INDIANAPOLIS – Kutztown University football landed at No. 2 in Super Region 1 and No. 8 in Division II when the NCAA revealed its initial NPI rankings, Sunday.
 
Newly instituted for 2026, the NCAA Power Index (NPI) will determine this year's NCAA Championship tournament field, replacing ranking committees and previously used selection criteria. The NCAA will release NPI rankings each Sunday throughout the remainder of the regular season leading up to the NCAA Selection Show Sunday, Nov. 15.
 
The NPI ranks all Division II programs based on results and the strength of its opponents. Each game produces a value based on the game outcome (win, lose, tie) and the opponent's NPI.
 
Kutztown's initial NPI ranking of 61.746 is second in Super Region 1 behind Slippery Rock's NCAA DII-best 66.161.
 
The Golden Bears are 7-0 overall but 6-0 against DII opponents with their victory against Lackawanna, which is transitioning from the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) to DII, not factoring into the NPI rankings. KU's best win to date came on the road against No. 40 Assumption, 56-35, in its season-opener. The Greyhounds are currently ranked No. 10 in SR1.
 
Kutztown also has a home win over No. 50 Shepherd and a road win at No. 58 Lock Haven. The Rock (7-0) own road wins over No. 15 East Stroudsburg and No. 28 Indiana (Pa.) along with a home win over No. 23 Minnesota Duluth.
 
Joining Slippery Rock and Kutztown in the top 10 of the SR1 rankings are East Stroudsburg, Virginia State, West Liberty, Indiana (Pa.), Virginia Union, Johnson C. Smith, Franklin Pierce and Assumption.
 
The final NPI rankings will not be posted publicly on Nov. 15 until the conclusion of the NCAA Selection Show.
 
Kutztown returns to Andre Reed Stadium next Saturday to face West Chester in its Homecoming game at noon.
 

SUPER REGION 1 NPI RANKINGS | OCT. 18, 2026 

Rank	School	Conf.	DII W-L	NPI
1.	Slippery Rock	PSAC West	7-0	66.161
2.	Kutztown	PSAC East	6-0	61.746
3.	East Stroudsburg	PSAC East	5-1	59.376
4.	Virginia State	CIAA	7-0	56.931
5.	West Liberty	MEC	6-1	55.810
6.	Indiana (Pa.)	PSAC West	5-2	55.567
7.	Virginia Union	CIAA	6-1	55.445
8.	Johnson C. Smith	CIAA	6-1	54.682
9.	Franklin Pierce	NE-10	4-0	54.379
10.	Assumption	NE-10	4-2	54.327