The first Division III football regional rankings were released by the NCAA on Nov. 9.
Remember that regional rankings primarily take Division III games into account. Teams are listed with their Division III record first, followed by their overall record. For more information about the playoff format and how participants are determined, check out our FAQ.
| East Region | SOS | Notes |
|
1 Alfred 9-0 9-0 |
.552 .563 .605 .584 .501 .500 .533 .517 .504 .500 |
Empire 8 could pick up an at-large bid if St. John Fisher beats Alfred on Saturday ... Still lots up in the air because few teams here have clinched automatic bids ... Frostburg could play its way into the conversation with a win vs. Salisbury on Saturday but right now is off the bubble, too far down the list. ... St. Lawrence needs a lot of help. The Saints might have a better shot at winning their automatic bid (Rochester upsetting Hobart) than getting an at-large. |
| North Region | SOS | Notes |
|
1 Mount Union 9-0 9-0 |
.454 .527 .551 .472 .561 .527 .450 .504 .499 .517 |
Mount Union and John Carroll play head-to-head on Saturday. ... Wheaton looks like a lock as an at-large/Pool C entrant. ... Wabash will see its SOS number rise this weekend but that may not be enough. ... Franklin and Illinois Wesleyan are too far down the list to get in without serious help. |
| South Region | SOS | Notes |
| 1 Mary Hardin-Baylor 8-0 9-0 2 Johns Hopkins 9-0 9-0 3 Hardin-Simmons 6-1 8-1 4 Case Western Reserve 9-0 9-0 5 Thomas More 9-1 9-1 6 Muhlenberg 8-1 8-1 7 Berry 8-1 8-1 8 Randolph-Macon 8-1 8-1 9 Huntingdon 7-1 8-1 10 Centre 8-1 8-1 |
.581 .517 .547 .475 .527 .481 .496 .492 .448 .450 |
Mary Hardin-Baylor is as much of a lock for the one Pool B bid in this year's playoffs as anyone has ever been. ... Hardin-Simmons will come off the board early for Pool C/at-large and Case will get its opportunity, assuming both win on Saturday. The bubble starts there and Muhlenberg needs a lot of help. |
| West Region | SOS | Notes |
|
1 UW-Whitewater 7-0 9-0 |
.576 .511 .617 .521 .527 .504 .527 .588 .466 .461 |
UW-Oshkosh is as much of a lock for a Pool C/at-large bid to this year's playoffs as anyone has ever been. ... St. John's will see its SOS rise on Saturday and with a win, will get serious consideration for one of the six at-large bids. ... Beyond that, UW-Platteville needs help. It's also unclear if Concordia-Moorhead would have enough help from beating St. John's (if it beats St. John's) to leap over UWP in the pecking order. |
How to use these regional rankings: If you are an at-large candidate, you want to be sure you are the top at-large candidate in your region. That will ensure you get discussed by the national committee and have a chance to be put in the field.
Also clinched a bid, but not ranked in its region: Husson (7-1, .440); Redlands (7-1, .450), Bridgewater State (7-2, .503)
There are 25 automatic bids, one Pool B bid and six Pool C (true national at-large) bids. Selection Sunday is Nov. 13.
Being listed in these rankings is not a guarantee of selection to the playoffs. There is no guarantee an at-large team will be taken from each region.