INDIANAPOLIS -- The NCAA Division III Football Committee announced today the field of 32 teams for the 2016 NCAA Division III Football Championship. The committee selected teams based on conference results and competition within an institution's respective evaluation region.
Twenty-five conferences received automatic-qualifying berths. One berth is reserved for a true independent or a team that is a member of a conference that does not receive automatic qualification. The remaining six berths were awarded to teams from either automatic qualifying conferences that did not win an automatic berth, the remaining true independent teams or teams in non-automatic qualifying conferences.
DIII FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: Interactive bracket | Printable bracket
The first round of the championship will be played November 19 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 Friday, December 16, at Salem Stadium in Salem, Virginia. The game will be broadcast live on ESPNU at 7 p.m. Eastern time.
| Conferences and Teams Receiving Automatic Qualification | |
|---|---|
| Centennial Conference | Johns Hopkins University |
| College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin | North Central College |
| Eastern Collegiate Football Conference | Husson University |
| Empire 8 | Alfred University |
| Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference | Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology |
| Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | Coe College |
| Liberty League | Hobart College |
| Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference | Bridgewater State University |
| Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association | Olivet College |
| Middle Atlantic States Collegiate Athletic Conference | Stevenson University |
| Midwest Conference | Monmouth College (Illinois) |
| Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | University of St. Thomas (Minnesota) |
| New England Football Conference | Western New England University |
| New Jersey Athletic Conference | Wesley College |
| North Coast Athletic Conference | Wittenberg University |
| Northern Athletics Conference | Lakeland University |
| Northwest Conference | Linfield College |
| Ohio Athletic Conference | John Carroll University |
| Old Dominion Athletic Conference | Randolph-Macon College |
| Presidents' Athletic Conference | Thomas More College |
| Southern Athletic Association | Washington University in St. Louis |
| Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | University of Redlands |
| Upper Midwest Athletic Conference | University of Northwestern-St. Paul |
| USA South Athletic Conference | Huntingdon College |
| Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | University of Wisconsin-Whitewater |
| Pool B Berth |
|---|
| University of Mary Hardin-Baylor |
| Pool C Berth |
|---|
| Hardin-Simmons University |
| University of Mount Union |
| St. John's University (Minnesota) |
| Wheaton College (Illinois) |
| University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh |
| University of Wisconsin-Platteville |
The Division III Football Committee also announced the following 16 regional sites:
Belton, Texas – Redlands vs. Mary Hardin-Baylor
Abilene, Texas – Linfield vs Hardin-Simmons
Wheaton, Illinois – Huntingdon vs. Wheaton (Illinois)
Naperville, Illinois – Rose-Hulman vs. North Central (Illinois)
Alfred, New York – Bridgewater State vs. Alfred
Springfield, Massachusetts – Husson vs. Western
New England Geneva, New York – Mount Union vs. Hobart
Baltimore, Maryland – Randolph-Macon vs. Johns Hopkins
St. Paul, Minnesota – Northwestern-St. Paul vs. St. Thomas (Minnesota)
Cedar Rapids, Iowa – Monmouth (Illinois) vs. Coe
Collegeville, Minnesota – Wisconsin-Platteville vs. Saint John's (Minnesota)
Oshkosh, Wisconsin – Washington U. in St. Louis vs Wisconsin-Oshkosh
University Heights, Ohio – Olivet vs. John Carroll
Dover, Delaware – Stevenson vs. Wesley
Crestview Hills, Kentucky – Wittenberg vs. Thomas More
Whitewater, Wisconsin – Lakeland vs. Wisconsin-Whitewater
All games start at noon local time.
In the 2015 championship, the University of Mount Union defeated the University of St. Thomas (Minnesota) 49-35.
