One human poll made up the 2011 NAIA football rankings, sometimes called the NAIA Coaches' Poll or the football ratings. Once the regular season was complete, the NAIA sponsored a 16-team playoff to determine the year's national champion. A final poll was then taken after completion of the 2011 NAIA Football National Championship.^[1]

The poll release dates were:

• April 18, 2011 (Spring)
• August 8, 2011 (Preseason)
• September 12, 2011
• September 19, 2011
• September 26, 2011
• October 3, 2011
• October 10, 2011
• October 17, 2011
• October 24, 2011
• October 31, 2011
• November 7, 2011
• November 13, 2011 (Final)
• December 19, 2011 (Postseason)

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 end of 2011, 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.

In 1999, the results of a postseason poll, if one was conducted, are not known. Therefore, an additional poll was presumed, and the #1 postseason ranking has been credited to the postseason tournament champion, the Northwestern Oklahoma State Rangers.