One human poll made up the 2016 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) football rankings, sometimes called the NAIA Coaches' Poll or the football ratings. When the regular season was complete, the NAIA conducted a playoff to determine the year's national champion. A final poll was taken after completion of the 2016 NAIA Football National Championship.
The poll release dates were:[1]
| 2016 Poll Release Dates | |
|---|---|
| Spring | April 11 |
| Preseason | August 8 |
| Week 1 | September 12 |
| Week 2 | September 19 |
| Week 3 | September 26 |
| Week 4 | October 3 |
| Week 5 | October 10 |
| Week 6 | October 17 |
| Week 7 | October 24 |
| Week 8 | October 31 |
| Week 9 | November 7 |
| Week 10 (Final Regular Season) | November 13 |
| Postseason | December 20 |
| No change in ranking | ||
| Increase in ranking | ||
| Decrease in ranking | ||
| Not ranked previous week | ||
| NAIA National Champion | ||
| (т) | Tied with team above or below also with this symbol |
Since the inception of the Coaches' Poll in 1999, the #1 ranking in the various weekly polls has been held by only a select group of teams. Through the final poll of the 2016 season, the team and the number of times they have held the #1 weekly ranking are shown below. The number of times a team has been ranked #1 in the postseason poll (the national champion) is shown in parentheses.
There has been only one tie for the leading vote-getter in a weekly poll. In 2015, Southern Oregon was tied with Marian (IN) in the preseason poll.
In 1999, the results of a postseason poll, if one was conducted, are not known. Therefore, an additional poll has been presumed, and the #1 postseason ranking has been credited to the postseason tournament champion, the Northwestern Oklahoma State Rangers.
| Team | Total #1 Rankings |
|---|---|
| Carroll (MT) | 57 (6) |
| Sioux Falls (SD) | 55 (3) |
| Georgetown (KY) | 25 (2) |
| Marian (IN) | 24 (2) |
| Morningside (IA) | 20 |
| Saint Xavier (IL) | 14 (1) |
| Northwestern Oklahoma State | 12 (1) |
| Southern Oregon | 5 (1) |
| Grand View (IA) | 4 (1) |
| Saint Francis (IN) | 4 (1) |
| Lindsey Wilson (KY) | 4 |
| Azusa Pacific (CA) | 3 |
| Cumberlands (KY) | 2 |