| | '98 Record | '98 Rank* | Returning Starters |
| 1 | Carson-Newman (Tenn.) | 12-2 | 2 | 15 |
| Free safety Montrae Ford had a team-high seven interceptions in '98 |
| 2 | Northern Colorado | 11-2 | 5 | 12 |
| Corte McGuffey, who completed 63.2% of his passes last fall, is the best QB in Division II |
| 3 | Northwest Missouri State | 14-0 | 1 | 15 |
| The defending champs have holes on offense, but six of the front seven are back on defense |
| 4 | Texas A&M Kingsville | 11-3 | 3 | 12 |
| Terrance Bennett averaged 7.1 yards running behind All-America guard Cliff Clemons and Co. |
| 5 | Central Oklahoma | 12-1 | 4 | 14 |
| The Bronchos have a bull in RB Reggie Donner, who rushed for 1,546 yards and 19 TDs in '98 |
| 6 | Slippery Rock (Pa.) | 12-2 | 7 | 14 |
| Quarterback Randy McKavish has amassed 5,066 yards of total offense in two years |
| 7 | West Georgia | 10-2 | 14 | 13 |
| The Braves are led by sack kings Vinson Cooper (8 in '98), Pat Brown (7) and Courtney Roebuck (7) |
| 8 | UC Davis | 10-2 | 9 | 12 |
| With three All-Americas the Aggies will roll to their 30th consecutive winning season |
| 9 | Nebraska Omaha | 9-3 | 10 | 13 |
| The Mavericks' backfield will be well protected with a line that averages 6'4", 313 pounds |
| 10 | Saginaw Valley State (Mich.) | 9-2 | 21 | 16 |
| Division II leader in rushing is shifting to a pass-oriented attack under new coach Randy Awrey |
| 11 | Albany State (Ga.) | 9-2 | 24 | 18 |
| Golden Rams running back Robert Cummings amassed 1,345 total yards last season |
| 12 | Shepherd (W.Va.) | 10-2 | 8 | 15 |
| Damian Beane is 2,235 yards short of Brian Shay's all-divisions career rushing record (6,958) |
| 13 | Indiana (Pa.) | 10-2 | 12 | 10 |
| Backs Terrance Wilson and Tink Stennett combined for 1,797 yards and 16 touchdowns in '98 |
| 14 | North Alabama | 8-2 | 6 | 13 |
| The Lions roared for 363 yards per game last season but must replace the starting backfield |
| 15 | Pittsburg State (Kans.) | 7-3 | 23 | 11 |
| Gorillas' new quarterback, Lateef Walker, scored four touchdowns as a running back last year |
| 16 | New Haven | 5-5 | -- | 12 |
| The Chargers lost their five games last season by a total of 17 points |
| 17 | Millersville (Pa.) | 8-2 | 17 | 14 |
| Marauders magician: Drew Folmar threw for 3,039 yards and 30 touchdowns last fall |
| 18 | Tuskegee (Ala.) | 10-2 | 18 | 12 |
| 5'7" Michael Scott (1,254 yards) and 5'6" Severon Zachary make up a little but feisty backfield |
| 19 | Chadron State (Neb.) | 9-2 | 11 | 14 |
| The starting running backs (5.4 yards per carry) return, but the Eagles must replace their QB |
| 20 | Southern Arkansas | 8-2 | 16 | 15 |
| Expect the Muleriders to rotate Adam Pendergrass and Tim Barrington at quarterback |
| 21 | Winona State (Minn.) | 9-2 | -- | 13 |
| 5'7", 170-pound running back-kick returner Carson Walch is a threat to score on every carry |
| 22 | Delta State (Miss.) | 8-3 | 15 | 10 |
| Statesmen RBs Casey Macke (1,111 yards, eight TDs) and Tregnel Thomas make a formidable duo |
| 23 | North Dakota | 8-3 | 19 | 11 |
| Running back Chad Faul (9.6 yards per carry last fall) is ready to shoulder the load |
| 24 | Bentley (Mass.) | 8-2 | -- | 11 |
| WR Mark DeBrito, tailback Matt Rapoza and QB Ted Larkin scored 27 of the Falcons' 36 TDs in '98 |
| 25 | Southern Connecticut | 8-2 | -- | 17 |
| Senior Rashaan Dumas (4,085 career yards, 55 TDs) is one of the nation's premier tailbacks |
