2016 NCAA Division III football season

The 2016 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 on September 5, 2016 and ended with the NCAA Division III Football Championship, also known as the Stagg Bowl, on December 16, 2016 at Salem Football Stadium in Salem, Virginia. However, UMHB's championship was later vacated by the NCAA.[1]

Conference changes and new programs

Three programs changed conference affiliations.

School 2015 conference 2016 conference
Carroll MWC CCIW[2]
McMurry Independent ASC[3]
Nebraska Wesleyan Great Plains
(NAIA)
IIAC[4]

A full list of Division III teams can be viewed on the D3football website.[5]

This was also the final season of competition for two Division III conferences. The New England Football Conference will be absorbed by the Commonwealth Coast Conference,[6] and the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference, which had lost most of its membership in 2012 when seven schools left to form the Southern Athletic Association, will end its sponsorship of football and continue as a non-football conference.

Conference standings

2016 American Southwest Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 1 Mary Hardin–Baylor $^   6 0     15 0  
No. 13 Hardin–Simmons ^   5 1     9 2  
Sul Ross   4 2     6 4  
East Texas Baptist   3 3     7 3  
McMurry #   2 4     4 5  
Louisiana College   1 5     4 6  
Howard Payne   0 6     0 10  
Belhaven *       2 8  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
  • # – Provisional NCAA Division III member
    * – Provisional NCAA Division III member; games not counted in standings
Rankings from D3football.com
2016 Centennial Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 11 Johns Hopkins $^   9 0     11 1  
Muhlenberg   8 1     9 2  
Franklin & Marshall   6 3     7 4  
Susquehanna   6 3     6 4  
Moravian   4 5     5 5  
Juniata   3 6     4 6  
Gettysburg   3 6     3 7  
McDaniel   3 6     3 7  
Ursinus   2 7     2 8  
Dickinson   1 8     1 9  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
Rankings from D3football.com
2016 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 10 North Central (IL) $^   8 0     11 1  
No. 8 Wheaton (IL) ^   7 1     11 2  
Illinois Wesleyan   6 2     7 2  
Carthage   5 3     7 3  
Elmhurst   4 4     5 5  
Millikin   3 5     4 6  
Augustana (IL)   2 6     3 7  
Carroll (WI)   1 7     1 9  
North Park   0 8     1 9  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
Rankings from D3football.com
2016 Eastern Collegiate Football Conference standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Husson $^   7 0     9 2  
Norwich   5 2     5 5  
SUNY Maritime   4 3     6 5  
Castleton   4 3     4 6  
Mount Ida   4 3     4 6  
Becker   2 5     3 7  
Gallaudet   1 6     2 8  
Anna Maria   1 6     1 9  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
2016 Empire 8 Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 12 Alfred $^   8 0     12 1  
No. 25 St. John Fisher   6 2     8 3  
Brockport   6 2     7 4  
Utica   5 3     7 4  
Ithaca   4 4     5 5  
Buffalo State   3 5     5 5  
Cortland   3 5     5 6  
Hartwick   1 7     2 8  
Morrisville State   0 8     1 9  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
Rankings from D3football.com
2016 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Franklin (IN) +   7 1     8 2  
Rose–Hulman +^   7 1     8 3  
Mount St. Joseph   6 2     6 4  
Bluffton   5 3     7 3  
Defiance   4 4     5 5  
Hanover   4 4     4 6  
Manchester   2 6     2 8  
Anderson (IN)   1 7     1 9  
Earlham   0 8     0 10  
  • + – Conference co-champions
  • ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
2016 Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 17 Coe $^   8 0     11 1  
Central (IA)   6 2     8 2  
Dubuque   6 2     8 2  
Wartburg   5 3     6 4  
Nebraska Wesleyan   3 5     4 6  
Buena Vista   3 5     3 7  
Luther   2 6     3 7  
Simpson (IA)   2 6     3 7  
Loras   1 7     1 9  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
Rankings from D3football.com
2016 Liberty League football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 24 St. Lawrence +   6 1     9 1  
No. 19 Hobart +^   6 1     9 2  
Merchant Marine   4 3     5 4  
Springfield   4 3     5 5  
WPI   3 4     6 4  
RPI   3 4     6 5  
Union (NY)   2 5     3 7  
Rochester (NY)   0 7     1 8  
  • + – Conference co-champions
  • ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
Rankings from D3football.com
2016 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Bridgewater State $^   8 0     8 3  
Framingham State   6 2     8 3  
Plymouth State   4 4     6 4  
UMass Dartmouth   4 4     5 5  
Western Connecticut   4 4     5 5  
Fitchburg State   3 5     5 5  
Massachusetts Maritime   3 5     4 6  
Worcester State   3 5     3 7  
Westfield State   1 7     2 8  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
2016 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Olivet $^   6 0     9 2  
Hope   5 1     7 3  
Alma   4 2     7 3  
Trine   3 3     6 4  
Adrian   2 4     4 6  
Kalamazoo   1 5     3 7  
Albion   0 6     1 9  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
2016 Middle Atlantic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 20 Stevenson $^   8 1     9 2  
Delaware Valley   7 2     9 2  
Albright   7 2     8 3  
Widener   6 3     6 4  
King's   5 4     5 5  
Lebanon Valley   4 5     4 6  
Wilkes   3 6     3 7  
Lycoming   2 7     3 7  
FDU Florham   2 7     2 8  
Misericordia   1 8     1 9  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
Rankings from D3football.com
2016 Midwest Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 21 Monmouth (IL) $^   8 0     10 1  
St. Norbert   7 1     7 3  
Lake Forest   6 2     8 2  
Macalester   6 2     7 3  
Illinois College   5 3     6 4  
Cornell (IA)   4 4     5 5  
Beloit   2 6     3 7  
Lawrence   2 6     3 7  
Knox   2 6     2 8  
Ripon   2 6     2 8  
Grinnell   0 8     0 10  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
Rankings from D3football.com
2016 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 6 St. Thomas (MN) $^   8 0     12 1  
No. 9 Saint John's (MN) ^   7 1     10 2  
Concordia–Moorhead   6 2     7 3  
Bethel (MN)   5 3     5 5  
Gustavus Adolphus   3 5     5 5  
Hamline   3 5     5 5  
Augsburg   2 6     2 8  
St. Olaf   1 7     2 8  
Carleton   1 7     1 9  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
Rankings from D3football.com
2016 New England Football Conference standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 22 Western New England $^   7 0     11 1  
Salve Regina   6 1     8 2  
Endicott   5 2     5 5  
Nichols   4 3     6 4  
MIT   3 4     3 7  
Coast Guard   2 5     3 7  
Curry   1 6     3 6  
Maine Maritime   0 7     1 8  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
Rankings from D3football.com
2016 New England Small College Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Trinity (CT) $   8 0     8 0  
Tufts   7 1     7 1  
Middlebury   6 2     6 2  
Wesleyan   6 2     6 2  
Amherst   4 4     4 4  
Bates   3 5     3 5  
Colby   3 5     3 5  
Hamilton   3 5     3 5  
Bowdoin   0 8     0 8  
Williams   0 8     0 8  
  • $ – Conference champion
2016 New Jersey Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 23 Frostburg State +   8 1     10 1  
No. 15 Wesley +^   8 1     9 3  
Salisbury   6 3     8 3  
Christopher Newport   6 3     7 3  
Kean   5 4     7 4  
Rowan   5 4     6 4  
Montclair State   3 6     4 6  
TCNJ   2 7     2 8  
Southern Virginia   1 8     2 8  
William Paterson   1 8     2 8  
  • + – Conference co-champions
  • ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
Rankings from D3football.com
2016 North Coast Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 16 Wittenberg $^   8 1     10 2  
Denison   7 2     8 2  
DePauw   7 2     8 2  
Wabash   7 2     8 2  
Ohio Wesleyan   6 3     6 4  
Wooster   4 5     4 6  
Hiram   3 6     3 7  
Kenyon   2 7     3 7  
Allegheny   1 8     1 9  
Oberlin   0 9     0 10  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
Rankings from D3football.com
2016 Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Lakeland +^   5 1     7 4  
Aurora +   5 1     6 4  
Benedictine (IL)   4 2     6 4  
Wisconsin Lutheran   4 2     5 5  
Concordia (IL)   2 4     4 6  
Concordia (WI)   1 5     3 7  
Rockford   0 6     1 9  
  • + – Conference co-champions
  • ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
2016 Northwest Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 7 Linfield $^   7 0     9 2  
Whitworth   6 1     8 2  
George Fox   5 2     5 4  
Pacific Lutheran   4 3     5 4  
Pacific (OR)   3 4     4 6  
Willamette   2 5     3 7  
Puget Sound   1 6     3 6  
Lewis & Clark   0 7     0 9  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
Rankings from D3football.com
2016 Ohio Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 3 John Carroll $^   9 0     12 2  
No. 4 Mount Union ^   8 1     12 2  
Heidelberg   6 3     6 4  
Ohio Northern   5 4     5 5  
Otterbein   5 4     5 5  
Capital   4 5     4 6  
Muskingum   3 6     4 6  
Marietta   3 6     3 7  
Baldwin Wallace   2 7     3 7  
Wilmington (OH)   0 9     0 10  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
Rankings from D3football.com
2016 Old Dominion Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Randolph–Macon $^   6 1     9 2  
Emory & Henry   5 2     6 4  
Washington and Lee   5 2     6 4  
Shenandoah   4 3     6 4  
Bridgewater   4 3     5 5  
Hampden–Sydney   3 4     3 7  
Guilford   1 6     4 6  
Catholic University   0 7     3 7  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
2016 Presidents' Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 18 Thomas More $^   8 0     9 2  
Case Western Reserve   7 1     9 1  
Washington & Jefferson   6 2     9 2  
Carnegie Mellon   6 2     7 4  
Westminster (PA)   5 3     8 3  
Saint Vincent   3 5     5 5  
Thiel   3 5     4 6  
Bethany (WV)   2 6     3 7  
Geneva   2 6     3 7  
Waynesburg   2 6     2 8  
Grove City   0 8     0 10  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
Rankings from D3football.com
2016 Southern Athletic Association football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Berry +   7 1     9 1  
Washington University +^   7 1     8 3  
Centre   6 2     8 2  
Hendrix   5 3     7 3  
Rhodes   4 4     6 4  
Chicago   4 4     4 6  
Millsaps   2 6     3 7  
Birmingham–Southern   1 7     1 9  
Sewanee   0 8     0 10  
  • + – Conference co-champions
  • ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
2016 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Redlands $^   7 0     8 2  
Claremont–Mudd–Scripps   5 2     7 2  
Pomona–Pitzer   5 2     6 3  
Chapman   4 3     5 4  
Cal Lutheran   4 3     4 5  
La Verne   2 5     2 7  
Occidental   1 6     1 8  
Whittier   0 7     0 9  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
Rankings from D3football.com
2016 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Southwestern (TX) $   6 0     7 3  
Trinity (TX)   3 3     5 5  
Texas Lutheran   2 4     2 8  
Austin   1 5     3 7  
  • $ – Conference champion
2016 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Northwestern (MN) $^   8 1     9 2  
Eureka   7 2     8 2  
MacMurray   7 2     8 2  
St. Scholastica   7 2     7 3  
Minnesota–Morris   5 4     6 4  
Westminster (MO)   4 5     4 6  
Iowa Wesleyan #   3 6     3 7  
Crown   2 7     2 8  
Greenville   2 7     2 8  
Martin Luther   0 9     0 10  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
  • # – Provisional NCAA Division III member
2016 USA South Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Huntingdon +^   6 1     9 2  
Maryville (TN) +   6 1     8 2  
North Carolina Wesleyan   4 2     5 4  
Ferrum   4 3     6 4  
Averett   4 3     5 5  
Methodist   2 4     3 6  
LaGrange   1 6     3 7  
Greensboro   0 7     1 9  
  • + – Conference co-champions
  • ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
2016 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 5 Wisconsin–Whitewater $^   7 0     12 1  
No. 2 Wisconsin–Oshkosh ^   6 1     13 2  
No. 14 Wisconsin–Platteville ^   5 2     8 3  
Wisconsin–Stevens Point   3 4     6 4  
Wisconsin–River Falls   3 4     4 6  
Wisconsin–La Crosse   2 5     5 5  
Wisconsin–Stout   1 6     3 7  
Wisconsin–Eau Claire   1 6     2 8  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
Rankings from D3football.com
2016 NCAA Division III independents football records
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Dean**       1 1  
Maranatha Baptist       2 7  
Finlandia       1 7  
Alfred State*       1 9  
  • * – Provisional Division III member
    ** – Dean was accepted as a Division III football program for the 2016 season and finished with a 6–4 overall record, but only two games were against varsity level teams.

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 first year of the two-year waiting period, having now attained seven members; the SCAC had only four members.

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 222 schools, an average of 8.9 teams per conference. Twelve schools were in Pool B, enough for one bid.

The remaining six playoff spots were at-large ("Pool C") teams.

Playoff bracket

First round
November 19, 2016
Second round
November 26, 2016
Quarterfinals
December 3, 2016
Semifinals
December 10, 2016
Championship
December 16, 2016
Salem Football Stadium
Salem, Virginia
Mary Hardin-Baylor* 50
Redlands 28 Mary Hardin-Baylor* 27
Hardin-Simmons* 10 Linfield 10
Linfield 24 Mary Hardin-Baylor* 38
Wheaton* 45 Wheaton 16
Huntingdon 10 Wheaton 31
North Central* 41 North Central* 14
Rose-Hulman 7 Mary Hardin-Baylor* 14
Alfred*33 Mount Union 12
Bridgewater State 27 Alfred* 30
Western New England* 44 Western New England 24
Husson 27 Alfred* 45
Hobart* 21 Mount Union 70
Mount Union 38 Mount Union 28
Johns Hopkins* 42 Johns Hopkins* 21
Randolph-Macon 21 Mary Hardin-Baylor 10
St. Thomas* 43 UW-Oshkosh 7
Northwestern (MN) 0 St. Thomas* 55
Coe* 21 Coe 6
Monmouth 14 St. Thomas* 31
St. John's* 32 UW-Oshkosh 34
UW-Platteville 31 St. John's 14
UW-Oshkosh* 49 UW-Oshkosh* 31
Washington U. 13 UW-Oshkosh* 10
John Carroll* 37 John Carroll 3
Olivet 12 John Carroll* †† 20
Wesley* 38 Wesley 17
Stevenson 17 John Carroll 31
Thomas More* 30 UW-Whitewater* 14
Wittenberg33 Wittenberg 9
UW-Whitewater* 45 UW-Whitewater* 37
Lakeland 27

* Home team   † Overtime    Winner

Bowl games

Winning teams are denoted in bold.

Date Bowl Stadium
City
Home team Away team Score
Nov. 18, 2016 ECAC Chapman Bowl Franklin Field
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Kean SUNY-Cortland 30–27
Nov. 18, 2016 ECAC President's Bowl Franklin Field
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Washington & Jefferson Brockport 38–31
Nov. 19, 2016 ECAC Lynah Bowl Franklin Field
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Utica Westminster (PA) 33–6
Nov. 19, 2016 ECAC Bushnell Bowl Franklin Field
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
No. 24 Frostburg State No. 22 St. John Fisher 38–14
Nov. 19, 2016 New England Bowl Gaudet Field
Middletown, Rhode Island
Salve Regina Framingham State 37–34
Nov. 19, 2016 Centennial-MAC Bowl Series Scotty Wood Stadium
Allentown, Pennsylvania
Muhlenberg Delaware Valley 30–27
Nov. 19, 2016 Centennial-MAC Bowl Series Shirk Stadium
Reading, Pennsylvania
Albright Franklin & Marshall 28–23
Nov. 20, 2016 ECAC Legacy Bowl Franklin Field
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Carnegie Mellon Salisbury 52–20
Nov. 20, 2016 ECAC Whitelaw Bowl Franklin Field
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
SUNY-Maritime RPI 38–6

See also

References

  1. ^ Quillin, Kurtis (June 26, 2020). "NCAA denies UMHB sanctions appeal". KCEN-TV. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
  2. ^ "Carrol returns to CCIW", D3sports.com. Retrieved November 17, 2016.
  3. ^ "War Hawks Tabbed Fifth in 2016 ASC Football Poll", McMurry War Hawks. July 19, 2016.
  4. ^ "NWU gives up NAIA status, will join IIAC", D3sports.com. Retrieved November 17, 2016.
  5. ^ "Division III Team Pages", D3football.com. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
  6. ^ "Commonwealth Coast Conference To Administer Football Championship Beginning in 2017-18" (Press release). Commonwealth Coast Conference. October 5, 2015. Retrieved December 24, 2016.