2025 NCAA Division III football season

The 2025 NCAA Division III football season will be the component of the 2025 college football season organized by the NCAA at the Division III level in the United States. The regular season will begin on September 4 and end on November 15. This will be the 52nd season that the NCAA has sponsored a Division III championship.

2025 NCAA Division III football season
Total No. of teams	242
Regular season	September 4 – November 15, 2025
Playoffs	November 22 – January 10, 2026
National championship	Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium Canton, OH January 10, 2026
← 2024 · NCAA Division III football seasons · 2026 →

North Central (IL) were the defending national champions.

The season's playoffs will be played between November 22 and January 10, 2026, culminating in the national championship—also known as the Stagg Bowl—at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio.

Conference changes and new programs

• The Eastern Collegiate Football Conference disbanded following the 2024 season, as its remaining members all departed to join other conferences.

Membership changes

Team	Former conference	New conference	Source
Alfred State Pioneers	ECFC	Empire 8	[1]
Anna Maria Amcats	ECFC	MASCAC	[2]
Carnegie Mellon Tartans	PAC	Centennial	[3]
Castleton Spartans	MASCAC	NJAC	[4]
Dean Bulldogs	ECFC	MASCAC	[5]
Ferrum Panthers	ODAC	Carolinas (D-II)	[6]
Gallaudet Bison	ECFC	ODAC	[7]
Hendrix Warriors	SAA	SCAC	[8]
Hilbert Hawks	Empire 8	Liberty	[9]
Hiram Terriers	NCAC	PAC	[10]
John Carroll Blue Streaks	OAC	NCAC	[11]
Keystone Giants	Landmark	Independent	[12]
Maine Maritime Mariners	Independent	CNE	[13]
Maryville Scots	USA South	SAA	[14]
New England College Pilgrims	New program	CNE	[15][16]
Roanoke Maroons	New program	ODAC	[17]
Western Connecticut Wolves	MASCAC	Landmark	[18]

Other headlines

• April 18 – The NESCAC announced that it would begin allowing its teams to participate in the NCAA Division III Championship, beginning in the 2026 season.^[19]

Conference standings

2025 American Rivers Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Buena Vista   0 – 0     0 – 0   Central (IA)   0 – 0     0 – 0   Coe   0 – 0     0 – 0   Dubuque   0 – 0     0 – 0   Loras   0 – 0     0 – 0   Luther   0 – 0     0 – 0   Nebraska Wesleyan   0 – 0     0 – 0   Simpson (IA)   0 – 0     0 – 0   Wartburg   0 – 0     0 – 0   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com	2025 American Southwest Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   East Texas Baptist   0 – 0     0 – 0   Hardin–Simmons   0 – 0     0 – 0   Howard Payne   0 – 0     0 – 0   Mary Hardin–Baylor   0 – 0     0 – 0   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com	2025 Centennial Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Carnegie Mellon   0 – 0     0 – 0   Dickinson   0 – 0     0 – 0   Franklin & Marshall   0 – 0     0 – 0   Gettysburg   0 – 0     0 – 0   Johns Hopkins   0 – 0     0 – 0   McDaniel   0 – 0     0 – 0   Muhlenberg   0 – 0     0 – 0   Ursinus   0 – 0     0 – 0   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com
2025 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Augustana (IL)   0 – 0     0 – 0   Carroll (WI)   0 – 0     0 – 0   Carthage   0 – 0     0 – 0   Elmhurst   0 – 0     0 – 0   Illinois Wesleyan   0 – 0     0 – 0   Millikin   0 – 0     0 – 0   North Central (IL)   0 – 0     0 – 0   North Park   0 – 0     0 – 0   Washington University   0 – 0     0 – 0   Wheaton (IL)   0 – 0     0 – 0   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3Football.com	2025 Conference of New England football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Curry   0 – 0     0 – 0   Endicott   0 – 0     0 – 0   Husson   0 – 0     0 – 0   Maine Maritime   0 – 0     0 – 0   New England (ME)   0 – 0     0 – 0   New England (NH)   0 – 0     0 – 0   Nichols   0 – 0     0 – 0   Western New England   0 – 0     0 – 0   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3Football.com	2025 Empire 8 Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Alfred   0 – 0     0 – 0   Alfred State   0 – 0     0 – 0   Brockport   0 – 0     0 – 0   Cortland   0 – 0     0 – 0   Hartwick   0 – 0     0 – 0   Morrisville   0 – 0     0 – 0   St. John Fisher   0 – 0     0 – 0   Utica   0 – 0     0 – 0   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3Football.com
2025 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Anderson (IN)   0 – 0     0 – 0   Bluffton   0 – 0     0 – 0   Franklin (IN)   0 – 0     0 – 0   Hanover   0 – 0     0 – 0   Manchester   0 – 0     0 – 0   Mount St. Joseph   0 – 0     0 – 0   Rose–Hulman   0 – 0     0 – 0   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	2025 Landmark Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Catholic University   0 – 0     0 – 0   Juniata   0 – 0     0 – 0   Lycoming   0 – 0     0 – 0   Moravian   0 – 0     0 – 0   Susquehanna   0 – 0     0 – 0   Western Connecticut   0 – 0     0 – 0   Wilkes   0 – 0     0 – 0   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3Football.com	2025 Liberty League football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Buffalo State   0 – 0     0 – 0   Hilbert   0 – 0     0 – 0   Hobart   0 – 0     0 – 0   Ithaca   0 – 0     0 – 0   Rochester   0 – 0     0 – 0   RPI   0 – 0     0 – 0   St. Lawrence   0 – 0     0 – 0   Union (NY)   0 – 0     0 – 0   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
2025 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Anna Maria   0 – 0     0 – 0   Bridgewater State   0 – 0     0 – 0   Dean   0 – 0     0 – 0   Fitchburg State   0 – 0     0 – 0   Framingham State   0 – 0     0 – 0   Massachusetts Maritime   0 – 0     0 – 0   Plymouth State   0 – 0     0 – 0   UMass Dartmouth   0 – 0     0 – 0   Westfield State   0 – 0     0 – 0   Worcester State   0 – 0     0 – 0   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	2025 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Adrian   0 – 0     0 – 0   Albion   0 – 0     0 – 0   Alma   0 – 0     0 – 0   Calvin   0 – 0     0 – 0   Hope   0 – 0     0 – 0   Kalamazoo   0 – 0     0 – 0   Olivet   0 – 0     0 – 0   Trine   0 – 0     0 – 0   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3Football.com	2025 Middle Atlantic Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Albright   0 – 0     0 – 0   Alvernia   0 – 0     0 – 0   Delaware Valley   0 – 0     0 – 0   Eastern   0 – 0     0 – 0   FDU–Florham   0 – 0     0 – 0   King's (PA)   0 – 0     0 – 0   Lebanon Valley   0 – 0     0 – 0   Misericordia   0 – 0     0 – 0   Stevenson   0 – 0     0 – 0   Widener   0 – 0     0 – 0   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
2025 Midwest Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Beloit   0 – 0     0 – 0   Chicago   0 – 0     0 – 0   Cornell (IA)   0 – 0     0 – 0   Grinnell   0 – 0     0 – 0   Illinois College   0 – 0     0 – 0   Knox   0 – 0     0 – 0   Lake Forest   0 – 0     0 – 0   Lawrence   0 – 0     0 – 0   Monmouth (IL)   0 – 0     0 – 0   Ripon   0 – 0     0 – 0   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	2025 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings v t e Div     Conf. Overall Team   W   L         W   L     W   L   Northwoods Division Carleton   0 – 0     0 – 0     0 – 0   Gustavus Adolphus   0 – 0     0 – 0     0 – 0   Saint John's (MN)   0 – 0     0 – 0     0 – 0   St. Olaf   0 – 0     0 – 0     0 – 0   St. Scholastica   0 – 0     0 – 0     0 – 0   Skyline Division Augsburg   0 – 0     0 – 0     0 – 0   Bethel (MN)   0 – 0     0 – 0     0 – 0   Concordia–Moorhead   0 – 0     0 – 0     0 – 0   Hamline   0 – 0     0 – 0     0 – 0   Macalester   0 – 0     0 – 0     0 – 0   $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3Football.com	2025 New England Small College Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Amherst   0 – 0     0 – 0   Bates   0 – 0     0 – 0   Bowdoin   0 – 0     0 – 0   Colby   0 – 0     0 – 0   Hamilton   0 – 0     0 – 0   Middlebury   0 – 0     0 – 0   Trinity (CT)   0 – 0     0 – 0   Tufts   0 – 0     0 – 0   Wesleyan   0 – 0     0 – 0   Williams   0 – 0     0 – 0   $ – Conference champion
2025 New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Coast Guard   0 – 0     0 – 0   Maritime   0 – 0     0 – 0   Merchant Marine   0 – 0     0 – 0   MIT   0 – 0     0 – 0   Norwich   0 – 0     0 – 0   Salve Regina   0 – 0     0 – 0   Springfield   0 – 0     0 – 0   WPI   0 – 0     0 – 0   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3Football.com	2025 New Jersey Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Castleton   0 – 0     0 – 0   Christopher Newport   0 – 0     0 – 0   Kean   0 – 0     0 – 0   Montclair State   0 – 0     0 – 0   Rowan   0 – 0     0 – 0   Salisbury   0 – 0     0 – 0   TCNJ   0 – 0     0 – 0   William Paterson   0 – 0     0 – 0   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3Football.com	2025 North Coast Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Denison   0 – 0     0 – 0   DePauw   0 – 0     0 – 0   John Carroll   0 – 0     0 – 0   Kenyon   0 – 0     0 – 0   Oberlin   0 – 0     0 – 0   Ohio Wesleyan   0 – 0     0 – 0   Wabash   0 – 0     0 – 0   Wittenberg   0 – 0     0 – 0   Wooster   0 – 0     0 – 0   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3Football.com
2025 Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Aurora   0 – 0     0 – 0   Benedictine (IL)   0 – 0     0 – 0   Concordia (IL)   0 – 0     0 – 0   Concordia (WI)   0 – 0     0 – 0   Eureka   0 – 0     0 – 0   Lakeland   0 – 0     0 – 0   Rockford   0 – 0     0 – 0   St. Norbert   0 – 0     0 – 0   Wisconsin Lutheran   0 – 0     0 – 0   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3Football.com	2025 Northwest Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   George Fox   0 – 0     0 – 0   Lewis & Clark   0 – 0     0 – 0   Linfield   0 – 0     0 – 0   Pacific (OR)   0 – 0     0 – 0   Pacific Lutheran   0 – 0     0 – 0   Puget Sound   0 – 0     0 – 0   Whitworth   0 – 0     0 – 0   Willamette   0 – 0     0 – 0   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3Football.com	2025 Ohio Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Baldwin Wallace   0 – 0     0 – 0   Capital   0 – 0     0 – 0   Heidelberg   0 – 0     0 – 0   Marietta   0 – 0     0 – 0   Mount Union   0 – 0     0 – 0   Muskingum   0 – 0     0 – 0   Ohio Northern   0 – 0     0 – 0   Otterbein   0 – 0     0 – 0   Wilmington   0 – 0     0 – 0   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3Football.com
2025 Old Dominion Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Averett   0 – 0     0 – 0   Bridgewater   0 – 0     0 – 0   Gallaudet   0 – 0     0 – 0   Guilford   0 – 0     0 – 0   Hampden–Sydney   0 – 0     0 – 0   Randolph–Macon   0 – 0     0 – 0   Roanoke   0 – 0     0 – 0   Shenandoah   0 – 0     0 – 0   Washington and Lee   0 – 0     0 – 0   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	2025 Presidents' Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Allegheny   0 – 0     0 – 0   Bethany (WV)   0 – 0     0 – 0   Case Western Reserve   0 – 0     0 – 0   Geneva   0 – 0     0 – 0   Grove City   0 – 0     0 – 0   Hiram   0 – 0     0 – 0   Saint Vincent   0 – 0     0 – 0   Thiel   0 – 0     0 – 0   Washington & Jefferson   0 – 0     0 – 0   Waynesburg   0 – 0     0 – 0   Westminster (PA)   0 – 0     0 – 0   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3Football.com	2025 Southern Athletic Association football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Berry   0 – 0     0 – 0   Centre   0 – 0     0 – 0   Maryville (TN)   0 – 0     0 – 0   Millsaps   0 – 0     0 – 0   Rhodes   0 – 0     0 – 0   Sewanee   0 – 0     0 – 0   Southwestern (TX)   0 – 0     0 – 0   Trinity (TX)   0 – 0     0 – 0   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
2025 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Sun Division La Verne   0 – 0     0 – 0   Pomona-Pitzer   0 – 0     0 – 0   Redlands   0 – 0     0 – 0   Surf Division Cal Lutheran   0 – 0     0 – 0   Chapman   0 – 0     0 – 0   Claremont-Mudd-Scripps   0 – 0     0 – 0   $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	2025 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Austin   0 – 0     0 – 0   Centenary   0 – 0     0 – 0   Hendrix   0 – 0     0 – 0   Lyon   0 – 0     0 – 0   McMurry   0 – 0     0 – 0   Texas Lutheran   0 – 0     0 – 0   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	2025 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Crown   0 – 0     0 – 0   Greenville   0 – 0     0 – 0   Martin Luther   0 – 0     0 – 0   Minnesota Morris   0 – 0     0 – 0   Northwestern (MN)   0 – 0     0 – 0   Westminster (MO)   0 – 0     0 – 0   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
2025 USA South Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Belhaven   0 – 0     0 – 0   Brevard   0 – 0     0 – 0   Greensboro   0 – 0     0 – 0   Huntingdon   0 – 0     0 – 0   LaGrange   0 – 0     0 – 0   Methodist   0 – 0     0 – 0   North Carolina Wesleyan   0 – 0     0 – 0   Southern Virginia   0 – 0     0 – 0   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	2025 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Wisconsin–Eau Claire   0 – 0     0 – 0   Wisconsin–La Crosse   0 – 0     0 – 0   Wisconsin–Oshkosh   0 – 0     0 – 0   Wisconsin–Platteville   0 – 0     0 – 0   Wisconsin–River Falls   0 – 0     0 – 0   Wisconsin–Stevens Point   0 – 0     0 – 0   Wisconsin–Stout   0 – 0     0 – 0   Wisconsin–Whitewater   0 – 0     0 – 0   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3Football.com	2025 NCAA Division III independents football records v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Keystone   –     0 – 0

Rankings

Main article: 2025 NCAA Division III football rankings

Postseason

Teams

See also: List of NCAA Division III football championship appearances by team

Automatic bids (27) Automatic bids Conference School Record Appearance Last American Rivers American Southwest Centennial CCIW Empire 8 HCAC Landmark Liberty MASCAC Michigan Middle Atlantic Midwest Minnesota NEWMAC New England New Jersey North Coast NACC Northwest Ohio Old Dominion Presidents' SAA SCIAC Upper Midwest USA South Wisconsin

At-large bids (13) At-large bids School Conference Record Appearance Last

Bracket

First round November 22 Campus sites

Second round November 29 Campus sites

Third round December 6 Campus sites

Quarterfinals December 13 Campus sites

Semifinals December 20 Campus sites

Championship 2026 Stagg Bowl January 10, 2026 Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium Canton, Ohio

* - Host team

Coaching changes

Preseason and in-season

This is restricted to coaching changes that took place on or after May 1, 2025, and will include any changes announced after a team's last regularly scheduled games but before its playoff games.

School	Outgoing coach	Date	Reason	Replacement	Previous position
Western Connecticut	Joe Loth	May 6, 2025	Hired as head coach by Southern Connecticut[20]	Kevin Jones (interim)[21]	Western Connecticut defensive coordinator (2018–2024)
Chapman	Bob Owens	May 9, 2025	Retired[22]
Augsburg	Derrin Lamker	May 21, 2025	Hired as head coach by Osseo HS (MN)[23]

See also

• 2025 NCAA Division I FBS football season
• 2025 NCAA Division I FCS football season
• 2025 NCAA Division II football season
• 2025 NAIA football season
• 2025 U Sports football season