# 2019 NCAA Division III football season

The 2019 NCAA Division III football season is the component of the 2019 college football season organized by the NCAA at the Division III level in the United States. The regular season began on September 5 and culminated on November 16.
The season's playoffs ended with the NCAA Division III Football Championship (also known as the Stagg Bowl) at Woodforest Bank Stadium in Shenandoah, Texas, hosted by the University of Mary Hardin–Baylor.
The annual Cortaca Jug game between Ithaca and Cortland on November 16 was moved to MetLife Stadium in honor of the 150th anniversary of college football. It became the most-attended game in Division III history, with 45,161 fans watching Ithaca defeat Cortland 32–20.

## Conference changes and new programs
### Membership changes

| School | Former conference | New conference |
| Buffalo State Bengals | Empire 8 | Liberty League |
| Earlham Quakers | HCAC | Suspended program |
| Thomas More Saints | Independent | Mid-South (NAIA) |
| Frostburg State Bobcats | NJAC | Mountain East (D-II) |
| Husson Eagles | ECFC | Commonwealth Coast |
| Southern Virginia Knights | NJAC | ODAC |
Belhaven completed its transition to Division III and became eligible for the postseason.

## Conference standings

2019 American Rivers Conference football standings :
| 2019 American Rivers Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 17 Central (IA) +^  7 –1  10 –2   No. 14 Wartburg +^  7 –1  10 –2   Dubuque  6 –2  7 –3   Coe  5 –3  6 –4   Loras  4 –4  5 –5   Simpson (IA)  4 –4  5 –5   Buena Vista  1 –7  3 –7   Nebraska Wesleyan  1 –7  3 –7   Luther  1 –7  1 –9   + – Conference co-champions^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2019 American Southwest Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 6 Mary Hardin–Baylor $^  9 –0  12 –1   Texas Lutheran  8 –1  8 –2   No. 21 Hardin–Simmons  7 –2  8 –2   East Texas Baptist  6 –3  6 –4   Howard Payne  4 –5  5 –5   Southwestern (TX)  3 –6  4 –6   Louisiana College  3 –6  3 –7   Sul Ross  3 –6  3 –7   Belhaven  2 –7  2 –8   McMurry  0 –9  0 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2019 Centennial Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 7 Muhlenberg $^  9 –0  13 –1   No. 16 Susquehanna  8 –1  10 –1   Johns Hopkins  6 –3  8 –3   Franklin & Marshall  5 –4  7 –4   Dickinson  4 –5  5 –5   Ursinus  4 –5  5 –5   Moravian  4 –5  4 –6   McDaniel  2 –7  3 –7   Juniata  2 –7  2 –8   Gettysburg  1 –8  1 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com |
| 2019 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 5 Wheaton (IL) $^  9 –0  12 –1   No. 1 North Central (IL) ^  8 –1  14 –1   Washington University  6 –3  7 –3   Illinois Wesleyan  6 –3  6 –4   Augustana (IL)  5 –4  6 –4   Millikin  4 –5  5 –5   Carthage  4 –5  4 –6   Carroll (WI)  1 –8  2 –8   Elmhurst  1 –8  1 –9   North Park  1 –8  1 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2019 Commonwealth Coast Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Western New England $^  7 –0  9 –2   Endicott  6 –1  9 –2   Nichols  4 –3  6 –4   Husson  4 –3  4 –6   Salve Regina  3 –4  4 –6   New England  2 –5  4 –6   Curry  2 –5  2 –8   Becker  0 –7  2 –8   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant | 2019 Eastern Collegiate Football Conference standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Dean $#  4 –1  4 –6   SUNY Maritime ^  3 –2  5 –6   Alfred State  2 –3  3 –6   Gallaudet  2 –3  2 –6   Castleton  2 –3  2 –7   Anna Maria  2 –3  2 –8   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant # – Provisional Division III member |
| 2019 Empire 8 Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 25 Brockport +^  5 –1  9 –3   Cortland +  5 –1  8 –3   Morrisville State  4 –2  6 –5   Utica  3 –3  5 –5   Alfred  2 –4  5 –5   St. John Fisher  2 –4  5 –5   Hartwick  0 –6  1 –9   + – Conference co-champions^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2019 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Hanover $^  7 –0  9 –2   Mount St. Joseph  5 –2  7 –3   Rose–Hulman  5 –2  6 –4   Franklin (IN)  4 –3  5 –5   Manchester  3 –4  4 –6   Bluffton  2 –5  2 –8   Anderson (IN)  1 –6  3 –7   Defiance  1 –6  1 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant | 2019 Liberty League football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 12 Union (NY) $^  6 –0  11 –1   Hobart  4 –2  9 –2   Ithaca  4 –2  8 –3   RPI  3 –3  6 –5   St. Lawrence  3 –3  5 –5   Buffalo State  1 –5  1 –9   Rochester (NY)  0 –6  0 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com |
| 2019 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Framingham State $^  8 –0  8 –3   Western Connecticut  6 –2  8 –3   Bridgewater State  6 –2  6 –4   UMass Dartmouth  5 –3  7 –3   Massachusetts Maritime  4 –4  6 –4   Plymouth State  4 –4  6 –4   Westfield State  2 –6  2 –8   Fitchburg State  1 –7  2 –8   Worcester State  0 –8  0 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant | 2019 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Hope $^  7 –0  9 –2   Albion  5 –2  8 –2   Olivet  5 –2  8 –2   Alma  4 –3  6 –4   Adrian  4 –3  5 –5   Trine  2 –5  5 –5   Kalamazoo  1 –6  2 –8   Finlandia  0 –7  0 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant | 2019 Middle Atlantic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 8 Delaware Valley $^  8 –0  11 –2   Stevenson  7 –1  8 –3   Wilkes  6 –2  8 –3   Misericordia  5 –3  5 –5   Widener  4 –4  5 –5   King's (PA)  3 –5  5 –5   Lycoming  3 –5  4 –6   Lebanon Valley  3 –5  3 –7   FDU Florham  2 –6  3 –7   Albright  2 –6  2 –8   Alvernia  1 –7  2 –8   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com |
| 2019 Midwest Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  North St. Norbert xy  5 –0  6 –3   Lake Forest  4 –1  7 –3   Ripon  3 –2  4 –6   Macalester  2 –3  4 –6   Beloit  1 –4  1 –9   Lawrence  0 –5  1 –8   South Monmouth (IL) xy$^  4 –0  7 –3   Chicago  3 –1  6 –3   Illinois College  2 –2  6 –3   Cornell (IA)  1 –3  4 –5   Knox  0 –4  3 –6   Grinnell *  0 –0  0 –3   Championship: Monmouth 10, St. Norbert 7 $ – Conference championx – Division champion/co-championsy – Championship game participant^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant * – Grinnell canceled seven games, including all five divisional games. | 2019 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 4 Saint John's (MN) +^  7 –1  12 –2   No. 15 St. Thomas (MN) +  7 –1  8 –2   No. 23 Bethel (MN)  6 –2  8 –2   Gustavus Adolphus  5 –3  7 –3   Concordia–Moorhead  5 –3  5 –5   St. Olaf  3 –5  5 –5   Carleton  2 –6  4 –6   Augsburg  1 –7  2 –8   Hamline  0 –8  1 –9   + – Conference co-champions^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2019 New England Small College Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Middlebury $  9 –0  9 –0   Wesleyan  8 –1  8 –1   Williams  7 –2  7 –2   Trinity (CT)  5 –4  5 –4   Amherst  4 –5  4 –5   Hamilton  4 –5  4 –5   Tufts  4 –5  4 –5   Bates  2 –7  2 –7   Colby  2 –7  2 –7   Bowdoin  0 –9  0 –9   $ – Conference champion |
| 2019 New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  WPI +  6 –1  10 –1   MIT +^  6 –1  7 –3   Merchant Marine  5 –2  6 –3   Springfield  5 –2  6 –4   Coast Guard  2 –5  5 –5   Norwich  2 –5  5 –5   Catholic University  2 –5  2 –8   Maine Maritime  0 –7  0 –10   + – Conference co-champions^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant | 2019 New Jersey Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 9 Salisbury $^  7 –0  11 –1   No. 11 Wesley ^  6 –1  10 –2   Montclair State  5 –2  6 –4   Rowan  4 –3  4 –6   Kean  2 –5  3 –7   Christopher Newport  2 –5  2 –8   TCNJ  2 –5  2 –8   William Paterson  0 –7  2 –8   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2019 North Coast Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Denison +  7 –2  8 –2   Wittenberg +  7 –2  7 –3   Wabash +^  7 –2  7 –4   Ohio Wesleyan  6 –3  7 –3   DePauw  6 –3  6 –4   Wooster  5 –4  6 –4   Allegheny  4 –5  4 –6   Kenyon  2 –7  3 –7   Oberlin  1 –8  1 –9   Hiram  0 –9  0 –10   + – Conference co-champions^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant |
| 2019 Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 24 Aurora $^  7 –0  9 –2   Benedictine (IL)  6 –1  7 –3   Eureka  4 –3  6 –4   Concordia (IL)  3 –4  5 –5   Concordia (WI)  3 –4  5 –5   Lakeland  3 –4  4 –6   Wisconsin Lutheran  2 –5  2 –8   Rockford  0 –7  1 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2019 Northwest Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 19 Linfield $^  7 –0  8 –2   Whitworth  5 –2  6 –3   Puget Sound  4 –3  6 –4   George Fox  4 –3  5 –5   Pacific (OR)  4 –3  4 –6   Lewis & Clark  3 –4  4 –5   Pacific Lutheran  1 –6  2 –7   Willamette  0 –7  1 –8   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2019 Ohio Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 3 Mount Union $^  9 –0  11 –1   No. 13 John Carroll  8 –1  9 –1   Baldwin Wallace  6 –3  7 –3   Ohio Northern  6 –3  6 –4   Heidelberg  5 –4  6 –4   Marietta  4 –5  5 –5   Wilmington (OH)  3 –6  3 –7   Muskingum  2 –7  3 –7   Otterbein  2 –7  2 –8   Capital  0 –9  0 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com |
| 2019 Old Dominion Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 20 Bridgewater $^  8 –0  10 –1   Randolph–Macon  7 –1  9 –2   Emory & Henry  6 –2  8 –3   Washington and Lee  5 –3  6 –4   Shenandoah  4 –4  6 –4   Ferrum  3 –5  4 –6   Southern Virginia  2 –6  4 –6   Guilford  1 –7  2 –8   Hampden–Sydney  0 –8  1 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2019 Presidents' Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Case Western Reserve $^  8 –1  9 –2   Grove City  7 –2  9 –2   Carnegie Mellon  7 –2  8 –3   Washington & Jefferson  6 –3  8 –3   Westminster (PA)  6 –3  8 –3   Bethany (WV)  4 –5  4 –6   Geneva  3 –6  3 –7   Saint Vincent  3 –6  3 –7   Waynesburg  1 –8  1 –9   Thiel  0 –9  0 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant | 2019 Southern Athletic Association football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Berry +^  7 –1  9 –2   Trinity (TX) +  7 –1  8 –2   Birmingham–Southern  6 –2  7 –3   Hendrix  5 –3  7 –3   Austin  4 –4  5 –5   Centre  3 –5  5 –5   Millsaps  3 –5  5 –5   Rhodes  1 –7  1 –9   Sewanee  0 –8  0 –10   + – Conference co-champions^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant |
| 2019 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 10 Chapman $^  7 –0  10 –1   No. 18 Redlands ^  6 –1  9 –2   Pomona-Pitzer  4 –3  5 –4   Cal Lutheran  4 –3  5 –5   Claremont-Mudd-Scripps  3 –4  5 –5   La Verne  3 –4  4 –6   Whittier  1 –6  2 –8   Occidental  0 –7  0 –8   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2019 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Martin Luther $^  8 –0  9 –2   Greenville  7 –1  8 –3   St. Scholastica  5 –3  7 –3   MacMurray  5 –3  5 –5   Northwestern (MN)  4 –4  4 –6   Westminster (MO)  4 –4  4 –6   Crown  2 –6  3 –7   Minnesota–Morris  1 –7  1 –9   Iowa Wesleyan  0 –8  0 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant | 2019 USA South Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Huntingdon $^  6 –1  8 –4   Brevard #  5 –2  8 –2   Averett  5 –2  7 –3   North Carolina Wesleyan  5 –2  6 –4   Methodist  3 –4  4 –6   Maryville (TN)  3 –4  3 –7   LaGrange  1 –6  3 –7   Greensboro  0 –7  1 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant # – Provisional Division III member |
| 2019 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 2 Wisconsin–Whitewater +^  6 –1  13 –2   No. 22 Wisconsin–Oshkosh +^  6 –1  8 –3   Wisconsin–La Crosse  5 –2  7 –3   Wisconsin–Platteville  4 –3  7 –3   Wisconsin–Stout  3 –4  4 –6   Wisconsin–Stevens Point  2 –5  3 –7   Wisconsin–Eau Claire  1 –6  3 –7   Wisconsin–River Falls  1 –6  2 –8   + – Conference co-champions^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com |

## Postseason

Twenty-seven conferences met the requirements for an automatic ("Pool A") bid to the playoffs.
There were no "Pool B" bids this year, slots normally allocated to schools not in a Pool A conference.
The remaining five playoff spots were at-large ("Pool C") teams.

### Qualified teams
#### Automatic bids (27)

| Conference | Team | Appearance | Last |
| American Southwest Conference | Mary Hardin–Baylor | 18th | 2018 |
| American Rivers Conference | Central (IA) | 21st | 2009 |
| Centennial Conference | Muhlenberg | 9th | 2018 |
| College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin | Wheaton (IL) | 11th | 2016 |
| Commonwealth Coast Football | Western New England | 6th | 2018 |
| Eastern Collegiate Football Conference | SUNY Maritime | 2nd | 2010 |
| Empire 8 | Brockport | 7th | 2018 |
| Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference | Hanover | 8th | 2018 |
| Liberty League | Union (NY) | 12th | 2006 |
| Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference | Framingham State | 5th | 2018 |
| Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association | Hope | 5th | 2006 |
| Middle Atlantic Conference | Delaware Valley | 9th | 2018 |
| Midwest Conference | Monmouth (IL) | 7th | 2017 |
| Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | Saint John's (MN) | 26th | 2018 |
| New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference | MIT | 3rd | 2018 |
| New Jersey Athletic Conference | Salisbury | 11th | 2015 |
| North Coast Athletic Conference | Wabash | 10th | 2015 |
| Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference | Aurora (IL) | 5th | 2008 |
| Northwest Conference | Linfield | 15th | 2017 |
| Ohio Athletic Conference | Mount Union | 31st | 2018 |
| Old Dominion Athletic Conference | Bridgewater (VA) | 7th | 2005 |
| Presidents' Athletic Conference | Case Western Reserve | 5th | 2017 |
| Southern Athletic Association | Berry | 3rd | 2018 |
| Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | Chapman | 3rd | 2017 |
| Upper Midwest Athletic Conference | Martin Luther | 2nd | 2018 |
| USA South Athletic Conference | Huntingdon | 5th | 2017 |
| Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | Wisconsin–Oshkosh | 5th | 2017 |

#### At-large bids (5)

| Team | Conference | Appearance | Last |
| North Central (IL) | CCIW | 12th | 2018 |
| Redlands | SCIAC | 9th | 2016 |
| Wartburg | ARC | 14th | 2018 |
| Wesley | NJAC | 15th | 2017 |
| Wisconsin–Whitewater | WIAC | 17th | 2018 |

### Playoff bracket

| First round November 23 | First round November 23 | First round November 23 | Second round November 30 | Second round November 30 | Second round November 30 | Quarterfinals December 7 | Quarterfinals December 7 | Quarterfinals December 7 | Semifinals December 14 | Semifinals December 14 | Semifinals December 14 | Championship Stagg Bowl December 20 Shenandoah, Texas | Championship Stagg Bowl December 20 Shenandoah, Texas | Championship Stagg Bowl December 20 Shenandoah, Texas |
| * | Mary Hardin–Baylor | 43 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Redlands | 14 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Redlands | 14 | * | Mary Hardin–Baylor | 42 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | Huntingdon | 6 | | | | | | | | | |
| * | Berry | 24 | | Huntingdon | 6 | | | | | | | | | |
| | Huntingdon | 27 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Huntingdon | 27 | | | | * | Mary Hardin–Baylor | 7 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | Wisconsin–Whitewater | 26 | | | | | | |
| * | Wisconsin–Whitewater | 35 | | | | | | | Wisconsin–Whitewater | 26 | | | | | | |
| | Monmouth (IL) | 10 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Monmouth (IL) | 10 | * | Wisconsin–Whitewater | 41 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | Wartburg | 28 | | | | | | | | | |
| * | Hope | 3 | | Wartburg | 28 | | | | | | | | | |
| | Wartburg | 41 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Wartburg | 41 | | | | | | | * | Wisconsin–Whitewater | 35 | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | Saint John's (MN) | 32 | | | |
| * | Wheaton (IL) | 51 | | | | | | | | | | Saint John's (MN) | 32 | | | |
| | Martin Luther | 7 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Martin Luther | 7 | * | Wheaton (IL) | 49 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | Central (IA) | 13 | | | | | | | | | |
| * | Central (IA) | 38$^†$ | | Central (IA) | 13 | | | | | | | | | |
| | Wisconsin–Oshkosh | 37 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Wisconsin–Oshkosh | 37 | | | | * | Wheaton (IL) | 33 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | Saint John's (MN) | 34 | | | | | | |
| * | Chapman | 68$^{†††}$ | | | | | | | Saint John's (MN) | 34 | | | | | | |
| | Linfield | 65 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Linfield | 65 | * | Chapman | 26 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | Saint John's (MN) | 55 | | | | | | | | | |
| * | Saint John's (MN) | 51 | | Saint John's (MN) | 55 | | | | | | | | | |
| | Aurora | 47 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Aurora | 47 | | | | | | | | | | * | Wisconsin–Whitewater | 14 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | North Central (IL) | 41 |
| * | Salisbury | 83 | | | | | | | | | | | | | North Central (IL) | 41 |
| | SUNY Maritime | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | SUNY Maritime | 0 | * | Salisbury | 62 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | Union (NY) | 41 | | | | | | | | | |
| * | Union (NY) | 24 | | Union (NY) | 41 | | | | | | | | | |
| | Case Western Reserve | 21 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Case Western Reserve | 21 | | | | * | Salisbury | 8 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | Muhlenberg | 24 | | | | | | |
| * | Muhlenberg | 38 | | | | | | | Muhlenberg | 24 | | | | | | |
| | MIT | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | MIT | 0 | * | Muhlenberg | 42 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | Brockport | 0 | | | | | | | | | |
| * | Western New England | 28 | | Brockport | 0 | | | | | | | | | |
| | Brockport | 33 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Brockport | 33 | | | | | | | * | Muhlenberg | 14 | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | North Central (IL) | 45 | | | |
| * | Mount Union | 65 | | | | | | | | | | North Central (IL) | 45 | | | |
| | Hanover | 14 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Hanover | 14 | * | Mount Union | 52 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | North Central (IL) | 59 | | | | | | | | | |
| * | North Central (IL) | 51 | | North Central (IL) | 59 | | | | | | | | | |
| | Wabash | 15 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Wabash | 15 | | | | * | North Central (IL) | 31 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | Delaware Valley | 14 | | | | | | |
| * | Wesley | 58 | | | | | | | Delaware Valley | 14 | | | | | | |
| | Framingham State | 21 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Framingham State | 21 | * | Wesley | 10 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | Delaware Valley | 45 | | | | | | | | | |
| * | Bridgewater (VA) | 22 | | Delaware Valley | 45 | | | | | | | | | |
| | Delaware Valley | 30 | | | | | | | | | | | | |