2024 NCAA Division III football season

The 2024 NCAA Division III football season is the component of the 2024 college football season organized by the NCAA at the Division III level in the United States. The regular season began on September 1 and will end on November 16. This is the 51st season that the NCAA has sponsored a Division III championship.

2024 NCAA Division III football season
Total No. of teams	240
Preseason AP No. 1	Cortland
Regular season	September 1 – November 16, 2024
Playoffs	November 23 – January 4, 2025
National championship	Shell Energy Stadium Houston, TX January 4, 2025
NCAA Division III football seasons

Cortland is the defending national champion.

The season's playoffs will be played between November 23 and January 4, 2025, culminating in the national championship—also known as the Stagg Bowl—at Turner Stadium in Humble, Texas.

Conference changes and new programs

Membership changes

Team	Former conference	New conference	Ref
Hilbert Hawks	Independent	Empire 8
Castleton Spartans	ECFC	MASCAC
Calvin Knights	New program	MIAA
Austin Kangaroos	ASC	SCAC
Centenary Gentlemen	Restarted program	SCAC
Lyon Scots	Independent	SCAC
McMurry War Hawks	ASC	SCAC
Texas Lutheran Bulldogs	ASC	SCAC
Sul Ross Lobos	ASC	LSC (NCAA D-II)
Defiance Yellow Jackets	HCAC	MSFA (NAIA)
Birmingham–Southern Panthers	SAA	School closed
Maine Maritime Mariners	Restarted program	Independent

Other headlines

• August 1 – The Commonwealth Coast Conference announced that it would be rebranding to the Conference of New England, effective for the 2024 season.

Conference standings

2024 American Rivers Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 12 Wartburg   5 – 0     6 – 1   Coe   5 – 1     7 – 1   Central (IA)   4 – 2     6 – 2   Dubuque   3 – 2     3 – 4   Simpson (IA)   3 – 3     4 – 4   Nebraska Wesleyan   2 – 3     3 – 4   Buena Vista   1 – 4     1 – 6   Loras   1 – 4     1 – 6   Luther   0 – 5     1 – 6   As of October 30, 2024 Rankings from D3football.com	2024 American Southwest Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 5 Hardin–Simmons   3 – 0     7 – 0   No. 24 Mary Hardin–Baylor   2 – 1     3 – 2   East Texas Baptist   1 – 2     4 – 2   Howard Payne   0 – 3     1 – 5   As of October 30, 2024 Rankings from D3football.com	2024 Centennial Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 22 Johns Hopkins   3 – 0     6 – 1   Muhlenberg   3 – 1     5 – 2   Ursinus   2 – 1     6 – 1   Franklin & Marshall   2 – 2     4 – 3   Dickinson   1 – 2     4 – 3   Gettysburg   1 – 2     2 – 5   McDaniel   0 – 4     1 – 6   As of October 30, 2024 Rankings from D3football.com
2024 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 1 North Central (IL)   6 – 0     7 – 0   No. 23 Wheaton (IL)   5 – 1     5 – 2   North Park   4 – 2     5 – 2   Washington University   4 – 2     5 – 2   Carroll (WI)   3 – 3     4 – 3   Illinois Wesleyan   3 – 3     3 – 4   Augustana (IL)   2 – 4     3 – 4   Elmhurst   2 – 4     2 – 5   Carthage   1 – 5     1 – 6   Millikin   0 – 6     0 – 7   As of October 30, 2024 Rankings from D3Football.com	2024 Commonwealth Coast Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 11 Endicott   0 – 0     6 – 1   Husson   0 – 0     5 – 2   Western New England   0 – 0     4 – 3   New England (ME)   0 – 0     3 – 4   Nichols   0 – 0     3 – 4   Curry   0 – 0     2 – 5   As of October 30, 2024 Rankings from D3Football.com	2024 Eastern Collegiate Football Conference standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Gallaudet   2 – 0     3 – 3   Anna Maria   1 – 1     3 – 4   Alfred State   1 – 1     3 – 5   Dean   0 – 2     0 – 7
2024 Empire 8 Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 2 Cortland   5 – 0     7 – 0   Brockport   4 – 0     6 – 1   Morrisville   2 – 2     3 – 4   St. John Fisher   2 – 2     3 – 4   Alfred   2 – 2     4 – 3   Utica   1 – 3     3 – 4   Hartwick   1 – 3     2 – 5   Hilbert   0 – 5     0 – 8   As of October 30, 2024 Rankings from D3Football.com	2024 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Mount St. Joseph   2 – 0     4 – 2   Bluffton   2 – 0     2 – 3   Hanover   1 – 1     2 – 3   Rose–Hulman   1 – 1     1 – 4   Franklin (IN)   0 – 1     1 – 4   Anderson (IN)   0 – 2     1 – 5   Manchester   0 – 2     0 – 5	2024 Landmark Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 7 Susquehanna   2 – 0     5 – 1   Moravian   2 – 0     4 – 2   Wilkes   2 – 0     4 – 2   Lycoming   0 – 1     2 – 3   Juniata   0 – 1     1 – 4   Catholic University   0 – 2     2 – 4   Keystone   0 – 2     1 – 5   As of October 30, 2024 Rankings from D3Football.com
2024 Liberty League football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Hobart   2 – 0     5 – 1   Ithaca   1 – 1     2 – 3   Rochester   1 – 1     5 – 1   RPI   1 – 1     3 – 3   St. Lawrence   1 – 1     2 – 3   Buffalo State   0 – 1     2 – 3   Union (NY)   0 – 1     1 – 4	2024 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   UMass Dartmouth   6 – 0     7 – 0   Western Connecticut   6 – 0     6 – 1   Massachusetts Maritime   4 – 2     4 – 3   Plymouth State   3 – 3     3 – 3   Castleton   2 – 4     3 – 4   Bridgewater State   2 – 4     2 – 5   Framingham State   2 – 4     2 – 5   Westfield State   2 – 4     2 – 5   Worcester State   2 – 4     2 – 5   Fitchburg State   1 – 5     2 – 5	2024 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 16 Hope   4 – 0     7 – 0   Albion   3 – 1     5 – 2   Alma   3 – 1     5 – 2   Adrian   2 – 2     5 – 2   Trine   2 – 2     4 – 3   Kalamazoo   1 – 3     4 – 3   Olivet   1 – 3     2 – 5   Calvin   0 – 4     2 – 5   As of October 30, 2024 Rankings from D3Football.com
2024 Middle Atlantic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   FDU–Florham   4 – 0     5 – 0   King's   4 – 0     4 – 1   Stevenson   3 – 1     3 – 2   Delaware Valley   3 – 1     4 – 1   Lebanon Valley   2 – 2     2 – 3   Widener   2 – 2     2 – 3   Misericordia   1 – 3     2 – 3   Eastern   1 – 3     1 – 4   Albright   0 – 4     1 – 4   Alvernia   0 – 4     0 – 5	2024 Midwest Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Lake Forest   4 – 0     4 – 1   Monmouth (IL)   4 – 0     4 – 1   Cornell (IA)   3 – 1     3 – 2   Illinois College   2 – 2     3 – 2   Chicago   2 – 2     2 – 3   Ripon   2 – 2     2 – 3   Knox   1 – 3     2 – 3   Beloit   1 – 3     2 – 3   Grinnell   1 – 3     1 – 4   Lawrence   0 – 4     0 – 5	2024 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings Div     Conf Overall Team   W   L         W   L     W   L   Northwoods Division No. 3 Saint John's (MN)   2 – 0     5 – 0     7 – 0   St. Olaf   2 – 1     4 – 1     6 – 1   Gustavus Adolphus   1 – 1     3 – 2     4 – 3   Carleton   1 – 2     2 – 4     3 – 4   St. Scholastica   0 – 3     1 – 4     2 – 5   Skyline Division Bethel (MN)   3 – 0     4 – 1     6 – 1   Concordia–Moorhead   2 – 0     4 – 1     5 – 2   Augsburg   1 – 1     2 – 3     3 – 4   Hamline   0 – 3     0 – 5     2 – 5   Macalester   0 – 2     0 – 5     0 – 7   Championship: TBA, TBA As of October 30, 2024 Rankings from D3Football.com
2024 New England Small College Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Trinity (CT)   5 – 0     5 – 0   Wesleyan   4 – 1     4 – 1   Middlebury   4 – 1     4 – 1   Tufts   3 – 2     3 – 2   Williams   3 – 2     3 – 2   Bowdoin   2 – 3     2 – 3   Amherst   2 – 3     2 – 3   Colby   1 – 4     1 – 4   Bates   1 – 4     1 – 4   Hamilton   0 – 5     0 – 5	2024 New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Springfield   2 – 0     5 – 0   Salve Regina   2 – 0     3 – 2   Merchant Marine   2 – 1     4 – 1   Coast Guard   1 – 1     3 – 2   Maritime   1 – 1     3 – 2   WPI   1 – 1     3 – 2   Norwich   0 – 2     0 – 5   MIT   0 – 3     2 – 3	2024 New Jersey Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 6 Salisbury   4 – 0     7 – 0   TCNJ   2 – 1     5 – 2   Christopher Newport   2 – 1     4 – 3   Kean   2 – 2     2 – 5   Rowan   1 – 2     3 – 4   Montclair State   1 – 3     3 – 4   William Paterson   0 – 3     1 – 6   As of October 30, 2024 Rankings from D3Football.com
2024 North Coast Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 10 DePauw   5 – 0     7 – 0   Wabash   5 – 0     6 – 1   Denison   4 – 1     4 – 3   Kenyon   3 – 3     4 – 4   Ohio Wesleyan   3 – 3     4 – 4   Wittenberg   2 – 2     3 – 3   Wooster   1 – 5     2 – 6   Hiram   0 – 4     0 – 6   Oberlin   0 – 5     0 – 7   As of October 30, 2024 Rankings from D3Football.com	2024 Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 17 Aurora   4 – 0     5 – 1   Lakeland   3 – 1     3 – 2   St. Norbert   3 – 1     3 – 3   Wisconsin Lutheran   2 – 1     3 – 2   Rockford   1 – 2     3 – 2   Concordia (WI)   1 – 2     2 – 2   Benedictine (IL)   1 – 3     3 – 3   Concordia (IL)   1 – 3     2 – 4   Eureka   0 – 3     0 – 5   As of October 30, 2024 Rankings from D3Football.com	2024 Northwest Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 14 Whitworth   4 – 0     7 – 0   No. 18 Linfield   4 – 0     6 – 1   Pacific Lutheran   3 – 1     5 – 2   Lewis & Clark   2 – 2     3 – 4   George Fox   1 – 2     4 – 3   Pacific (OR)   1 – 3     3 – 4   Willamette   0 – 3     2 – 5   Puget Sound   0 – 4     1 – 6   As of October 30, 2024 Rankings from D3Football.com
2024 Ohio Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 25 Marietta   6 – 0     7 – 0   No. 4 Mount Union   6 – 0     7 – 0   John Carroll   5 – 1     5 – 2   Baldwin Wallace   3 – 3     4 – 31   Muskingum   3 – 3     4 – 3   Ohio Northern   3 – 3     4 – 3   Heidelberg   2 – 4     3 – 4   Otterbein   1 – 5     1 – 6   Wilmington   1 – 5     1 – 6   Capital   0 – 6     0 – 7   As of October 30, 2024 Rankings from D3Football.com	2024 Old Dominion Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Bridgewater   2 – 0     4 – 1   Randolph–Macon   2 – 0     4 – 1   Washington and Lee   2 – 0     3 – 2   Shenandoah   1 – 1     4 – 1   Hampden–Sydney   1 – 1     3 – 2   Ferrum   0 – 2     2 – 3   Guilford   0 – 2     3 – 2   Averett   0 – 2     2 – 3	2024 Presidents' Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 19 Washington & Jefferson   7 – 1     7 – 1   No. 17 Carnegie Mellon   6 – 1     6 – 1   Case Western Reserve   6 – 1     6 – 1   No. 13 Grove City   6 – 1     6 – 1   Westminster (PA)   6 – 1     6 – 1   Geneva   3 – 4     3 – 4   Waynesburg   3 – 4     3 – 4   Thiel   1 – 6     1 – 6   Allegheny   1 – 7     1 – 7   Saint Vincent   1 – 7     1 – 7   Bethany (WV)   0 – 7     0 – 7   As of October 30, 2024 Rankings from D3Football.com
2024 Southern Athletic Association football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Centre   4 – 0     6 – 1   Berry   3 – 1     5 – 2   Trinity (TX)   3 – 1     5 – 2   Millsaps   3 – 1     4 – 2   Rhodes   1 – 3     2 – 5   Sewanee   1 – 4     3 – 5   Southwestern (TX)   1 – 4     3 – 4   Hendrix   1 – 2     3 – 3   As of October 30, 2024 Rankings from D3Football.com	2024 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Sun Division Pomona-Pitzer   2 – 1     3 – 2   Redlands   1 – 2     1 – 4   La Verne   0 – 3     0 – 5   Surf Division Chapman   3 – 0     4 – 1   Claremont-Mudd-Scripps   2 – 1     4 – 1   Cal Lutheran   1 – 2     1 – 4   Championship: TBA, TBA	2024 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   McMurry   4 – 0     4 – 1   Texas Lutheran   3 – 1     4 – 1   Centenary   2 – 2     2 – 4   Austin   1 – 3     1 – 5   Lyon   0 – 4     1 – 5
2024 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Martin Luther   2 – 0     4 – 1   Northwestern (MN)   2 – 0     2 – 3   Greenville   1 – 1     3 – 2   Minnesota Morris   1 – 1     2 – 3   Westminster (MO)   0 – 2     1 – 4   Crown   0 – 2     0 – 5	2024 USA South Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Brevard   3 – 0     3 – 1   Huntingdon   3 – 0     3 – 2   Maryville (TN)   2 – 0     3 – 1   LaGrange   2 – 1     2 – 3   Belhaven   2 – 2     2 – 4   Greensboro   1 – 2     1 – 4   North Carolina Wesleyan   1 – 3     1 – 5   Methodist   1 – 3     1 – 5   Southern Virginia   0 – 4     0 – 6	2024 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 8 Wisconsin–Platteville   3 – 1     6 – 1   No. 9 Wisconsin–Oshkosh   3 – 1     5 – 2   Wisconsin–Stout   3 – 1     5 – 2   No. 21 Wisconsin–River Falls   2 – 2     5 – 2   No. 20 Wisconsin–La Crosse   2 – 2     4 – 3   Wisconsin–Whitewater   2 – 2     4 – 3   Wisconsin–Eau Claire   1 – 3     2 – 5   Wisconsin–Stevens Point   0 – 4     1 – 6   As of October 30, 2024 Rankings from D3Football.com
2024 NCAA Division III independents football records Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Maine Maritime   –     0 – 3

Rankings

Main article: 2024 NCAA Division III football rankings

Postseason

Teams

See also: List of NCAA Division III Football Championship appearances by team

Automatic bids (28)

Automatic bids
Conference	School	Record	Appearance	Last
American Rivers
American Southwest
Centennial
CCIW
ECFC
Empire 8
HCAC
Landmark
Liberty
MASCAC
Michigan
Middle Atlantic
Midwest
Minnesota
NEWMAC
New England
New Jersey
North Coast
NACC
Northwest
Ohio
Old Dominion
Presidents'
SAA
SCIAC
Upper Midwest
USA South
Wisconsin

At-large bids (12)

At-large bids
School	Conference	Record	Appearance	Last

Bracket

First round November 23 Campus sites

Second round November 30 Campus sites

Quarterfinals December 7 Campus sites

Semifinals December 14 Campus sites

Championship 2024 Stagg Bowl January 5, 2025 Shell Energy Stadium Houston, Texas

* - Host team

Coaching changes

Preseason and in-season

This is restricted to coaching changes that took place on or after May 1, 2024, and will include any changes announced after a team's last regularly scheduled games but before its playoff games.

School	Outgoing coach	Date	Reason	Replacement	Previous position
TCNJ	Casey Goff	May 7, 2024	Hired as head coach for Brooke HS (WV)	Eric Jendryaszek (interim)	TCNJ offensive line coach (2022–2023)
Castleton	Tony Volpone	May 9, 2024	Resigned	Tyler Higley (interim; named full-time on June 13)	Castleton defensive coordinator (2022–2023)
Westfield State	Pete Kowalski	May 21, 2024	Retired	Lou Conte	American International head coach (2023)
Chicago	Todd Gilcrist Jr.	July 5, 2024	Resigned	Max Andrews (interim)	Chicago offensive line coach (2023)
Otterbein	Tommy Zagorski	July 12, 2024	Resigned	Jake Schaefer (interim)	Otterbein offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach (2023)
Southwestern (TX)	Joe Austin	July 26, 2024	Retired	Bill Kriesel (interim)	Southwestern (TX) associate head coach, defensive coordinator, and defensive backs coach (2023)
Worcester State	Adam Peloquin	August 6, 2024	Resigned	Zach Besaw (interim)	Worcester State defensive backs coach (2020–2023)
Millikin	Carlton Hall	October 27, 2024	Fired	Patrick Allgeier (interim)	Millikin offensive line coach (1996–2024)

End of season

This list includes coaching changes announced during the season that did not take effect until the end of the season.

School	Outgoing coach	Date	Reason	Replacement	Previous position
Wabash	Don Morel	September 2024 (effective at season's end)	Retired

See also

• 2024 NCAA Division I FBS football season
• 2024 NCAA Division I FCS football season
• 2024 NCAA Division II football season
• 2024 NAIA football season
• 2024 U Sports football season