# 2010 NCAA Division III football season

The 2010 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 2010, and concluded with the NCAA Division III Football Championship, also known as the Stagg Bowl, in December 2010 at Salem Football Stadium in Salem, Virginia. The Wisconsin–Whitewater Warhawks won their first Division III championship by defeating the Mount Union Purple Raiders, 31−21. This was the sixth of seven straight championship games between Mount Union (3 wins) and Wisconsin–Whitewater (4 wins).
The Gagliardi Trophy, given to the most outstanding player in Division III football, was awarded to Eric Watt, quarterback from Trine.

## Conference changes and new programs

| School | 2009 conference | 2010 conference |
| Menlo | Northwest (Division III) | Independent (NAIA) |

## Conference standings

2010 American Southwest Conference football standings :
| 2010 American Southwest Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 5 Mary Hardin–Baylor $^  8 –0  12 –1   Louisiana College  7 –1  7 –3   No. 24 Hardin–Simmons  6 –2  8 –2   McMurry  4 –4  6 –4   East Texas Baptist  4 –4  5 –5   Texas Lutheran  3 –5  4 –6   Mississippi College  2 –6  4 –6   Howard Payne  1 –7  2 –8   Sul Ross  1 –7  1 –8   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2010 Atlantic Central Football Conference standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 4 Wesley $^  3 –0  12 –1   Salisbury ^  2 –1  7 –3   Frostburg State  1 –2  2 –8   Apprentice §  0 –3  2 –8   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant§ – Not an NCAA memberRankings from D3football.com | 2010 Centennial Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Ursinus +  7 –2  8 –2   Johns Hopkins +  7 –2  8 –3   Muhlenberg +^  7 –2  7 –4   Moravian  6 –3  7 –4   Gettysburg  5 –4  6 –4   Franklin & Marshall  5 –4  6 –5   McDaniel  4 –5  5 –5   Dickinson  3 –6  3 –7   Susquehanna  1 –8  2 –8   Juniata  0 –9  0 –10   + – Conference co-champions^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant |
| 2010 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 3 North Central (IL) $^  7 –0  12 –1   No. 11 Wheaton (IL) ^  6 –1  10 –2   Illinois Wesleyan  4 –3  7 –3   Augustana (IL)  4 –3  6 –4   Carthage  3 –4  6 –4   Elmhurst  3 –4  6 –4   Millikin  1 –6  4 –6   North Park  0 –7  2 –8   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2010 Eastern Collegiate Football Conference standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Maritime $^  7 –0  10 –1   Norwich  5 –2  8 –3   Castleton  5 –2  5 –4   Mount Ida  5 –2  6 –5   Gallaudet  3 –4  3 –5   Becker  2 –5  2 –8   Husson  1 –6  1 –9   Anna Maria  0 –7  0 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant | 2010 Empire 8 Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 13 Alfred $^  5 –0  10 –3   St. John Fisher  3 –2  9 –2   Springfield  3 –2  9 –2   Ithaca  3 –2  6 –4   Hartwick  1 –4  4 –5   Utica  0 –5  5 –5   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com |
| 2010 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 22 Franklin (IN) $^  8 –0  9 –2   Hanover  6 –2  7 –3   Defiance  6 –2  6 –4   Rose-Hulman  5 –3  6 –4   Mount St. Joseph  4 –4  5 –5   Bluffton  3 –5  4 –6   Anderson (IN)  3 –5  3 –7   Manchester  1 –7  2 –8   Earlham  0 –8  0 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2010 Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 12 Wartburg $^  8 –0  10 –1   No. 14 Coe ^  7 –1  9 –2   Central (IA)  6 –2  8 –2   Loras  4 –4  5 –5   Luther  4 –4  5 –5   Dubuque  3 –5  4 –6   Buena Vista  2 –6  3 –7   Simpson (IA)  2 –6  2 –8   Cornell (IA)  0 –8  0 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2010 Liberty League football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  St. Lawrence $^  5 –1  5 –6   RPI  4 –2  6 –4   Hobart  3 –3  5 –4   Rochester (NY)  3 –3  4 –5   Merchant Marine  3 –3  4 –6   Union (NY)  2 –4  2 –7   WPI  1 –5  3 –7   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant |
| 2010 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 10 Trine $^  6 –0  11 –1   Adrian  4 –2  5 –5   Albion  4 –2  5 –5   Hope  3 –3  3 –7   Alma  2 –4  3 –7   Kalamazoo  2 –4  3 –7   Olivet  0 –6  0 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2010 Middle Atlantic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 16 Delaware Valley $^  6 –1  9 –3   Lebanon Valley  5 –2  6 –5   Wilkes  5 –2  6 –5   Lycoming  4 –3  6 –4   Widener  4 –3  5 –5   Albright  3 –4  5 –5   King's  1 –6  1 –9   FDU Florham  0 –7  3 –7   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2010 Midwest Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  St. Norbert $^  7 –2  7 –4   Carroll (WI)  6 –3  7 –3   Ripon  6 –3  7 –3   Monmouth (IL)  6 –3  6 –4   Grinnell  5 –4  6 –4   Beloit  5 –4  5 –5   Illinois College  5 –4  5 –5   Lake Forest  2 –7  2 –8   Lawrence  2 –7  2 –8   Knox  1 –8  1 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant |
| 2010 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 7 St. Thomas (MN) $^  8 –0  12 –1   No. 6 Bethel (MN) ^  7 –1  12 –2   Saint John's (MN)  6 –2  7 –3   St. Olaf  4 –4  6 –4   Concordia–Moorhead  4 –4  5 –5   Gustavus Adolphus  3 –5  4 –6   Augsburg  2 –6  4 –6   Carleton  2 –6  3 –7   Hamline  0 –8  1 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2010 New England Football Conference standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Bogan Division Framingham State x  6 –1  9 –2   Maine Maritime xy  6 –1  8 –3   Massachusetts Maritime  4 –3  5 –5   Westfield State  4 –3  5 –5   Bridgewater State  3 –4  5 –5   Worcester State  3 –4  5 –5   Coast Guard  1 –6  2 –7   Fitchburg State  1 –6  1 –9   Boyd Division Western New England x  6 –1  9 –2   Endicott xy$^  6 –1  9 –3   Salve Regina  5 –2  6 –4   Curry  4 –3  6 –4   Plymouth State  4 –3  6 –4   UMass Dartmouth  2 –5  3 –7   Nichols  1 –6  1 –9   MIT  0 –7  1 –8   Championship: Endicott 38, Maine Maritime 35 $ – Conference championx – Division champion/co-championsy – Championship game participant^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant | 2010 New England Small College Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Williams $  8 –0  8 –0   Trinity (CT)  7 –1  7 –1   Amherst  6 –2  6 –2   Colby  4 –4  4 –4   Middlebury  4 –4  4 –4   Wesleyan  4 –4  4 –4   Bowdoin  3 –5  3 –5   Bates  2 –6  2 –6   Hamilton  1 –7  1 –7   Tufts  1 –7  1 –7   $ – Conference champion |
| 2010 New Jersey Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 23 Rowan +  8 –1  9 –1   No. 18 Cortland +^  8 –1  10 –2   No. 19 Montclair State +^  8 –1  10 –2   Kean  5 –4  5 –5   TCNJ  5 –4  5 –5   Buffalo State  4 –5  4 –6   William Paterson  3 –6  4 –6   Brockport  2 –7  2 –8   Morrisville State  2 –7  2 –8   Western Connecticut  0 –9  0 –10   + – Conference co-champions^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2010 North Coast Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 17 Wittenberg $^  6 –0  10 –1   Wabash  5 –1  8 –2   Allegheny  4 –2  7 –3   Wooster  4 –2  5 –5   Oberlin  3 –3  4 –6   Denison  2 –4  4 –6   Ohio Wesleyan  2 –4  2 –8   Hiram  1 –5  1 –9   Kenyon  0 –6  0 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2010 Northern Athletics Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Benedictine (IL) $^  7 –0  8 –3   Concordia (IL)  6 –1  8 –2   Aurora  5 –2  7 –3   Wisconsin Lutheran  4 –3  6 –4   Lakeland  3 –4  4 –6   Concordia (WI)  2 –5  2 –8   Maranatha Baptist  1 –6  1 –9   Rockford  0 –7  0 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant |
| 2010 Northwest Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 9 Linfield $^  6 –0  9 –2   No. 20 Pacific Lutheran  5 –1  8 –1   Willamette  4 –2  7 –3   Whitworth  3 –3  5 –5   Lewis & Clark  2 –4  4 –5   Puget Sound  1 –5  2 –7   Pacific (OR)  0 –6  0 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2010 Ohio Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 2 Mount Union $^  9 –0  14 –1   No. 8 Ohio Northern ^  8 –1  10 –2   Baldwin–Wallace  6 –3  7 –3   Otterbein  5 –4  6 –4   Capital  5 –4  5 –5   John Carroll  5 –4  5 –5   Heidelberg  4 –5  5 –5   Muskingum  2 –7  3 –7   Marietta  1 –8  2 –8   Wilmington (OH)  0 –9  0 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2010 Old Dominion Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Washington and Lee $^  6 –0  8 –3   No. 25 Hampden–Sydney ^  5 –1  9 –2   Bridgewater  4 –2  8 –2   Randolph–Macon  3 –3  7 –3   Catholic University  2 –4  4 –6   Emory & Henry  1 –5  5 –5   Guilford  0 –6  0 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com |
| 2010 Presidents' Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 15 Thomas More $^  7 –0  11 –1   Washington & Jefferson  6 –1  9 –2   Waynesburg  4 –3  6 –4   Bethany (WV)  4 –3  5 –5   Grove City  3 –4  5 –5   Saint Vincent  3 –4  3 –7   Westminster (PA)  1 –6  2 –8   Thiel  0 –7  0 –10   Geneva #   –  5 –5   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant # – Provisional NCAA Divisional III member; games not counted in standings Rankings from D3football.com | 2010 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 21 Cal Lutheran $^  6 –0  8 –2   Redlands  5 –1  8 –1   Claremont–Mudd–Scripps  4 –2  7 –2   Occidental  3 –3  4 –5   Whittier  1 –5  2 –7   La Verne  1 –5  1 –8   Pomona–Pitzer  1 –5  1 –8   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2010 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  DePauw $^  6 –0  9 –2   Millsaps  5 –1  7 –3   Centre  3 –3  6 –4   Rhodes  3 –3  4 –6   Austin  2 –4  4 –5   Trinity (TX)  2 –4  4 –6   Sewanee  0 –6  1 –9   Birmingham–Southern #   –  6 –4   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant # – Provisional Division III member; games not counted in standings |
| 2010 University Athletic Association football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Chicago $  3 –0  8 –2   Washington University  2 –1  7 –3   Case Western Reserve  1 –2  8 –2   Carnegie Mellon  0 –3  4 –6   $ – Conference champion | 2010 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Greenville $  6 –0  7 –3   St. Scholastica  5 –2  7 –3   Crown  4 –2  6 –3   Martin Luther  4 –2  5 –4   Minnesota–Morris  4 –2  4 –4   Westminster (MO)  3 –4  5 –5   Eureka  2 –5  2 –8   Northwestern (MN)  1 –5  1 –8   MacMurray  0 –7  0 –10   $ – Conference champion | 2010 USA South Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  North Carolina Wesleyan +  6 –1  7 –3   Christopher Newport +^  6 –1  6 –5   Ferrum  4 –3  4 –6   Shenandoah  4 –3  4 –6   Averett  3 –4  5 –5   Maryville (TN)  3 –4  4 –6   Greensboro  1 –6  2 –8   Methodist  1 –6  2 –8   + – Conference co-champions^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant |
| 2010 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 1 Wisconsin–Whitewater $^  7 –0  15 –0   Wisconsin–Stevens Point  5 –2  7 –3   Wisconsin–Stout  4 –3  6 –4   Wisconsin–Platteville  3 –4  5 –5   Wisconsin–Oshkosh  3 –4  4 –6   Wisconsin–La Crosse  3 –4  3 –7   Wisconsin–Eau Claire  2 –5  4 –6   Wisconsin–River Falls  1 –6  1 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2010 NCAA Division III independents football records vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Macalester   –  6 –3   Huntingdon   –  6 –4   Chapman   –  4 –5   LaGrange   –  3 –7 |

## Conference champions

* Conference champions
* American Southwest Conference – Mary Hardin–Baylor
* Atlantic Central Football Conference‡ – Wesley
* Centennial Conference – Johns Hopkins, Muhlenberg, and Ursinus
* College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin – North Central (IL)
* Eastern Collegiate Football Conference – Maritime
* Empire 8 Conference – Alfred
* Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference – Franklin
* Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Wartburg
* Liberty League – St. Lawrence
* Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Trine
* Middle Atlantic Conference – Delaware Valley
* Midwest Conference – St. Norbert
* Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – St. Thomas (MN)
* New England Football Conference – Framingham State and Maine Maritime (Bogan Division), Endicott and Western New England (Boyd Division)
* Championship Game: Endicott 38, Maine Maritime 35
* New England Small College Athletic Conference – Williams
* New Jersey Athletic Conference – Montclair State, Rowan, and SUNY Cortland
* North Coast Athletic Conference – Wittenberg
* Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference – Benedictine (IL)
* Northwest Conference – Linfield
* Ohio Athletic Conference – Mount Union
* Old Dominion Athletic Conference – Washington & Lee
* Presidents' Athletic Conference – Thomas More
* Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Cal Lutheran
* Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference – DePauw
* University Athletic Association – Chicago
* Upper Midwest Athletic Conference – Greenville
* USA South Athletic Conference – Christopher Newport and North Carolina Wesleyan
* Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Wisconsin–Whitewater

## Postseason

The 2010 NCAA Division III Football Championship playoffs were the 38th 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 18th time.

### Qualification

Twenty-three conferences met the requirements for an automatic ("Pool A") bid to the playoffs. Besides the NESCAC, which does not participate in the playoffs, four conferences had no Pool A bid. The ECFC and UMAC were in the second year of the two-year waiting period, while the ACFC and UAA 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 23 Pool A conferences contained 197 schools, an average of 8.6 teams per conference. Twenty-eight schools were in Pool B, enough for three bids.
The remaining six 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 |
| Wesley | Wesley | 53 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Muhlenberg | Muhlenberg | 14 | Wesley | Wesley | 44 | | | | | | | | | |
| Montclair State | Montclair State | 16 | Montclair State | Montclair State | 7 | | | | | | | | | |
| Hampden–Sydney | Hampden–Sydney | 14 | | | | Wesley | Wesley | 19 | | | | | | |
| Thomas More | Thomas More | 42 | | | | Mary Hardin–Baylor | Mary Hardin–Baylor | 9 | | | | | | |
| Washington & Lee | Washington & Lee | 14 | Thomas More | Thomas More | 7 | | | | | | | | | |
| Mary Hardin–Baylor | Mary Hardin–Baylor | 59 | Mary Hardin–Baylor | Mary Hardin–Baylor | 69 | | | | | | | | | |
| Christopher Newport | Christopher Newport | 7 | | | | | | | Wesley | Wesley | 7 | | | |
| North Central (IL) | North Central (IL) | 57 | | | | | | | Wisconsin–Whitewater | Wisconsin–Whitewater | 27 | | | |
| St. Norbert | St. Norbert | 7 | North Central (IL) | North Central (IL) | 28 | | | | | | | | | |
| Ohio Northern | Ohio Northern | 37 | Ohio Northern | Ohio Northern | 9 | | | | | | | | | |
| Wittenberg | Wittenberg | 14 | | | | North Central (IL) | North Central (IL) | 10 | | | | | | |
| Trine | Trine | 45 | | | | Wisconsin–Whitewater | Wisconsin–Whitewater | 20 | | | | | | |
| DePauw | DePauw | 35 | Trine | Trine | 31 | | | | | | | | | |
| Wisconsin–Whitewater | Wisconsin–Whitewater | 52 | Wisconsin–Whitewater | Wisconsin–Whitewater | 45 | | | | | | | | | |
| Franklin | Franklin | 21 | | | | | | | | | | Wisconsin–Whitewater | Wisconsin–Whitewater | 31 |
| Mount Union | Mount Union | 49 | | | | | | | | | | Mount Union | Mount Union | 21 |
| St. Lawrence | St. Lawrence | 0 | Mount Union | Mount Union | 31 | | | | | | | | | |
| Delaware Valley | Delaware Valley | 23 | Delaware Valley | Delaware Valley | 3 | | | | | | | | | |
| Salisbury | Salisbury | 12 | | | | Mount Union | Mount Union | 37 | | | | | | |
| Alfred | Alfred | 60 | | | | Alfred | Alfred | 7 | | | | | | |
| Maritime | Maritime | 0 | Alfred | Alfred | 34 | | | | | | | | | |
| SUNY Cortland | SUNY Cortland | 49 | SUNY Cortland | SUNY Cortland | 20 | | | | | | | | | |
| Endicott | Endicott | 35 | | | | | | | Mount Union | Mount Union | 34 | | | |
| St. Thomas (MN) | St. Thomas (MN) | 57 | | | | | | | Bethel (MN) | Bethel (MN) | 14 | | | |
| Benedictine | Benedictine | 10 | St. Thomas (MN) | St. Thomas (MN) | 24** | | | | | | | | | |
| Linfield | Linfield | 42 | Linfield | Linfield | 17 | | | | | | | | | |
| Cal Lutheran | Cal Lutheran | 26 | | | | St. Thomas (MN) | St. Thomas (MN) | 7 | | | | | | |
| Bethel (MN) | Bethel (MN) | 28 | | | | Bethel (MN) | Bethel (MN) | 12 | | | | | | |
| Wartburg | Wartburg | 20 | Bethel (MN) | Bethel (MN) | 15 | | | | | | | | | |
| Wheaton (IL) | Wheaton (IL) | 31 | Wheaton (IL) | Wheaton (IL) | 10 | | | | | | | | | |
| Coe | Coe | 21 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
* Overtime