Division III football playoff picture at the end of September

The opening month of the 2025 Division III football season has come and gone with some early surprises.

From Aurora snapping their 46-game NACC win streak to Hampden-Sydney cracking the Top 25, the element of surprise is alive and well.

Conference realignment has raised the level of competitiveness in the Centennial and North Coast conferences, to name a few.

Of course, North Central and Mount Union are still kicking it at the top of the Division III football world.

Here are some early takeaways as we look ahead to the playoff race.

‘The Game’ might decide the ODAC

Hampden-Sydney has not won the Old Dominion Athletic Conference since 2014, but after a hot start this year, why not the Tigers?

Randolph-Macon has been the conference champions for each of the last three seasons, but they’re not the only ones standing in Hampden-Sydney’s way.

The Tigers lost 10 conference games during that stretch, with two of them coming from Shenandoah and Washington and Lee each.

Hampden-Sydney has not beaten the Yellowjackets since 2013, but after kicking off 2025 with signature victories over Delaware Valley and Washington and Jefferson, there’s no better time than the present to do so.

The USA South race is wide open

Ever since reigning conference champions Maryville (Tenn.) jumped ship for the Southern Athletic Association, the USAC has been a hard case to crack.

Belhaven won the conference in 2023, but after losing to Trinity (Texas) and No. 11 UW-River Falls by a combined 114-0, their outlook is bleak.

LaGrange impressed in their 20-6 win over reigning SAA champions Centre on September 20; however, their 48-0 home loss to Berry raises eyebrows.

The early slate has not been kind to the USAC, but as conference play begins this weekend, it’s anyone’s game.

The Monon Bell Classic might not be the NCAC decider

In terms of late-season rivalries, none in Division III has been more pivotal than the one between DePauw and Wabash.

The past three years have seen DePauw clinch the conference title through wins over Wabash in the Monon Bell Classic.

With the addition of John Carroll from the Ohio Athletic Conference, however, a new competitor has entered the ring.

This Saturday, the Blue Streaks host Wabash for a game that will determine the weight of a rivalry that has been played for over 130 years.

Lake Forest has fallen hard and fast in the Midwest

The ballad of the Foresters is a lonely one as they have yet to win a game in three tries this season.

The reigning Midwest Conference champions had something to build on after falling to Illinois College 28-25 in overtime on September 13, but it would be for naught.

The Foresters were ripped in a 49-6 home loss to Monmouth, effectively putting them out of the conference title race at this point.

Losing running back and wide receiver A.J. Jackson to graduation dealt them a bad blow, but Lake Forest’s turnaround must be immediate if they want to salvage this season.

The WIAC is the SEC of Division III. What else is new?

The Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletics Conference has long been the competitive standard in this level of college football, and so far this year has been no exception for them.

Every team in the WIAC has a winning record to start the season, with six of the eight being undefeated.

The conference has gone 2-1 against ranked opponents this season, as UW-Oshkosh’s 45-14 defeat at the hands of No. 1 North Central was the only loss.

Though the WIAC has been dominant in the early season, the postseason hasn’t been kind to them. Conference play kicks off this weekend, and it’ll be a pivotal year as always.

Ithaca, Christopher Newport are back on track

Ithaca looks to be an early contender in the Liberty League after rattling off three straight victories to bounce back from an opening loss to No. 3 Johns Hopkins.

The Bombers have RPI on the road to worry about later on, but stacking weeks will be necessary.

No. 23 Christopher Newport pushed through their biggest test of the year after defeating No. 25 Susquehanna, 41-27, behind a 374-yard day through the air from Connor Barry.

Their balanced offense attack might be just what they need to take down the reigning New Jersey Athletic Conference champions in Salisbury on November 8.

Is it time to sound the alarm on Susquehanna yet?

Star running back Rashan La Mons sat out the first two games of 2025, but his return was met by a 40-22 loss to No. 3 Johns Hopkins.

The Riverhawks’ bounce-back attempt was unsuccessful as they fell to No. 23 Christopher Newport.

The Landmark Conference brought in Western Connecticut from the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference, a team that has started hot with a 3-0 record.

Their meeting on November 1 looks to be the decider as Susquehanna may not cruise to the finish line again this year.

Bryan Portney is a second-year student majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email bep5295@psu.edu.