# 2017 NCAA Division III football season

The 2017 NCAA Division III football season was the portion of the 2017 college football season organized by the NCAA at the Division III level in the United States. Under Division III rules, teams were eligible to begin play on August 31, 2017. The season ended with the NCAA Division III Football Championship, also known as the Stagg Bowl, on December 15, 2017, at Salem Football Stadium in Salem, Virginia. Mount Union earned their 13th national title, defeating defending national champions Mary Hardin–Baylor.

## Conference and program changes

The 2017 season saw several significant changes to the landscape of Division III football:
* The New England Football Conference, a football-only league that had operated since 1965, became the football league of the all-sports Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC), operating as Commonwealth Coast Football (CCC Football). The football league remains a separate entity from the overall conference.
* The New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference began sponsoring football.
* The Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference, which had sponsored football since its creation in 1962 as the College Athletic Conference, ended sponsorship of football at the end of the 2016 season. The league had lost most of its membership when seven schools left in 2012 to form the Southern Athletic Association.
* The New England Small College Athletic Conference eliminated its members' annual pre-season scrimmages in favor of a 9th regular season game and ensuring all conference members play one another each season. Conference members remain ineligible for postseason tournament play.
* The Empire 8 and Liberty League announced on July 5 the creation of the New York State Bowl Game, which will feature the top two teams from each conference who failed to make the DIII tournament. It will be held immediately for the 2017 season, on November 18.
* Maranatha Baptist University announced that it would be dropping its football program on February 17. The school cited the resignation of coach Nate Spate, small roster numbers, and the struggle of filling a schedule as an independent all as factors in the decision.
| School | 2016 conference | 2017 conference |
| Alfred State | Independent | ECFC |
| Austin | SCAC | SAA |
| Becker | ECFC | CCC Football |
| Brevard | SAC (D-II) | USA South |
| Catholic | ODAC | NEWMAC |
| Chicago | SAA & UAA | MWC |
| Coast Guard | NEFC | NEWMAC |
| Curry | NEFC | CCC Football |
| Dean | USCAA | ECFC |
| Endicott | NEFC | CCC Football |
| Maine Maritime | NEFC | NEWMAC |
| Maranatha Baptist | Independent | Dropped program |
| Merchant Marine | Liberty League | NEWMAC |
| MIT | NEFC | NEWMAC |
| Nichols | NEFC | CCC Football |
| Norwich | ECFC | NEWMAC |
| Salve Regina | NEFC | CCC Football |
| Springfield | Liberty League | NEWMAC |
| Southwestern | SCAC | ASC |
| Texas Lutheran | SCAC | ASC |
| Trinity (TX) | SCAC | SAA |
| Washington (MO) | SAA & UAA | UAA only |
| Western New England | NEFC | CCC Football |
| WPI | Liberty League | NEWMAC |
A full list of Division III teams can be viewed on the D3football website.

## Conference standings

2017 American Southwest Conference football standings :
| 2017 American Southwest Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 2 Mary Hardin–Baylor $^  9 –0  14 –1   No. 11 Hardin–Simmons ^  8 –1  9 –2   East Texas Baptist  6 –3  7 –3   Southwestern (TX)  6 –3  6 –4   Texas Lutheran  6 –3  6 –4   Sul Ross  4 –5  5 –5   Louisiana College  2 –7  3 –7   McMurry #  2 –7  2 –8   Belhaven #  1 –8  2 –8   Howard Payne  1 –8  1 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant # – Provisional NCAA Division III member Rankings from D3football.com | 2017 Centennial Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Franklin & Marshall +  8 –1  10 –1   No. 20 Johns Hopkins +^  8 –1  9 –2   Muhlenberg  6 –3  8 –3   Susquehanna  6 –3  8 –3   Ursinus  5 –4  6 –4   Dickinson  3 –6  3 –7   Gettysburg  3 –6  3 –7   Juniata  2 –7  3 –7   McDaniel  2 –7  3 –7   Moravian  2 –7  2 –8   + – Conference co-champions^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2017 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 8 North Central (IL) +^  7 –1  10 –2   No. 17 Illinois Wesleyan +^  7 –1  9 –2   No. 22 Wheaton (IL)  6 –2  8 –2   Carthage  5 –3  7 –3   Millikin  5 –3  7 –3   North Park  2 –6  3 –7   Elmhurst  2 –6  2 –8   Augustana (IL)  1 –7  1 –9   Carroll (WI)  1 –7  1 –9   + – Conference co-champions^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com |
| 2017 Commonwealth Coast Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Western New England $^  5 –0  8 –3   Curry  4 –1  8 –3   Salve Regina  3 –2  6 –3   Endicott  2 –3  3 –7   Becker  1 –4  1 –9   Nichols  0 –5  2 –8   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant | 2017 Eastern Collegiate Football Conference standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 25 Husson $^  7 –0  10 –2   SUNY Maritime  6 –1  9 –2   Castleton  5 –2  6 –4   Mount Ida  3 –4  4 –6   Gallaudet  3 –4  3 –7   Dean #  2 –5  4 –6   Alfred State #  1 –6  1 –9   Anna Maria  1 –6  1 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant # – Provisional Division III member Rankings from D3football.com | 2017 Empire 8 Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 5 Brockport $^  7 –0  13 –1   Alfred  5 –2  8 –3   Cortland  5 –2  7 –4   Buffalo State  3 –4  6 –5   Morrisville State  2 –5  4 –6   Hartwick  2 –5  3 –7   Utica  2 –5  3 –7   St. John Fisher  2 –5  2 –8   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from AFCA Poll |
| 2017 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 24 Franklin (IN) $^  8 –0  8 –3   Rose–Hulman  7 –1  8 –2   Manchester  5 –3  6 –4   Mount St. Joseph  5 –3  6 –4   Bluffton  4 –4  4 –6   Hanover  4 –4  4 –6   Defiance  2 –6  2 –8   Anderson (IN)  1 –7  1 –9   Earlham  0 –8  0 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2017 Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 10 Wartburg $^  8 –0  12 –1   Central (IA)  6 –2  7 –3   Luther  5 –3  6 –4   Dubuque  4 –4  6 –4   Simpson (IA)  4 –4  5 –5   Loras  3 –5  4 –6   Coe  2 –6  4 –6   Buena Vista  2 –6  2 –7   Nebraska Wesleyan  2 –6  2 –8   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2017 Liberty League football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Ithaca +  4 –1  8 –3   RPI +^  4 –1  8 –3   Hobart  3 –2  7 –3   Union (NY)  3 –2  7 –4   St. Lawrence  1 –4  2 –8   Rochester (NY)  0 –5  2 –7   + – Conference co-champions^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant |
| 2017 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Framingham State +  7 –1  10 –1   Plymouth State +^  7 –1  9 –2   Western Connecticut  5 –3  7 –3   Worcester State  5 –3  6 –4   UMass Dartmouth  4 –4  4 –6   Westfield State  3 –5  3 –7   Fitchburg State  2 –6  3 –7   Bridgewater State  2 –6  2 –8   Massachusetts Maritime  1 –7  2 –8   + – Conference co-champions^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant | 2017 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 19 Trine $^  6 –0  11 –1   Hope  5 –1  8 –2   Adrian  4 –2  5 –5   Olivet  3 –3  5 –5   Albion  2 –4  4 –6   Alma  1 –5  4 –6   Kalamazoo  0 –6  1 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2017 Middle Atlantic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 7 Delaware Valley $^  9 –0  12 –1   Albright  7 –2  8 –3   Widener  7 –2  7 –4   Stevenson  6 –3  6 –5   Lebanon Valley  5 –4  5 –5   King's  4 –5  5 –5   Lycoming  4 –5  5 –6   FDU Florham  2 –7  3 –7   Misericordia  1 –8  1 –9   Wilkes  0 –9  0 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com |
| 2017 Midwest Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  North St. Norbert xy  5 –0  7 –3   Chicago  3 –2  6 –4   Macalester  3 –2  5 –5   Ripon  3 –2  5 –5   Lawrence  1 –4  2 –8   Beloit  0 –5  1 –9   South Monmouth (IL) xy$^  5 –0  9 –2   Lake Forest  4 –1  8 –2   Illinois College  3 –2  5 –5   Cornell (IA)  2 –3  4 –6   Knox  1 –4  5 –5   Grinnell  0 –5  1 –9   Championship: Monmouth 9, St. Norbert 6 $ – Conference championx – Division champion/co-championsy – Championship game participant^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant | 2017 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 4 St. Thomas (MN) $^  8 –0  11 –2   No. 14 Saint John's (MN) ^  7 –1  9 –2   No. 21 Concordia–Moorhead  6 –2  8 –2   Bethel (MN)  5 –3  5 –5   Gustavus Adolphus  4 –4  5 –5   St. Olaf  3 –5  4 –6   Augsburg  2 –6  4 –6   Hamline  1 –7  2 –8   Carleton  0 –8  0 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2017 New England Small College Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Trinity (CT) $  8 –1  8 –1   Amherst  7 –2  7 –2   Middlebury  7 –2  7 –2   Wesleyan  6 –3  6 –3   Williams  6 –3  6 –3   Tufts  5 –4  5 –4   Hamilton  3 –6  3 –6   Bates  2 –7  2 –7   Colby  1 –8  1 –8   Bowdoin  0 –9  0 –9   $ – Conference champion |
| 2017 New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Springfield $^  7 –0  10 –1   WPI  6 –1  9 –2   MIT  5 –2  7 –3   Merchant Marine  4 –3  6 –4   Catholic University  3 –4  5 –5   Coast Guard  1 –6  3 –7   Maine Maritime  1 –6  1 –8   Norwich  1 –6  1 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant | 2017 New Jersey Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 12 Wesley $^  9 –0  10 –2   No. 9 Frostburg State ^  8 –1  11 –2   Salisbury  7 –2  7 –4   Montclair State  5 –4  5 –5   Christopher Newport  4 –5  5 –5   Kean  4 –5  4 –6   TCNJ  4 –5  4 –6   Rowan  3 –6  4 –6   Southern Virginia  1 –8  2 –8   William Paterson  0 –9  0 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2017 North Coast Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 18 Wittenberg $^  9 –0  10 –1   DePauw  7 –2  8 –2   Wabash  7 –2  8 –2   Denison  6 –3  7 –3   Wooster  5 –4  6 –4   Ohio Wesleyan  5 –4  5 –5   Oberlin  3 –6  4 –6   Allegheny  2 –7  3 –7   Hiram  1 –8  2 –8   Kenyon  0 –9  0 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com |
| 2017 Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Lakeland $^  6 –0  8 –3   Benedictine (IL)  5 –1  7 –3   Aurora  4 –2  5 –5   Wisconsin Lutheran  3 –3  3 –7   Concordia (IL)  1 –5  3 –6   Concordia (WI)  1 –5  2 –8   Rockford  1 –5  1 –8   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant | 2017 Northwest Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 6 Linfield $^  7 –0  9 –2   Whitworth  5 –2  8 –2   George Fox  5 –2  7 –3   Pacific (OR)  4 –3  4 –4   Pacific Lutheran  4 –3  4 –4   Puget Sound  2 –5  3 –6   Lewis & Clark  1 –6  2 –7   Willamette  0 –7  0 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2017 Ohio Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 1 Mount Union $^  9 –0  15 –0   Heidelberg  6 –3  7 –3   Ohio Northern  6 –3  7 –3   John Carroll  6 –3  6 –4   Baldwin Wallace  5 –4  6 –4   Marietta  5 –4  6 –4   Otterbein  5 –4  6 –4   Muskingum  1 –8  2 –8   Wilmington (OH)  1 –8  2 –8   Capital  1 –8  1 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com |
| 2017 Old Dominion Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Washington and Lee $^  5 –1  8 –3   Randolph–Macon  4 –2  7 –3   Hampden–Sydney  4 –2  6 –4   Shenandoah  3 –3  6 –4   Guilford  3 –3  5 –5   Bridgewater  1 –5  4 –6   Emory & Henry  1 –5  3 –7   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant | 2017 Presidents' Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 13 Case Western Reserve +^  8 –0  11 –1   No. 16 Washington & Jefferson +^  8 –0  11 –1   Westminster (PA)  6 –2  7 –3   Carnegie Mellon  5 –3  7 –4   Thomas More  5 –3  6 –4   Grove City  4 –4  4 –6   Geneva  2 –6  3 –7   Bethany (WV)  2 –6  2 –8   Waynesburg  2 –6  2 –8   Saint Vincent  1 –7  2 –8   Thiel  1 –7  1 –9   + – Conference co-champions^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2017 Southern Athletic Association football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 15 Berry $^  8 –0  11 –1   Centre  7 –1  9 –1   Hendrix  6 –2  8 –2   Trinity (TX)  5 –3  6 –4   Rhodes  3 –5  4 –6   Birmingham–Southern  2 –6  3 –7   Millsaps  2 –6  3 –7   Sewanee  2 –6  3 –7   Austin  1 –7  3 –7   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com |
| 2017 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Chapman $^  6 –0  6 –3   Redlands  5 –1  7 –2   Cal Lutheran  3 –3  5 –3   Pomona–Pitzer  3 –3  4 –4   Claremont–Mudd–Scripps  2 –4  4 –5   La Verne  2 –4  3 –5   Whittier  0 –6  0 –8   Occidental *   –  0 –3   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant * – Occidental canceled six games, and their remaining conference games were not counted in the standings. | 2017 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Eureka $^  8 –1  8 –3   MacMurray  7 –2  8 –2   St. Scholastica  7 –2  7 –3   Northwestern (MN)  6 –3  6 –4   Westminster (MO)  6 –3  6 –4   Martin Luther  4 –5  5 –5   Greenville  4 –5  4 –6   Iowa Wesleyan #  2 –7  2 –8   Minnesota–Morris  1 –8  1 –9   Crown  0 –9  0 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant # – Provisional NCAA Division III member | 2017 USA South Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Huntingdon $^  7 –0  9 –2   Ferrum  5 –2  8 –2   Averett  5 –2  6 –4   Maryville (TN)  3 –4  5 –5   LaGrange  3 –4  4 –6   North Carolina Wesleyan  3 –4  3 –7   Methodist  2 –5  2 –8   Greensboro  0 –7  1 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant |
| 2017 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 3 Wisconsin–Oshkosh $^  7 –0  12 –1   No. 23 Wisconsin–Whitewater  6 –1  7 –3   No. 24 Wisconsin–La Crosse  5 –2  8 –2   Wisconsin–Platteville  4 –3  7 –3   Wisconsin–Stout  3 –4  5 –4   Wisconsin–River Falls  2 –5  4 –6   Wisconsin–Stevens Point  1 –6  4 –6   Wisconsin–Eau Claire  0 –7  1 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2017 NCAA Division III independents football records vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Brevard #   –  4 –6   Finlandia   –  3 –3   Washington University   –  3 –6   # – Provisional Division III member |

## Preseason
### Overseas exhibition games

Because Division III football teams do not award scholarships, they are permitted by NCAA rules to occasionally travel outside the United States to tour and play exhibition matches. Several teams took off-season trips in late spring 2017 and played primarily non-college club teams, with the exception of Illinois Wesleyan, who played a Japanese college team. All of the games were won by the Division III schools, which are displayed in bold.
| Date | Location | NCAA DIII Team | Hosting Team | Score |
| May 20, 2017 | Milngavie, Scotland, UK | CMS | East Kilbride Pirates (BAFA Premier) | 73–6 |
| May 21, 2017 | Ferrara, Italy | Southwestern | Ferrara Aquile (IFL) | 94–0 |
| May 21, 2017 | Shanghai, China | Puget Sound | Shanghai Titans (AFCL) | 84–6 |
| May 27, 2017 | Barcelona, Spain | John Carroll | Senior Spanish League All-Stars (LNFA) | 91–7 |
| May 27, 2017 | Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK | Centre | Belfast Trojans (IAFL) | 47–0 |
| June 3, 2017 | Landsberg, Germany | Rose-Hulman | Landsberg X-Press (Regionalliga South) | 82–0 |
| June 4, 2017 | Tokyo, Japan | Illinois Wesleyan | Waseda (KCFA) | 33–6 |

## Postseason

Twenty-five conferences met the requirements for an automatic ("Pool A") bid to the playoffs. Besides the NESCAC, which does not participate in the playoffs, two conferences had no Pool A bid. The American Southwest, which had fallen below the required seven members in 2013 and lost its Pool A bid after the two-year grace period, was in the second year of the two-year waiting period, having attained seven members in 2016; the NEWMAC, having just begun football sponsorship, was in the first year of the waiting period. Despite losing three members, the Liberty League retained its Pool A bid, but entered the grace period.
Schools not in Pool A conferences were eligible for Pool B. The number of Pool B bids was determined by calculating the ratio of Pool A conferences to schools in those conferences and applying that ratio to the number of Pool B schools. The 25 Pool A conferences contained 215 schools, an average of 8.6 teams per conference. Eighteen schools were in Pool B, enough for two bids.
The remaining five playoff spots were at-large ("Pool C") teams.

### Playoff bracket

| First round November 18, 2017 | First round November 18, 2017 | Second round November 25, 2017 | Second round November 25, 2017 | Quarterfinals December 2, 2017 | Quarterfinals December 2, 2017 | Semifinals December 9, 2017 | Semifinals December 9, 2017 | Championship Stagg Bowl December 15, 2017 Salem Football Stadium Salem, Virginia | Championship Stagg Bowl December 15, 2017 Salem Football Stadium Salem, Virginia |
| Wisconsin-Oshkosh* | 63 | | | | | | | | |
| Lakeland | 0 | Wisconsin–Oshkosh* | 42 | | | | | | |
| North Central (IL)* | 17 | North Central | 21 | | | | | | |
| St. John's (MN) | 7 | | | Wisconsin-Oshkosh | 41 | | | | |
| Wartburg* | 35† | | | Wartburg | 27 | | | | |
| Franklin | 34 | Wartburg* | 49 | | | | | | |
| Trine* | 63 | Trine | 7 | | | | | | |
| Monmouth (IL) | 24 | | | | | Wisconsin-Oshkosh | 40 | | |
| Mount Union* | 21 | | | | | Mount Union | 43 | | |
| Washington & Lee | 0 | Mount Union* | 45 | | | | | | |
| Illinois Wesleyan* | 0 | Case Western Reserve | 16 | | | | | | |
| Case Western Reserve | 28 | | | Mount Union | 70 | | | | |
| Washington & Jefferson | 31 | | | Frostburg State | 37 | | | | |
| Johns Hopkins | 28 | Washington & Jefferson | 23 | | | | | | |
| Wittenberg | 7 | Frostburg State | 46 | | | | | | |
| Frostburg State | 35 | | | | | | | Mount Union | 12 |
| Mary Hardin-Baylor | 50 | | | | | | | Mary Hardin-Baylor | 0 |
| Chapman | 6 | Mary Hardin-Baylor | 24 | | | | | | |
| Linfield | 27 | Linfield | 0 | | | | | | |
| Hardin-Simmons | 13 | | | Mary Hardin-Baylor | 24 | | | | |
| St. Thomas (MN) | 47 | | | St. Thomas (MN) | 10 | | | | |
| Eureka | 8 | St. Thomas (MN) | 29 | | | | | | |
| Berry | 34 | Berry | 13 | | | | | | |
| Huntingdon | 20 | | | | | Mary Hardin-Baylor | 24 | | |
| Delaware Valley | 35 | | | | | Brockport | 0 | | |
| Western New England | 0 | Delaware Valley | 37 | | | | | | |
| Springfield | 21 | Husson | 15 | | | | | | |
| Husson | 23 | | | Delaware Valley | 28 | | | | |
| Brockport | 66 | | | Brockport | 31 | | | | |
| Plymouth State | 0 | Brockport | 49 | | | | | | |
| Wesley | 45 | Wesley | 28 | | | | | | |
| Rensselaer | 27 | | | | | | | | |
* Home team † Overtime Winner

### Bowl games

| Date | Bowl | Location | Home team | Away team | Score |
| Nov. 17, 2017 | ECAC Chapman Bowl | Delaware Stadium Newark, DE | Merchant Marine | Buffalo State | 35–20 |
| Nov. 18, 2017 | Centennial-MAC Bowl Series | Shadek Stadium Lancaster, PA | Franklin & Marshall | Widener | 21–7 |
| Nov. 18, 2017 | Centennial-MAC Bowl Series | Shirk Stadium Reading, PA | Albright | Susquehanna | 28–9 |
| Nov. 18, 2017 | ECAC Bushnell Bowl | Delaware Stadium Newark, DE | Muhlenberg | Carnegie Mellon | 36–6 |
| Nov. 18, 2017 | ECAC Whitelaw Bowl | Delaware Stadium Newark, DE | Salisbury | Ithaca | 27–17 |
| Nov. 18, 2017 | New England Bowl Series | Bowditch Field Framingham, MA | Framingham State | Curry | 48–14 |
| Nov. 18, 2017 | New England Bowl Series | Alumni Stadium Worcester, MA | WPI | SUNY Maritime | 17–3 |
| Nov. 18, 2017 | New York Bowl | Frank Bailey Field Schenectady, NY | Union (NY) | SUNY Cortland | 35–28 |
| Nov. 19, 2017 | ECAC Lynah Bowl | Delaware Stadium Newark, DE | Stevenson | Alfred | 29–16 |