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Dream Bowl
2023 Susquehanna University vs Moravian

NCAA Division 3 Football Rankings For Week 9 (Oct. 23)

NCAA Division 3 Football Rankings For Week 9 (Oct. 23)

Susquehanna Football moved up in the Division III rankings as they look to clinch at least a share of the Landmark Conference title.

Oct 23, 2023 by Joe Harrington
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Susquehanna Football moved to 8-0 and appeared closer to a Landmark Conference championship while also moving up a spot in the rankings this past week. 

Susquehanna beat Wilkes University 34-7 to move to 4-0 in conference play. It’s been an impressive month for the River Hawks, who have wins of 69-0, 56-0 and 34-7 in October. 

Susquehanna moved from No. 13 to No. 12 in the rankings. 

But this week should be the biggest challenge of the season for Susquehanna as the River Hawks travel to Moravian University (4-3) in a clash of undefeated Landmark Conference teams and Susquehanna's penultimate regular season game. 

If the River Hawks win, they will clinch at least a share of the conference and will win it outright with a win over Lycoming College on Nov. 11. 

2023 Susquehanna University vs Moravian

North Central Football, Mount Union Football Remain at Top Of D3 Rankings

North Central (Ill.) improved to 7-0 in the Division III football rankings, but Mount Union captured the vote for No. 1 this week. Mount Union is also 7-0. 

Here’s the complete rankings.

NCAA Division 3 Football Rankings For Week 9 (Oct. 23)

  1. North Central (Ill.) (47)    7-0    1199    
  2. Mount Union (Ohio) (1)    7-0    1152    
  3. Wartburg (Iowa)    8-0    1100    
  4. Linfield (Ore.)    6-0    1003    
  5. Trinity (Tex.)    6-1    954    
  6. Wisconsin-Whitewater    6-1    928    
  7. Johns Hopkins (Md.)    7-0    886    
  8. Wisconsin-La Crosse    6-1    875    
  9. Randolph-Macon (Va.)    7-0    806    
  10. Wisconsin-River Falls    6-1    770    
  11. Aurora (Ill.)    7-0    707    
  12. Susquehanna (Pa.)    8-0    677    
  13. Wheaton (Ill.)    6-1    605    
  14. Alma (Mich.)    7-0    546    
  15. John Carroll (Ohio)    6-1    521    
  16. Muhlenberg (Pa.)    7-0    433    
  17. Ithaca (N.Y.)    6-1    417    
  18. Cortland (N.Y. )    6-1    375    
  19. Endicott (Mass.)    6-1    300    
  20. St. John’s (Minn.)    5-2    255    
  21. Grove City (Pa.)    8-0    224    
  22. Hardin-Simmons (Tex.)    6-1    217    
  23. DePauw (Ind.)    8-0    175    23    
  24. Delaware Valley (Pa.)    6-1    94    
  25. Mary Hardin-Baylor (Tex.)    4-3    88    

Others Receiving Votes: Berry (Ga.), 78; Whitworth (Wash.), 63; Coe (Iowa), 36; Wisconsin-Platteville, 29; Belhaven (Miss.), 28; Carnegie Mellon (Pa.), 16; Utica (N.Y.), 14; Augustana (Ill.), 13; Union (N.Y.), 5; Wisconsin-Oshkosh, 3; Gustavus Adolphus (Minn.), 2; Lake Forest (Ill.), 2; Rensselaer (N.Y.), 2; Marietta (Ohio), 1; Wisconsin-Stout, 1.

How To Watch NCAA Division 3 Football 

FloFootball and the FloSports app is home to Landmark Conference college football and more. FloFootball will also be home to game replays and highlights.

For more action, including all the Landmark Conference games, check out the FloFootball schedule page.

How Many Teams Make The NCAA Division III Football Playoffs?

Division III plays its football postseason—officially called the NCAA Division III Football Championship – in a 32-team, single-elimination tournament, a number of teams that has remained the same since 2005. 

All qualified teams are competing to move on and advance far enough for the right to play in the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl, the division’s national title game, held every December (with the exception of 2020’s pandemic-canceled game) since 1973, the first season of the NCAA’s current three-division system. 

-Brian Napier

Which Teams Qualify For The NCAA Division III Football Playoffs?

There are very specific requirements in order to earn a bid to the Division III playoffs, and if you don’t earn an automatic bid … well, you might just be out of luck. 

Of the 32 bids awarded, 28 are automatically given out to conference winners, up from 27, as the Landmark Conference (mostly featuring schools in eastern Pennsylvania) will begin sponsoring football this season. 

The other four bids – down from five because of the Landmark’s new auto-bid—to be handed out this season are at-large bids, with the amount available to different teams fitting different criteria (more on that later in this piece) having the potential to vary year by year. 

Winning your league, therefore, arguably is more important in Division III than any other level of football in the NCAA, as it’s truly the only surefire way to ensure you’ll be playing postseason football.

-Brian Napier

When Do The NCAA Division 3 Football Playoffs Start?

The NCAA Division III football playoffs begin Nov. 18. 

When Is NCAA Division III Football  Champions Game? Also Known As The Stagg Bowl

The Stagg Bowl is in in Salem, Virginia, at Salem Stadium this season on Dec. 15. The Stagg Bowl will move to Canton, Ohio, in 2024. 

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