. |
| 20. | Jacksonville State | North Dakota State (1–0) | Texas State (2–0) | South Carolina State (3–0) | South Carolina State (3–0) | Harvard | Lehigh (3–2) | McNeese State (3–1) | Portland State (5–3) | South Carolina State (6–2) | Brown (7–1) | North Dakota State (7–3) | Coastal Carolina (9–2) | South Carolina State (9–2) | 20. |
| 21. | Wofford | Jacksonville State (0–1) | McNeese State (1–0) | Wofford (2–1) | UMass (3–1) | Georgia Southern (3–2) | South Carolina State (4–1) | Lehigh (4–2) | Northern Iowa (4–3) | UC Davis (5–3) | Eastern Washington (5–4) | Eastern Illinois (8–2) | Nicholls State (6–3) | Lafayette (8–4) | 21. |
| 22. | North Dakota State | Wofford (1–0) | Western Carolina (2–0) | Appalachian State (2–1) | Wofford (2–1) | Youngstown State (4–1) | Delaware (3–2) | Northwestern State (3–2) | Grambling State (5–1) | Brown (6–1) | North Dakota State (6–3) | Montana State (6–4) | Lehigh (8–3) | Illinois State (7–4) | 22. |
| 23. | Texas State | Texas State (1–0) | Hofstra (1–0) | Northwestern State (1–2) | Hofstra (2–1) | Northwestern State (1–2) | Northwestern State (2–2) | Hofstra (4–2) | South Carolina State (5–2) | Richmond (5–3) | Eastern Illinois (7–2) | Western Kentucky (6–4) | Illinois State (7–4) | Colgate (8–4) | 23. |
| 24. | Hofstra | Hofstra (0–0) | Sam Houston State (1–1) | UMass (2–1) | Idaho State (3–1) | South Carolina State (3–1) | Stephen F. Austin (4–1) | Georgia Southern (4–3) | Alabama State (6–1) | North Dakota State (5–3) | William & Mary (5–4) | Illinois State (7–4) | Colgate (8–3) | Coastal Carolina (9–2) | 24. |
| 25. | Grambling State | Appalachian State (1–0) | UMass (1–1) | Rhode Island (3–0) | Northwestern State (1–2) | Idaho State (3–2) | McNeese State (2–1) | Portland State (4–3) | Penn (5–1) | Eastern Illinois (6–2) | James Madison (5–4) | Nicholls State (5–3) | Lafayette (8–3) | James Madison (7–4) | 25. |
| Preseason [1] | Week 1 Sept 6[2] | Week 2 Sept 13[3] | Week 3 Sept 20[4] | Week 4 Sept 27[5] | Week 5 Oct 4[6] | Week 6 Oct 11[7] | Week 7 Oct 18[8] | Week 8 Oct 25[9] | Week 9 Nov 1[10] | Week 10 Nov 8[11] | Week 11 Nov 15[12] | Week 12 Nov 22[13] | Week 13 Postseason[14] | ||
| Dropped: 25 Grambling State | Dropped:
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| Dropped: 25 Rhode Island | Dropped:
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| Dropped: 21 UC Davis | Dropped:
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| Dropped: 22 Lehigh | |||
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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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