# 2005 NCAA Division III football season

The 2005 NCAA Division III football season, part of the college football season organized by the NCAA at the Division III level in the United States, began in August 2005, and concluded with the NCAA Division III Football Championship, also known as the Stagg Bowl, in December 2005 at Salem Football Stadium in Salem, Virginia. The Mount Union Purple Raiders won their eighth Division III championship by defeating the Wisconsin–Whitewater Warhawks, 35−28. This was the first of eight subsequent championship games between Mount Union (3 wins) and Wisconsin–Whitewater (5 wins); only the 2012 Stagg Bowl featured a different team.
The Gagliardi Trophy, given to the most outstanding player in Division III football, was awarded to Brett Elliott, quarterback from Linfield.

## Conference changes and new programs

| School | 2004 conference | 2005 conference |
| Becker Hawks | No program | Independent |
| Chowan Hawks | USA South | Independent (Division II) |

## Conference standings

2005 American Southwest Conference football standings :
| 2005 American Southwest Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 11 Mary Hardin–Baylor $^  7 –1  9 –2   Hardin–Simmons  7 –2  8 –2   Howard Payne  7 –2  7 –3   East Texas Baptist  6 –3  6 –4   Texas Lutheran  5 –4  5 –5   Louisiana College  4 –4  4 –5   McMurry  4 –5  5 –5   Sul Ross  2 –7  3 –7   Mississippi College  1 –8  2 –8   Austin  1 –8  1 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2005 Atlantic Central Football Conference standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 10 Wesley +^  4 –1  12 –2   Salisbury +  4 –1  8 –3   Brockport +  4 –1  5 –5   Frostburg State  1 –4  6 –5   Apprentice §  1 –4  4 –6   Buffalo State  1 –4  3 –6   + – Conference co-champions^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant§ – Not an NCAA memberRankings from D3football.com | 2005 Centennial Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Johns Hopkins $^  5 –1  8 –3   Franklin & Marshall  4 –2  5 –6   Dickinson  3 –3  4 –6   Gettysburg  3 –3  4 –6   McDaniel  2 –4  5 –5   Ursinus  2 –4  4 –6   Muhlenberg  2 –4  3 –7   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant |
| 2005 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 13 Augustana (IL) $^  7 –0  10 –2   No. 16 North Central (IL) ^  6 –1  9 –2   Carthage  4 –3  7 –3   Wheaton (IL)  4 –3  7 –3   Elmhurst  3 –4  6 –4   Millikin  2 –5  5 –5   Illinois Wesleyan  2 –5  3 –7   North Park  0 –7  3 –7   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2005 Empire 8 Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 24 Ithaca $^  6 –0  8 –3   Alfred  5 –1  9 –2   St. John Fisher  4 –2  8 –3   Utica  3 –3  6 –4   Springfield  2 –4  4 –6   Norwich  1 –5  3 –7   Hartwick  0 –6  4 –6   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2005 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Mount St. Joseph $^  5 –1  9 –2   Defiance  4 –2  6 –4   Anderson (IN)  3 –3  5 –5   Franklin (IN)  3 –3  5 –5   Hanover  3 –3  4 –6   Bluffton  2 –4  3 –7   Manchester  1 –5  2 –8   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant |
| 2005 Illini–Badger Football Conference standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Lakeland $^  7 –0  8 –3   Concordia (WI)  6 –1  7 –3   Aurora  5 –2  5 –5   Greenville  4 –3  4 –6   Benedictine (IL)  3 –4  3 –7   MacMurray  2 –5  4 –6   Eureka  1 –6  1 –9   Concordia (IL)  0 –7  0 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant | 2005 Iowa Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 20 Central (IA) +^  7 –1  9 –2   No. 23 Coe +^  7 –1  9 –2   Wartburg  6 –2  7 –3   Luther  5 –3  6 –4   Buena Vista  4 –4  5 –5   Simpson (IA)  3 –5  5 –5   Loras  2 –6  3 –7   Cornell (IA)  1 –7  2 –8   Dubuque  1 –7  2 –8   + – Conference co-champions^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2005 Liberty League football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 14 Union (NY) $^  7 –0  11 –1   No. 22 Hobart ^  6 –1  9 –2   RPI  5 –2  8 –2   WPI  4 –3  6 –3   Rochester (NY)  3 –4  4 –6   Merchant Marine  2 –5  3 –7   St. Lawrence  1 –6  2 –7   Coast Guard  0 –7  2 –7   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com |
| 2005 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Albion $^  6 –1  7 –4   Adrian  5 –2  8 –2   Hope  5 –2  5 –5   Alma  4 –3  6 –4   Olivet  4 –3  5 –5   Kalamazoo  3 –4  4 –6   Wisconsin Lutheran  1 –6  1 –9   Tri-State *  0 –7  0 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant * – Provisional NCAA Division III member | 2005 Middle Atlantic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 6 Delaware Valley $^  9 –0  12 –1   Wilkes ^  8 –1  8 –3   Widener  6 –3  8 –3   Moravian  5 –4  7 –4   Lycoming  5 –4  6 –4   King's  5 –4  5 –5   Albright  4 –5  5 –5   FDU Florham  4 –5  4 –6   Lebanon Valley  2 –7  2 –8   Susquehanna  1 –8  2 –8   Juniata  0 –9  0 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2005 Midwest Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Monmouth (IL) $^  9 –0  10 –1   St. Norbert  8 –1  8 –2   Carroll (WI)  6 –3  6 –4   Ripon  5 –4  6 –4   Beloit  5 –4  5 –5   Lawrence  4 –5  4 –5   Knox  3 –6  4 –6   Lake Forest  3 –6  4 –6   Illinois College  2 –7  3 –7   Grinnell  0 –9  1 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant |
| 2005 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 7 Saint John's (MN) $^  8 –0  11 –1   No. 8 Concordia–Moorhead ^  7 –1  10 –2   St. Olaf  6 –2  8 –2   Bethel (MN)  4 –4  5 –5   St. Thomas (MN)  4 –4  4 –5   Gustavus Adolphus  3 –5  3 –7   Carleton  2 –6  4 –6   Hamline  1 –7  3 –7   Augsburg  1 –7  1 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2005 New England Football Conference standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Bogan Division Fitchburg State xy  6 –0  8 –3   Bridgewater State  5 –1  9 –1   Maine Maritime  4 –2  7 –3   Worcester State  3 –3  5 –5   Westfield State  2 –4  4 –5   Framingham State  1 –5  2 –7   Massachusetts Maritime  0 –6  0 –9   Boyd Division Curry xy$^  6 –0  9 –3   Endicott  5 –1  7 –3   UMass Dartmouth  4 –2  5 –5   MIT  2 –4  3 –6   Western New England  2 –4  3 –6   Salve Regina  2 –4  2 –6   Nichols  0 –6  0 –9   Championship: Curry 17, Fitchburg State 14 $ – Conference championx – Division champion/co-championsy – Championship game participant^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant | 2005 New England Small College Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 25 Trinity (CT) $  8 –0  8 –0   Colby  7 –1  7 –1   Bowdoin  6 –2  6 –2   Williams  6 –2  6 –2   Amherst  5 –3  5 –3   Middlebury  3 –5  3 –5   Bates  2 –6  2 –6   Tufts  2 –6  2 –6   Hamilton  1 –7  1 –7   Wesleyan  0 –8  0 –8   $ – Conference championRankings from D3football.com |
| 2005 New Jersey Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 4 Rowan +^  5 –1  11 –2   Cortland +^  5 –1  7 –3   Montclair State  4 –2  5 –5   Western Connecticut  3 –3  6 –4   Kean  2 –4  4 –6   William Paterson  1 –5  5 –5   TCNJ  1 –5  3 –7   + – Conference co-champions^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2005 North Coast Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 15 Wabash $^  7 –0  11 –1   Kenyon  6 –1  6 –4   Oberlin  5 –2  7 –3   Wittenberg  5 –2  5 –5   Wooster  3 –4  6 –4   Denison  3 –4  5 –5   Allegheny  3 –4  3 –7   Ohio Wesleyan  2 –5  3 –7   Earlham  1 –6  1 –9   Hiram  0 –7  1 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2005 Northwest Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 3 Linfield $^  4 –0  10 –1   Willamette  3 –1  5 –4   Whitworth  2 –2  5 –3   Puget Sound  1 –3  4 –5   Pacific Lutheran  0 –4  3 –6   Lewis & Clark *  0 –0  0 –4   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant * – Lewis & Clark's conference games were canceled. Rankings from D3football.com |
| 2005 Ohio Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 1 Mount Union $^  8 –1  14 –1   No. 18 Ohio Northern  7 –2  8 –2   No. 5 Capital ^  7 –2  10 –3   John Carroll  6 –3  7 –3   Otterbein  6 –3  7 –3   Marietta  4 –5  5 –5   Baldwin–Wallace  3 –6  4 –6   Muskingum  2 –7  2 –8   Wilmington (OH)  2 –7  2 –8   Heidelberg  0 –9  0 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2005 Old Dominion Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 12 Bridgewater $^  6 –0  10 –2   Hampden–Sydney  4 –2  8 –2   Washington and Lee  4 –2  7 –3   Guilford  4 –2  5 –5   Catholic University  1 –5  2 –8   Randolph–Macon  1 –5  2 –8   Emory & Henry  1 –5  1 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2005 Presidents' Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 17 Thiel $^  6 –0  11 –1   No. 21 Washington & Jefferson ^  5 –1  9 –2   Thomas More  4 –2  5 –5   Waynesburg  2 –4  4 –6   Westminster (PA)  2 –4  4 –6   Grove City  2 –4  3 –7   Bethany (WV)  0 –6  1 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com |
| 2005 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 9 Occidental $^  6 –0  9 –1   Cal Lutheran  5 –1  8 –1   Redlands  4 –2  5 –4   La Verne  3 –3  5 –4   Pomona–Pitzer  2 –4  4 –5   Claremont–Mudd–Scripps  1 –5  3 –6   Whittier  0 –6  2 –7   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2005 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 19 Trinity (TX) +^  5 –0  9 –1   DePauw +  5 –0  7 –2   Sewanee  4 –2  5 –5   Centre  3 –3  7 –3   Rose–Hulman  2 –4  5 –5   Millsaps  1 –5  2 –7   Rhodes  0 –6  2 –8   + – Conference co-champions^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2005 University Athletic Association football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Chicago $  3 –0  5 –4   Washington University  2 –1  6 –4   Carnegie Mellon  1 –2  5 –5   Case Western Reserve  0 –3  3 –7   $ – Conference champion |
| 2005 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  North Northwestern (MN) xy$#  7 –0  8 –3   Martin Luther  6 –1  6 –3   Minnesota–Morris #  4 –3  4 –6   Crown #  3 –4  3 –6   Trinity Bible §  0 –7  1 –8   South Rockford x  5 –2  7 –3   Westminster (MO) xy  5 –2  5 –5   Maranatha Baptist  2 –5  4 –5   Blackburn  2 –5  2 –8   Principia  1 –6  1 –8   Championship: Northwestern (MN) 27, Westminster (MO) 7 $ – Conference championx – Division champion/co-championsy – Championship game participant # – Provisional NCAA Division III member § – Not an NCAA member | 2005 USA South Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Ferrum +^  6 –1  9 –2   Methodist +  6 –1  8 –2   Averett  5 –2  7 –3   Christopher Newport  5 –2  6 –4   North Carolina Wesleyan  3 –4  4 –6   Maryville (TN)  2 –5  3 –7   Greensboro  1 –6  2 –8   Shenandoah  0 –7  2 –8   + – Conference co-champions^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant | 2005 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 2 Wisconsin–Whitewater $^  7 –0  14 –1   Wisconsin–Eau Claire  5 –2  6 –4   Wisconsin–Oshkosh  4 –3  7 –3   Wisconsin–La Crosse  4 –3  5 –4   Wisconsin–Stout  3 –4  6 –4   Wisconsin–Stevens Point  3 –4  4 –6   Wisconsin–River Falls  2 –5  3 –7   Wisconsin–Platteville  0 –7  1 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com |
| 2005 NCAA Division III independents football records vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Huntingdon   –  7 –2   Husson   –  4 –4   Plymouth State   –  4 –6   Chapman   –  2 –7   Colorado College   –  2 –8   Mount Ida   –  1 –9   Becker   –  0 –8   Macalester   –  0 –9   Menlo   –  0 –10 |

## Conference champions

* Conference champions
* American Southwest Conference – Mary Hardin–Baylor
* Atlantic Central Football Conference – SUNY Brockport, Salisbury, and Wesley
* Centennial Conference – Johns Hopkins
* College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin – Augustana (IL)
* Empire 8 Conference – Ithaca
* Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference – Mount St. Joseph
* Illini-Badger Football Conference – Lakeland
* Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Central (IA) and Coe
* Liberty League – Union (NY)
* Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Albion
* Middle Atlantic Conference – Delaware Valley
* Midwest Conference – Monmouth (IL)
* Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Saint John's (MN)
* New England Football Conference – Fitchburg State (Bogan Division), Curry (Boyd Division)
* Championship Game: Curry 17, Fitchburg State 14 (2OT)
* New England Small College Athletic Conference – Trinity (CT)
* New Jersey Athletic Conference – Rowan and SUNY Cortland
* North Coast Athletic Conference – Wabash
* Northwest Conference – Linfield
* Ohio Athletic Conference – Mount Union
* Old Dominion Athletic Conference – Bridgewater
* Presidents' Athletic Conference – Thiel
* Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Occidental
* Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference – Trinity (TX)
* University Athletic Association – Chicago
* Upper Midwest Athletic Conference – Northwestern–St. Paul
* USA South Athletic Conference – Ferrum and Methodist
* Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Wisconsin–Whitewater

## Postseason

The 2005 NCAA Division III Football Championship playoffs were the 33rd annual single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division III college football. The championship Stagg Bowl game was held at Salem Football Stadium in Salem, Virginia, for the 13th time. The bracket for this field expanded from 28 to 32 teams, where it has remained.

### Qualification

Twenty-one conferences met the requirements for an automatic ("Pool A") bid to the playoffs. Besides the NESCAC, which does not participate in the playoffs, five conferences had no Pool A bid. The PAC was in the first year of the two-year waiting period, while the ACFC, NWC, UAA, and UMAC failed to meet the seven-member requirement.
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 21 Pool A conferences contained 179 schools, an average of 8.5 teams per conference. Thirty-seven schools were in Pool B, enough for four bids.
The remaining seven playoff spots were at-large ("Pool C") teams.

### Playoff bracket

| First Round Campus Sites | First Round Campus Sites | First Round Campus Sites | Second Round Campus Sites | Second Round Campus Sites | Second Round Campus Sites | Quarterfinals Campus Sites | Quarterfinals Campus Sites | Quarterfinals Campus Sites | Semifinals Campus Sites | Semifinals Campus Sites | Semifinals Campus Sites | National Championship Game Salem Football Stadium Salem, Virginia | National Championship Game Salem Football Stadium Salem, Virginia | National Championship Game Salem Football Stadium Salem, Virginia |
| Linfield | Linfield | 63 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Occidental | Occidental | 21 | Linfield | Linfield | 28 | | | | | | | | | |
| Concordia–Moorhead | Concordia–Moorhead | 27 | Concordia–Moorhead | Concordia–Moorhead | 14 | | | | | | | | | |
| Coe | Coe | 14 | | | | Linfield | Linfield | 41 | | | | | | |
| Saint John's (MN) | Saint John's (MN) | 62 | | | | Wisconsin–Whitewater | Wisconsin–Whitewater | 44 | | | | | | |
| Monmouth (IL) | Monmouth (IL) | 3 | Saint John's (MN) | Saint John's (MN) | 7 | | | | | | | | | |
| Wisconsin–Whitewater | Wisconsin–Whitewater | 34 | Wisconsin–Whitewater | Wisconsin–Whitewater | 34 | | | | | | | | | |
| Central (IA) | Central (IA) | 14 | | | | | | | Wisconsin–Whitewater | Wisconsin–Whitewater | 58 | | | |
| Mary Hardin–Baylor | Mary Hardin–Baylor | 35 | | | | | | | Wesley | Wesley | 6 | | | |
| Trinity (TX) | Trinity (TX) | 6 | Mary Hardin–Baylor | Mary Hardin–Baylor | 36 | | | | | | | | | |
| Wesley | Wesley | 59 | Wesley | Wesley | 46 | | | | | | | | | |
| Ferrum | Ferrum | 14 | | | | Wesley | Wesley | 46 | | | | | | |
| Bridgewater (VA) | Bridgewater (VA) | 30 | | | | Bridgewater (VA) | Bridgewater (VA) | 7 | | | | | | |
| Washington & Jefferson | Washington & Jefferson | 21 | Bridgewater (VA) | Bridgewater (VA) | 24 | | | | | | | | | |
| Thiel | Thiel | 28 | Thiel | Thiel | 13 | | | | | | | | | |
| Johns Hopkins | Johns Hopkins | 3 | | | | | | | | | | Wisconsin–Whitewater | Wisconsin–Whitewater | 28 |
| Wabash | Wabash | 38 | | | | | | | | | | Mount Union | Mount Union | 35 |
| Albion | Albion | 20 | Wabash | Wabash | 11 | | | | | | | | | |
| Capital | Capital | 21 | Capital | Capital | 14 | | | | | | | | | |
| North Central (IL) | North Central (IL) | 19 | | | | Mount Union | Mount Union | 34 | | | | | | |
| Augustana (IL) | Augustana (IL) | 49 | | | | Capital | Capital | 31 | | | | | | |
| Lakeland | Lakeland | 22 | Augustana (IL) | Augustana (IL) | 7 | | | | | | | | | |
| Mount Union | Mount Union | 49 | Mount Union | Mount Union | 44 | | | | | | | | | |
| Mount St. Joseph | Mount St. Joseph | 6 | | | | | | | Mount Union | Mount Union | 19 | | | |
| Delaware Valley | Delaware Valley | 37 | | | | | | | Rowan | Rowan | 7 | | | |
| Curry | Curry | 22 | Delaware Valley | Delaware Valley | 21 | | | | | | | | | |
| Hobart | Hobart | 23 | Hobart | Hobart | 14 | | | | | | | | | |
| Cortland | Cortland | 22 | | | | Delaware Valley | Delaware Valley | 21 | | | | | | |
| Rowan | Rowan | 42 | | | | Rowan | Rowan | 27 | | | | | | |
| Wilkes | Wilkes | 3 | Rowan | Rowan | 28 | | | | | | | | | |
| Union (NY) | Union (NY) | 55 | Union (NY) | Union (NY) | 24 | | | | | | | | | |
| Ithaca | Ithaca | 41 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
* Overtime