Nov. 15, 2008

The NCAA Division III Football Committee announced today the field of 32 teams for the 2008 NCAA Division III Football Championship.  The committee selected teams based on conference results and competition within an institution's respective evaluation region.
    
Twenty-three conferences received automatic-qualifying berths.  Three berths were reserved for true independents and those teams that are members of conferences that do not receive automatic qualification.  The remaining six berths were awarded to teams from either automatic qualifying conferences that did not win an automatic berth, or remaining true independent teams and teams in non-automatic qualifying conferences.
    
The first round of the championship will be played November 22 at the host institution's campus or at an alternate site approved by the football committee.  The Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl, the national championship game, will be played December 20, at Salem Stadium in Salem, Virginia.  The game will be broadcast live on ESNP2 HD/E360 at 11 a.m. Eastern time.

The following 23 conferences and their respective schools received automatic-qualifying berths:

American Southwest Conference - Mary Hardin-Baylor
Centennial Conference - Muhlenberg
College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin - North Central (Illinois)
Empire 8 - Ithaca
Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference - Franklin
Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference - Wartburg
Liberty League - Hobart
Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association - Trine
Middle Atlantic States Collegiate Athletic Conference - Lycoming
Midwest Conference - Monmouth (Illinois)
Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference - St. John's (Minnesota)
New England Football Conference - Plymouth State
New Jersey Athletic Conference - Cortland State
North Coast Athletic Conference - Wabash
Northern Athletics Conference - Aurora
Northwest Conference - Willamette
Ohio Athletic Conference - Mount Union
Old Dominion Athletic Conference - Randolph-Macon
Presidents' Athletic Conference - Thomas More
Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference - Occidental
Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference - Millsaps
USA South Athletic Conference - Christopher Newport
Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference - Wisconsin-Stevens Point

Pool B Berths (3):
Case Western Reserve
LaGrange
Wesley

Pool C Berths (6):
Otterbein
Wisconsin-Whitewater
Hardin-Simmons
Curry
Washington and Jefferson
Wheaton (Illinois)


The first-round dates, sites, and team match-ups are:

November 22 at Alliance, Ohio
*Mount Union (10-0) vs. Randolph-Macon (6-4)
      
November 22 at Geneva, New York
*Hobart (8-1) vs. Lycoming (7-3)

November 22 at Cortland, New York
*Cortland State (9-1) vs. Plymouth State (10-1)

November 22 at Ithaca, New York
*Ithaca (9-1) vs. Curry (9-1)

November 22 at Naperville, Illinois
*North Central (Illinois) (10-0) vs. Thomas More (8-2)

November 22 at Westerville, Ohio
*Otterbein (9-1) vs. Franklin (9-1)

November 22 at Cleveland, Ohio
*Case Western Reserve (10-0) vs. Wabash (9-1)

November 22 at Angola, Indiana
*Trine (10-0) vs. Wheaton (Illinois) (8-2)

November 22 at Salem, Oregon
*Willamette (10-0) vs. Occidental (9-0)

November 22 at Whitewater, Wisconsin
* Wisconsin-Whitewater (9-1) vs. St. John's (Minnesota) (8-2)

November 22 at Stevens Point, Wisconsin
*Wisconsin-Stevens Point (9-1) vs. Wartburg (8-2)

November 22 at Monmouth, Illinois
*Monmouth (Illinois) (10-0) vs. Aurora (9-1)

November 22 at Jackson, Mississippi
*Millsaps (10-0) vs. LaGrange (9-1)

November 22 at Washington, Pennsylvania
*Washington and Jefferson (9-1) vs. Christopher Newport (8-1)

November 22 at Allentown, Pennsylvania
*Muhlenberg (9-1) vs. Wesley (8-1)

November 22 at Belton, Texas
*Mary Hardin-Baylor (9-1) vs. Hardin-Simmons (9-1)

    *Denotes host institution

All games start at noon local time.

Eighteen states are represented in the championship field.  Illinois leads the country with four teams participating.  The University of Wisconsin, Whitewater captured their first Division III football championship in 2007 by defeating Mount Union College, 31-21.
The complete 2008 NCAA Division III Football Championship bracket is attached.