2023 NCAA Division II Football Championship | |||||||||||||||||||
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Date | December 16, 2023 | ||||||||||||||||||
Season | 2023 | ||||||||||||||||||
Stadium | McKinney ISD Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||
Location | McKinney, Texas | ||||||||||||||||||
Attendance | 12,552 | ||||||||||||||||||
United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||
Network | ESPNU | ||||||||||||||||||
The 2023 NCAA Division II Football Championship Game was a college football game played on December 16, 2023, at McKinney ISD Stadium in McKinney, Texas. The game determined the national champion of NCAA Division II for the 2023 season. The game was scheduled to begin at 12:00 p.m. CST and was broadcast by ESPNU.
The game featured the two finalists of the 28-team playoff bracket, which began on November 18, 2022. The three-seed Harding Bisons from the Great American Conference (GAC) defeated the top-seeded Colorado Mines Orediggers from the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC), 38–7. The win gave the Harding football program its first national championship. [1] [2] [3]
The participants of the 2023 NCAA Division II Football Championship Game were the finalists of the 2023 Division II Playoffs, which began on November 18 with four 7-team brackets to determine super region champions, who then qualified for the national semifinals. [4]
Super region champions were reseeded 1 to 4 for the national semifinals.
Semifinals December 9, 2023 Hosted by higher seeded team | Championship December 16, 2023 McKinney, Texas | ||||||||
1 | Colorado Mines | 35 | |||||||
4 | Kutztown | 7 | |||||||
1 | Colorado Mines | 7 | |||||||
2 | Harding | 38 | |||||||
3 | Lenoir–Rhyne | 14 | |||||||
2 | Harding | 55 |
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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No. 3 Harding | 7 | 14 | 10 | 7 | 38 |
No. 1 Colorado Mines | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
Scoring summary | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The NCAA Division II football championship is an American college football tournament played annually to determine a champion at the NCAA Division II level. It was first held in 1973, as a single-elimination playoff with eight teams. The tournament field has subsequently been expanded three times: to 16 teams in 1988, 24 teams in 2004, and 28 teams in 2016.
The 2020 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game that determined a national champion in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision for the 2019 season. It was played at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, on January 11, 2020, with kickoff at 12:00 p.m. EST, and television coverage on ABC. It was the culminating game of the 2019 FCS Playoffs.
The 2019 NCAA Division II Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game that determined a national champion in NCAA Division II for the 2019 season. It was played at McKinney ISD Stadium in McKinney, Texas, on December 21, 2019, with kickoff at 3:00 p.m. EST, and television coverage on ESPNU.
The 2018 NCAA Division II Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game that determined a national champion in NCAA Division II for the 2018 season. It was played at McKinney ISD Stadium in McKinney, Texas, on December 15, 2018, with kickoff at 4:00 p.m. EST, and television coverage on ESPNU.
The 2017 NCAA Division II Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game that determined a national champion in NCAA Division II for the 2017 season. It was played at Children's Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas, on December 16, 2017, with kickoff at 5:00 p.m. EST, and television coverage on ESPN2.
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The 2021 NCAA Division III Football Championship Game, more commonly referred to as the 2021 Stagg Bowl or Stagg Bowl XLVIII, is a postseason college football game that determined a national champion in NCAA Division III for the 2021 season. It was played at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio, on December 17, 2021. Kickoff was scheduled for 7:00 p.m. EST, and the game aired on ESPNU. The game featured the North Central Cardinals, from the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin, and the Mary Hardin–Baylor Crusaders, from the American Southwest Conference.
The 2021 NCAA Division II Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game that determined a national champion in NCAA Division II for the 2021 season. It was played at McKinney ISD Stadium in McKinney, Texas, on December 18, 2021, with kickoff at 9:00 p.m. EST, and television coverage on ESPNU.
The 2022 NCAA Division II Football Championship Game was a college football game played on December 17, 2022, at McKinney ISD Stadium in McKinney, Texas. The game determined the national champion of NCAA Division II for the 2022 season. The game was scheduled to begin at 12:00 p.m. CST and was broadcast by ESPNU.
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The 2023 Colorado Mines Orediggers football team was an American football team that represented the Colorado School of Mines in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) during the 2023 NCAA Division II football season. In their first year under head coach Pete Sterbick, the team compiled a 14–1 record, outscored opponents by a total of 656 to 150, and won the RMAC championship. The team was led on offense by quarterback John Matocha who broke the NCAA record for career touchdowns, won the 2022 Harlon Hill Trophy and was a finalist for the award again in 2023.
The 2023 Harding Bisons football team was an American football team that represented Harding University in the Great American Conference (GAC) during the 2023 NCAA Division II football season. In their sixth year under head coach Paul Simmons, the team compiled a perfect 15–0 record, outscored opponents by a total of 665 to 156, and won the GAC and NCAA Division II championships. The team also set an NCAA record for most rushing yards in a season with 6,161 rushing yards.
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