INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- The University of Central Missouri Mules Football team is ranked seventh in the first set of NCAA Power Index (NPI) Super Region 4 Rankings released on Sunday, Oct. 18, by the NCAA. 

Harding checks in at No. 1 in the rankings, while Colorado State University Pueblo is No. 2 and Emporia State is No. 3, rounding out the top three. 

Northwest Missouri State is fourth, followed by Western Colorado, Central Washington, the Mules, and East Central, rounding out the top eight.  

In the overall NCAA Division II NPI rankings, Central Missouri is ranked 21st. Slippery Rock, out of Super Region 1, sits atop the overall rankings at No. 1. 

The NCAA Power Index (NPI) is a new ranking system in college athletics that evaluates a team's performance beyond just its record. NPI considers game results and the strength of schedule to determine a team's NPI ranking. NPI calculations update throughout the season as teams play additional contests and opponent NPI values change. A team's final NPI is not determined until the season's final games and rankings are complete.

The NPI replaces the NCAA's previous regional rankings system and will determine the at-large teams selected for the championship after the automatic qualifiers have been decided.

Super Region 4 consists of teams from the MIAA, Great American Conference (GAC), the Lone Star Conference (LSC), and the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC). The top eight teams in the final Super Region 4 NPI will advance to the 2026 NCAA-II Football Tournament. 

The Mules are 5-2 overall and 4-1 in the MIAA after posting a 49-43 win over the Washburn Ichabods in the annual UCM Homecoming Game on Saturday, Oct. 17, in Warrensburg.

Central Missouri is scheduled to travel to Emporia, Kan., to take on No. 8 and MIAA-leading Emporia State on Saturday, Oct. 24, at 7 p.m.