2025 NCAA Division III football season

2025 NCAA Division III football season
Total No. of teams	241
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 IIIfootball seasons ·  2026  →

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.

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   No. 9 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   No. 6 Hardin–Simmons   0 – 0     0 – 0   Howard Payne   0 – 0     0 – 0   No. 8 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   No. 18 Carnegie Mellon   0 – 0     0 – 0   Dickinson   0 – 0     0 – 0   Franklin & Marshall   0 – 0     0 – 0   Gettysburg   0 – 0     0 – 0   No. 3 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   No. 1 North Central (IL)   0 – 0     0 – 0   North Park   0 – 0     0 – 0   Washington University   0 – 0     0 – 0   No. 17 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   No. 10 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   No. 4 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   No. 20 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   No. 5 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   No. 12 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   No. 13 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   No. 7 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   No. 14 DePauw   0 – 0     0 – 0   No. 25 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   No. 22 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   No. 16 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   No. 2 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   No. 21 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   No. 23 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   No. 11 Wisconsin–La Crosse   0 – 0     0 – 0   Wisconsin–Oshkosh   0 – 0     0 – 0   No. 15 Wisconsin–Platteville   0 – 0     0 – 0   No. 19 Wisconsin–River Falls   0 – 0     0 – 0   Wisconsin–Stevens Point   0 – 0     0 – 0   Wisconsin–Stout   0 – 0     0 – 0   No. 24 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 (28) 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 SCAC Upper Midwest USA South Wisconsin

At-large bids (12) 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

References

1. "Alfred State College to Join Empire 8 as Football Affiliate Member in 2025" (Press release). Empire 8 Conference. October 10, 2023. Retrieved May 27, 2025.
2. "Anna Maria College Accepts Invitation to Join MASCAC" (Press release). Anna Maria College Athletics. October 4, 2023. Retrieved May 27, 2025.
3. "Carnegie Mellon Football to Join Centennial Conference For 2025 Season". Carnegie Mellon Tartans Athletics. September 9, 2024. Retrieved May 27, 2025.
4. "VTSU Castleton Finds a New Home For Football In The NJAC". VTSU Castleton Spartans Athletics. October 30, 2024. Retrieved May 27, 2025.
5. "Dean College Football to Join MASCAC in 2025" (Press release). Dean College. October 10, 2023. Retrieved May 27, 2025.
6. "Conference Carolinas Unveils Addition of 16th Member in Ferrum College" (Press release). Conference Carolinas. April 5, 2024. Retrieved May 27, 2025.
7. "Gallaudet football to join the ODAC as an Associate Member in 2025" (Press release). Gallaudet University. July 3, 2024. Retrieved May 27, 2025.
8. "Hendrix College Announces Return to SCAC in 2025". Hendrix Warriors Athletics. June 11, 2024. Retrieved May 27, 2025.
9. "Empire 8 and Liberty League Announce Football Non-Conference Scheduling Agreement". Hilbert Hawks Athletics. June 21, 2024. Retrieved May 27, 2025.
10. "Hiram College to Return to Presidents' Athletic Conference". Hiram College. April 23, 2024. Retrieved May 27, 2025.
11. "John Carroll University Joins North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC)". John Carroll University. January 18, 2024. Retrieved May 27, 2025.
12. "Keystone heading into season of change". d3football.com. April 24, 2025. Retrieved May 29, 2025. The small school in northeast Pennsylvania has had to battle erroneous published reports that it was closing its doors in December, as well as a threat to its academic accreditation, and the loss of its spot in the Landmark Conference for football.
13. "CCC Welcomes Maine Maritime as Associate Member in Football". Conference of New England. January 9, 2023. Retrieved May 27, 2025.
14. "Southern Athletic Association (SAA) invites Maryville College to join prestigious DIII conference". Maryville College. July 18, 2024. Retrieved May 27, 2025.
15. "New England College Adds Football to Its Athletics Playbook". New England College Pilgrims. June 13, 2023.
16. "NEC Football to Join CCC for 2025". New England College Pilgrims. November 15, 2023. Retrieved May 27, 2025.
17. "Roanoke College Raises $1.3M to Reinstate Football, Add Cheerleading and Marching Band". Roanoke Maroons. June 1, 2023.
18. "Western Connecticut State Joins Landmark as Football Affiliate". Landmark Conference. August 27, 2024. Retrieved May 27, 2025.
19. "NESCAC to Begin Participating in NCAA Division III Football Championship" (Press release). New England Small College Athletic Conference. April 18, 2025. Retrieved May 27, 2025.
20. "Joe Loth Named SCSU Football Head Coach" (Press release). Southern Connecticut Owls Athletics. May 6, 2025. Retrieved May 27, 2025.
21. "Kevin Jones Elevated To WestConn Interim Head Football Coach" (Press release). Western Connecticut Wolves Athletics. May 9, 2025. Retrieved May 27, 2025.
22. "Owens announces retirement after 19 years at Chapman" (Press release). Chapman Panthers Athletics. May 9, 2025. Retrieved May 27, 2025.
23. "Sources: Division III head coach previously at center of unprecedented situation to take new role". FootballScoop. May 21, 2025. Retrieved May 27, 2025.