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For the first time, we whipped out our passport to go abroad to cover a Division III football story. Twenty-six years into running the website and in the 19th year of the podcast and yes, there can still be new things. A number of Division III schools left the country to give their student-athletes an educational experience and to also play a spring football game, and we followed along with one of those teams and you can follow along with three of them in this edition of the D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast. Plus ... This edition of the podcast is sponsored by GameStrat: The Most Reliable & Fastest In-Game Video Replay System on The Market. D-III football coaches should click here to learn more. St. John's went up to Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, to play the Winnipeg Rifles of the Canadian Junior Football League, and the Johnnies were hoping to learn a little bit more about what they have at quarterback. Since Aaron Syverson has graduated, the Johnnies were looking at five quarterback candidates, one of whom noped out before the trip even started. So four players got snaps up north on Saturday, May 17, and two are in the mix to get the start in Week 1 against Minnesota-Morris. You'll meet them and hear what their receivers, offensive coordinator, and head coach Gary Fasching think of their performance, plus you'll hear about the most Canadian thing ever that happened before the game and meet a few SJU transfers whose names you could be hearing this fall. Carnegie Mellon went to Spain, and we'll find out from coach Ryan Larsen what the Tartans were hoping to get out of their trip, since they lost so many starters and key contributors from a team which had Mount Union on the ropes in the fourth quarter of last year's playoff game. And Hampden-Sydney took its team to Italy, where coach Vince Luvara had a quite different take on what was important for his program and his student-athletes. Plus, you'll be hungry after you hear about the great eating both teams did in Europe! Also, Patrick and Greg will give their take on the top five quarterbacks in D-III football since 1999, and will present two teams which could contend for conference titles after not making the playoffs last year, thanks to two great questions from our mailbag segment. Patrick and Greg cover it all in the latest edition of the D3football.com Around the Nation podcast.

That dozen is not just the number of D-III players currently known to have received an invite to an NFL training camp, for sure. How big of a breakfast does it take to feed an NFL offensive lineman? What did new-old Franklin coach Mike Leonard do when he was away from coaching the Grizzlies for the past five years? And why does Illinois College coach Ray DeFrisco keep coming back, year after year? Those are some of the key questions getting asked and answered on this edition of the D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast. Plus ... This edition of the podcast is sponsored by GameStrat: The Most Reliable & Fastest In-Game Video Replay System on The Market. D-III football coaches should click here to learn more. No, seriously, that's a lot of eggs. How did Middlebury offensive lineman Thomas Perry get to where he is today, a workout legend and an All-American who got invited to the Baltimore Ravens minicamp? He also talks about his experiences with Julian Young, a linebacker at Colby who will also be going to the Ravens, plus the workout that helped start him well down the road to where he is today. At Franklin, Mike Leonard wasn't expecting to get his old office back, and that space has some new decorations that we talk about. Hear what kind of camp Leonard will be attending this offseason. And at Illinois College, the days of putting up 96 points in a game might be over, with the standout quarterback and wide receiver and the offensive coordinator all moving on, but the philosophy remains. Hear about that and the new names you'll hear this fall and more from IC coach Ray DeFrisco. Plus we talk about the NESCAC finally getting its chance to play in the playoffs -- even if it isn't until 2026. Will that attract more talented student-athletes to NESCAC schools? That's a question in our mailbag segment, and we also talk about the likelihood of radios in football helmets at the D-III level. Patrick and Greg cover it all in the latest edition of the D3football.com Around the Nation podcast.

After keeping fans waiting for more than a year, the American Southwest Conference finally had something to say about its membership situation, and it did so with a bang, swiping two teams from the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference to shore up its membership and bring it back to six for the fall of 2026. Who does that affect? It affects the SCAC folks, who were on the way to getting an automatic bid to the NCAA playoffs, and we'll hear more about the reaction of the conference when we sit down with conference commissioner Dwayne Hanberry on this edition of the D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast. Plus ... This edition of the podcast is sponsored by GameStrat: The Most Reliable & Fastest In-Game Video Replay System on The Market. D-III football coaches should click here to learn more. Plus, the two schools that are going back to the ASC are doing so, apparently $4 million richer apiece. But for Schreiner, this represents a big leap up in competition for a program which hasn't even played a game yet! Schreiner isn't set to play a varsity game until 2026, but the Mountaineers' timeline just got altered a bit. We talk with Schreiner's head coach -- Keith Allen, the second coach in this young program's history -- about how that changes things for him, one month into his tenure. And more change in Division III this upcoming season includes, of course, the fact that there won't be nearly as many fifth-year players. That's the case all over now that the extra year of eligibility because of the COVID pandemic has largely worked its way through the system. At Coe, they'll feel the loss of two seniors classes at once, and coach Tyler Staker tells us how they'll adjust and what's expected of the student-athletes who need to step up in 2025. A lot of news happened in the past month aside from the ASC/SCAC as well, and we'll talk through it all, including the upcoming NESCAC presidents' meeting, the new Cortland coach, our soon-to-become Division III schools in Azusa Pacific and St. Francis (Pa.), and which one of those said it will dominate Division III. Plus, with two brand-new football programs coming online in the Conference of New England in the fall, where would the CONE likely rank? Stat of the Week in March? Conference rankings in March? Patrick and Greg cover it all in the latest edition of the D3football.com Around the Nation podcast. 

The current football student-athletes of the NESCAC are probably too young to envision a crowd of fans in the Astrodome chanting "Let them play!" about the Bad News Bears. They are too young to remember the Astrodome. And they are nothing like the Bad News Bears, but still, the powers-that-be in the New England Small College Athletic Conference have not allowed their conference teams to participate in the Division III football playoffs. Ever. Because the Ivy League does it that way, right? Well, that's changing, starting this year, and a group of NESCAC student-athletes are organizing on their campuses to make sure that they don't get left behind, or pushed off another year. That's the NESCAC Football Players Association (NESCACFBPA), a group representing football student-athletes at all 10 member schools, and we talk with a number of them on this edition of the D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast. This edition of the podcast is sponsored by GameStrat: The Most Reliable & Fastest In-Game Video Replay System on The Market. D-III football coaches should click here to learn more. The presidents of the NESCAC need to act now, not wait and make these student-athletes wait for another year when they have waited for generation after generation already. Hear from Vaughn Seelicke of Tufts, Jack Lucido of Wesleyan, Parker Huynh-Benningfield of Bates, Aidan Moss of Middlebury and Justin Keller of Tufts about the issues, what they learned from Ivy League student organizers, and how they are working to make this happen here, in 2025. In addition, we chat with new Lewis & Clark head coach Brett Elliott. Yes, that's the Brett Elliott who has been offensive coordinator at Linfield, who led Linfield to a national title as a quarterback and was the 2005 D3football.com Offensive Player of the Year. He'll talk about the quick and efficient interview process, how he found out who his leaders are on his new team, and what he did on his first weekend on the job. Plus we update the Cortland coaching search, and take your questions, many of them, and more in this edition of the podcast, as we start Season No. 19.

Whether it was a Red-Letter Day or a Red Dawn or Red Cardinals Fly at Night, Stagg Bowl LI was another example of the ongoing red shift in Division III football, as North Central won its third title in its five consecutive trips to the Stagg Bowl and ensured that the Walnut and Bronze would have a red tint to it for the third year in a row.  Luke Lehnen reached the remaining records in the book. The offensive line kept his uniform clean, in this first Stagg Bowl on grass in more than 20 years. The defense eventually solved Tyler Echeverry, or at least slowed him down, even if it couldn't stop him. And for the people who want to view Sunday's game as more fodder for a head coaching change, why would you advocate for removing a coach who has won 93.3% of his games? Division III is getting harder and harder every year, and Mount Union is still there at the end more times than not.  Patrick and Greg and guest/former co-host Keith McMillan break down the game, the key decisions that were made on each side, the big plays and more, plus hand out game balls in this edition of the podcast. Over/under on how many game balls Keith hands out? 5.5. Plus, we named Lehnen, Spencer and Bethel safety Matt Jung our top award getters, and you can hear how Patrick and Greg and Keith McMillan got to those decisions in this podcast. 

North Central and Mount Union are back, and we're ready to get you to kickoff of Stagg Bowl LI on Sunday night. How healthy are each of these teams? What new wrinkles might we see offensively? How many snaps will Noah Beaudrie get at quarterback for Mount Union? How many passes will Luke Lehnen end up throwing for North Central? We give you a taste of what we hear from players from both sides of the ball, whether it's Luke and the Linemen as a boy band for 2025, or Rossy Moore on his favorite way to add productive weight during the season. Plus hear from one player who says he's too old to deal with all the bumps and bruises, plus those who know their career is ending on Sunday, no matter what. Geoff Dartt and Brad Spencer each weigh in on key questions surrounding their team and Stagg Bowl LI, plus you'll hear way more on our pregame show for the game on Sunday night. Frank Rossi joins us and ... actually agrees with Logan Hansen on math? What? And it's Stagg Bowl time, so you know, there's a musical number involved, now that we're past the holiday season. 

We're down to the best two teams in Division III football, both of whom are playing their best games at the right time. Mount Union is certainly firing on all cylinders now on offense after some struggles during the regular season, and you'd be hard-pressed to find more than one thing that went wrong for North Central as they absolutely demolished Susquehanna. How did they get here? What do we do with the two weeks off? Who benefits more from that extra nine days? Soccer stadium for the Stagg Bowl -- is that really OK? We talk about all the key moments of the semifinals, plus take your questions in this edition of the podcast. We talk about the depth of the North Central running backs. We discuss the two-quarterback system for Mount Union and how it worked in key spots. And more. Plus, we can't forget that Cortland coach Curt Fitzpatrick is leaving D-III, and we talk about that move plus another, possibly bigger move, with one of the top defensive players in Division III this season going into the portal and coming out as a scholarship player with the University of Wisconsin. You know, UW-Madison. The one in the Big 10. And what has been our favorite semifinal games to cover/attend/watch?

Touchdown or no touchdown? Hold or no hold? Should the game have been over?  So many questions, and not the ones we would prefer to be asking about a game in the Division III football national quarterfinals. And yes, there were many questions about the final moments of the Bethel-Susquehanna game, and whether they should have been the final moments, so to break it all down, we talk to someone who was there on the sidelines taking it all in. Frank Rossi will have opinions, which shouldn't surprise anyone, but they may not be the opinions that others share. He'll talk us through the questions from the closing plays of Susquehanna's 24-21 win, one which sent the program back to the national semifinals for the first time since 1991. Plus, how hard-hitting was that North Central-Springfield game? Not just who got thrown out, but who got knocked out? How quickly can one adjust to seeing the spread option or triple option offenses up close and person like that, compared to in practice, and how did Mount Union practice and prepare for seeing it in Salisbury? And we welcome Keith McMillan back into the podcast as he went to Johns Hopkins and chatted with coach Dan Wodicka and some of the key players afterward.  Plus, we hand out game balls as we go through all four games and give our thoughts on three questions from listeners. three reader questions. Including the NESCAC, team GPAs, and more.

Yep, we all thought we knew exactly what to expect from the round of 16 of the Division III football playoffs. What did we get instead? Something way, way more interesting. That's the national champion being ousted. That's St. John's falling at home on the final play of the game. And that's a bracket with four quarterfinal games, three of which are being hosted by teams in Region 2 and none in Minnesota, Wisconsin or Ohio. (Shout out to Illinois as the fourth host!) Besides, Division III football isn't scripted. It's not the NBA. Instead, we have Springfield, having beaten the No. 2 team in the nation and the defending national champion, then getting into a plane to play at No. 1 North Central. Did you have "getting on a plane" on your Springfield football bingo card? You know they're looking forward to this, and the memories that form from such an event, and Pride coach Mike Cerasuolo joins us on the podcast for the first time since so long ago we hadn't started numbering yet. (But it was Podcast 146, from May 2016, when Cerasuolo was first hired.) He talks about what the triple option actually is, how his team got past Cortland, and the challenge the Pride have ahead of them. Plus, we hand out game balls, including one to a star running back who, actually, has really become a much better blocker this season. We run down all eight games and give our thoughts on the upcoming quarterfinal matchups. Plus we take three reader questions, one about those Road Dogs from Belton, Texas, one asking which team's phase of the game or position group surprised us most and one about the Gagliardi Trophy. Plus, be the first people to learn when we will release the 2024 D3football.com All-America team!

Now everyone in the playoffs has played at least one postseason game, or if you look at it another way, more than 60% of the playoff games are already over. And people are in a hurry to dismiss the WIAC, and they're in a hurry to crown NPI, because higher seeds have won 21 of the 24 games. (Of course, higher seeds have been at home in 23 out of 24 games, which might be a factor.) What did we learn from these games? Of the remaining high seeds, which ones improved their standing, improved their chances of going deep into this bracket, and which ones' chances are diminished? Patrick and Greg go through it all in this edition of the podcast. And most importantly, if the Texas Lutheran-Linfield game was dessert, what kind of dessert was it?  We hear from coaches and players involved in second-round games on Saturday, and we sit down with Johns Hopkins coach Dan Wodicka to talk about his team's heart-stopping finish against Grove City, their defensive prowess and their offensive adjustments as the season has progressed. Wodicka, who played for and coached under the late Jim Margraff, talks about how playing at JHU made him want to coach there, and reminds us how the program is carrying on Margraff's memory. Plus, who is leading the staff pick-em contest that is better known as Quick Hits? Stay tuned to hear about whose picks are doing the best, and to hear a tribute to his performance so far. 

When you're on the road on Thursday, Friday or Saturday, tune us in. We talk with North Central coach Brad Spencer about how his team adjusted to having a bye week at the beginning of the schedule, we hear from about a third of the coaches remaining in the bracket both about what they're thankful for this Thanksgiving season and how they're handling Thanksgiving with their players, and we have a special guest. Mike Gutelius, the head coach at Catholic U., was diagnosed just before the season with an incurable form of cancer, a glioblastoma in his brain. But he didn't give up coaching his team -- not all of it anyway. He has been getting the care he needs and still was on the sidelines for the vast majority of the Cardinals games, and he talks about it and his prognosis and treatment and ... well, thankfulness, on this edition of the podcast. Plus, which of Saturday's second round games is the main course, which is the dessert, and which is the green bean casserole? Those are the questions that catch our eyes when we put out the call for the mailbag. We take that question and more, plus Patrick and Greg roll out their score prediction for every game in the second round. You won't want to miss it. (By the way, they do not agree on who will win each of the 16 games.)

This slimmed-down version of the first round actually worked out pretty well. Five of the eight games went down to the final couple of minutes, and the three blowouts were against the No. 38, No. 39 and No. 40 seeds in the tournament. So now that that's out of the way, we can move on to the Round of 32. But first, we'll recap those eight games, you'll hear from some of the key playmakers on Saturday, including both winners of our game balls, just like it should be. Is John Carroll upset at having to play Mount Union? Not that we can tell. Is Mary Hardin-Baylor upset about playing Hardin-Simmons? Not exactly -- UMHB is just happy to be playing a D-III team, as Cru coach Larry Harmon said after the game.  How did the ESPN+ experiment work out after one game? Should there be more bowl games? We'll tackle those questions and get an insider's advice on how to punch up your broadcasts. And we'll talk about who this Round of 40 really benefited.  Plus, we chat with John Carroll coach Jeff Behrman for Fast Five (Nifty Nine), about the injury to quarterback Nick Semptimphelter and his quick recovery, Behrman's approach to practice, his quarterback and top receiver's quick rapport, and facing Mount Union again. 

Why is Endicott playing in the first round? Why is Ursinus? Why does Centre get a bye? Why does Salisbury have to face a 6 or 7 seed in its first game instead of a 9 or 10? When the teams are already identified and all boiled down to a number value by a mathematical equation, the bracket is all we can talk about, and go figure, sometimes decisions are still being made by geography. Sometimes the NPI ranking of a team doesn't match up with what the general Division III fandom thinks, or what our voters think. And it doesn't seem like we would learn anything from talking to the NCAA committee chair, so we decided instead to interview the algorithm. Or in this case, we talked to Logan Hansen about who the last teams in and first teams out were, how John Carroll and Mary Hardin-Baylor made their big jumps up the NPI ranking, and exactly how much of an impact the UW-River Falls win over UW-Oshkosh on Saturday had -- it's more than you probably think. And it's way more insightful than most committee chair conversations, so we hope you agree. Plus, we chat with Linfield coach Joe Smith for Fast Five, about west coast D-III football, his team's two-quarterback system, and the Wildcats finally being able to put last season's loss to Whitworth in Week 11 behind them. And we take a number of your questions in our mailbag segment. The D3football.com

A couple of key teams had a couple of close calls, and they were games that we were keeping a close eye on on Saturday. In Podcast 367, we're talking about Cortland pulling out its narrow win over Brockport to clinch the Empire 8 conference automatic bid, as well as Mount Union's similarly narrow win against Marietta to clinch the automatic bid from the Ohio Athletic Conference. What did we learn from these games? Did Cortland or Mount Union get moved down on Patrick or Greg's ballots? Did Brockport or Marietta move up? And what can we take away from Hardin-Simmons picking up that second win against Mary Hardin-Baylor? And who has rizz? Those are the burning questions we start the show with. In addition, Cortland coach Curt Fitzpatrick will join us to talk more about the strength of that Brockport defense, how he got his team's offense jump-started, why they don't run a bunch of gadget plays, and where Saturday's new leading receiver came from, plus getting ready for the Cortaca Jug rivalry game with Ithaca. Logan Hansen will break down teams' chances of getting that top eight seed, plus who the projected 12 at-large teams are once the dust settles on Saturday after the Week 11 games. Also, who will benefit if there is an upset or two among those key games this week? Plus we highlight even more stories from around each region of Division III football, and you probably know who the favorites are in the playoffs, but we tell you who the dark horse teams might be that could win a couple games in the bracket. And Dem Spicy Boys are back, or at least one particularly spicy running back.

Most years, we dedicate some space on the website or some time in our podcast to really give newcomers to Division III football a bit of a primer as to how the playoffs are structured, how at-large bids are determined, the whole 10 yards. But this year, let's face it -- we're all newbies in some manner. Nobody has ever actually put together the Division III football bracket in this manner.  So, forget what you learned last year, or any of the previous 10 or more years. All that is out the window. You've been hearing about NPI -- the NCAA Power Index? If you've been hearing angry things, well, hey, we don't love the system either, but it's what we have, so we're going to give it to you straight. Patrick and Greg spend the top of the show detailing what we know about the 40-team playoff bracket, how it will be constructed, what it means to be a Top Eight seed and more. Then Logan Hansen will talk a little more about what goes into the NPI and how it's calculated, and lastly we'll take your questions in our mailbag segment, and there were a lot of questions, so we took several more than usual. Five teams clinched automatic bids to the playoffs this week as well, and save themselves from having to worry at all about NPI. That includes Susquehanna, and we'll talk with River Hawks coach Tom Perkovich in our Fast Five conversation. And we go through our usual run of high points from Region 1 through Region 6, Greg gets put on the spot about a swing state, Patrick does weather on the 8's, and more. The D3football.com podcast is a weekly in-season podcast by Patrick Coleman and Greg Thomas, which was started in 2007. New episodes are published weekly during the season.

This past week, a number of teams had their shot. They had the opponent they wanted to play on the field in front of them. They generally even had that game at home, in front of their home fans. But in Week 8 of the 2024 Division III football season, it didn't really break as these teams hoped. Not for Ursinus, not for Coe, not for Case Western Reserve, not for Washington U. Not even for St. Olaf, if you want to dig down that far.  In the past, that would generally be it. A chance at reaching the Division III playoffs was going to be a stretch. But not anymore, not with 12 at-large teams, a 40-team bracket, and an NCAA Power Index rating system that just might save some of these teams. Who has hope? Patrick and Greg break it down with analysis, rather than overreaction.  Marietta made the Top 25 this week for the first time in program history, and Pioneers coach Andy Waddle sits down with us for Fast Five. This is a program that has come a long way, but still has its two biggest games of the regular season yet to come, and both are on the road.  Plus, Patrick and Greg hand out game balls. Patrick pulls out a highlight clip from 21 years ago, and yes, a number of clips from this past weekend. Plus we go through more highlights from Region 1 through Region 6, we answer a couple of reader questions in the mailbag, and Greg waxes poetic in On the Spot The D3football.com podcast is a weekly in-season podcast by Patrick Coleman and Greg Thomas, which was started in 2007. New episodes are published weekly during the season.

No, we didn't get a four-way tie for first in the MAC after this weekend, but we still have plenty of chaos across Division III football after seven weeks. Part of this is because eight more playoff bids means more teams are in contention for the playoffs, but mostly, we're just talking about teams chasing conference automatic bids. So in the Presidents' Athletic Conference, that's five teams in contention. In the WIAC, it's really six. It's four in the MAC and at least three in the ODAC. We'll run those down and talk about which big games are left in each conference. Our Fast Five guest is Western Connecticut (WestConn) coach Joe Loth, whose Wolves are laying waste to MASCAC teams in their final year in the league before they and Castleton get kicked to the curb. Plus, should we let Greg throw in a bonus conference just to make sure he can play his random card? Does Patrick stick with his prepared material or abandon it to make sure he doesn't get stuck holding a card? Which conference told its coaches that tiebreakers had changed after the season started? And we'll get you a daily double of defense in game balls, give you more defensive prowess in Stat of the Week, run down the new NPI numbers -- you know, the NCAA Power Index -- and explain why they might be wrong, or at least, not the same as the numbers you see elsewhere. And we'll tell you who's having fun in the 1, who's going for 2 in the 2, what's the key to the 3, what's the score in the 4, who's looking alive in the 5 and who's got a new bag of tricks in the 6. That plus the mailbag, games to watch, on the spot and more in this week's podcast. The D3football.com podcast is a weekly in-season podcast by Patrick Coleman and Greg Thomas, which was started in 2007. New episodes are published weekly during the season.

Hardin-Simmons came out of Saturday with another big, signature win, its second in as many weeks. The Cowboys keep exorcising those demons, this time coming up with their first win in Mary Hardin-Baylor's Crusader Stadium.  What's it like to have beaten Mary Hardin-Baylor pretty impressively but also know that that's a good team on the other sideline that you have to play again this season? Do you hold anything back in your playbook for a second meeting? HSU coach Jesse Burleson joins us to talk about that and a few other things on Fast Five.  Plus, of course, another week of wackiness in the WIAC, and we'll talk through all of that mess, as well as the big showdown between Grove City and Carnegie Mellon. GCC coach Andrew DiDonato talks about that key win for his Wolverines. We'll whip you through the big games in Division III from this past weekend. Plus, who's having fun in the 1? Who's looking for something new in the 2? Who's running free in the 3? Who's looking for to restore the roar in the 4? Who's looking alive in the 5? And, who's got something to fix in the 6? To see a list of all the teams talked about in this podcast, look at the list at the bottom of the post. Math Correspondent Logan Hansen talks about the three biggest playoff leverage games for Week 7, plus gives his usual snapshot for how those top eight seeds are looking. Has Mount Union crept into the Top 8 yet? Remember, this is based on projection of how the season will play out and of course, teams with harder schedules might have a harder time making the top eight because they might not actually win all their games. We also hand out game balls to the top performers, pick out the stats of the week, and run through region by region to get some of the other stories you might have missed. And since that never seems to be enough, Greg and Patrick have to pick one more region to tell one more story about on the fly. There's that and so much more in this week's podcast, so give it a listen! The D3football.com podcast is a weekly in-season podcast by Patrick Coleman and Greg Thomas, which was started in 2007. New episodes are published weekly during the season.

We were waiting. Waiting for WIAC play to get started, with its great games seemingly every week. And waiting for UW-Platteville to face an opponent that our Top 25 voters could really measure them up against. Count that a success! Platteville went into La Crosse, Wisconsin, and not only came away with a win, but did so in dramatic, stunning fashion. And UW-Whitewater got back on the winning track in front of so many people you wonder how they could keep track. Patrick also took a tour of Division III football in Western Pennsylvania, with stops at Juniata, at Westminster and at Carnegie Mellon to see the hosts play Wilkes, Washington & Jefferson and Waynesburg, and you'll hear from a number of people involved, plus Carnegie Mellon coach Ryan Larsen joins us to talk about the Tartans in Fast Five. We'll whip you through the big games in Division III from this past weekend. Plus, who's having trying to get one in the 1? Who's pulling through in the 2? What do we see in the 3? Who's looking for more in the 4? Who's looking alive in the 5? And, who's in the mix in the 6? To see a list of all the teams talked about in this podcast, look at the list at the bottom of the post. Math Correspondent Logan Hansen talks about the three biggest playoff leverage games for Week 6, plus gives his usual snapshot for how those top eight seeds are looking. How did that change after this past week's games? Remember, my goodness, people, this is based on projection of how the season will play out and of course, teams with harder schedules might have a harder time making the top eight because they might not actually win all their games. We also hand out game balls to the top performers, pick out the stats of the week, and run through region by region to get some of the other stories you might have missed. And since that never seems to be enough, Greg and Patrick have to pick one more region to tell one more story about on the fly. There's that and so much more in this week's podcast, so give it a listen!

With so many teams taking the week off, there was a big opportunity to step up and grab the spotlight, and boy did schools such as LaGrange and Bates do exactly that. Nothing like getting a double-digit game losing streak off your back. Plus, a game of the week that absolutely looked like one, as we break down Carnegie Mellon at Washington & Jefferson. In addition, Patrick got eyes on Bethel for the first time this season as the Royals hosted St. John's and we get his take on how the Johnnies look and how the new-look Bethel offense is shaking out. And then Patrick has some words for the D3football.com Top 25 voter panel -- some of them, at least.  Plus, Hope keeps running and running and ran its way into our Top 25 this week. Like we said in Podcast 360, they could run enough to keep the Alma offense off the field and they did just that. Flying Dutch coach Peter Stuursma joins us to talk about it in Fast Five. We'll whip you through the big games in Division III from this past weekend, catch up with a brand-new running back with an interesting background, see who had an overflow crowd and who will have to wait a long time to see if they are truly playoff material. Plus, who's having fun in the 1? Who's pulling through in the 2? What do we see in the 3? Who's looking for more in the 4? Who's looking alive in the 5? And, who's got a new bag of trick in the 6? To see a list of all the teams talked about in this podcast, look at the list at the bottom of the post. Math Correspondent Logan Hansen talks about the three biggest playoff leverage games for Week 5, plus gives his usual snapshot for how those top eight seeds are looking. How did that change after this past week's games? Remember, my goodness, people, this is based on projection of how the season will play out and of course, teams with harder schedules might have a harder time making the top eight because they might not actually win all their games. We also hand out game balls to the top performers, pick out the stats of the week, and run through region by region to get some of the other stories you might have missed, such as all the great finishes for various schools on Homecoming this past weekend. And since that never seems to be enough, Greg and Patrick have to pick one more region to tell one more story about on the fly. There's that and so much more in this week's podcast, so give it a listen! The D3football.com podcast is a weekly in-season podcast by Patrick Coleman and Greg Thomas, which was started in 2007. New episodes are published weekly during the season.

Well, welcome back to the Purple Power of the South! It had been a good 11 months or so since we last really had to consider the Cru, when they lost to Hardin-Simmons last Oct. 28, and this season was a mixed bag with UMHB's most telling game being a loss to a Top 10 NAIA team. Well, that's no longer the case as the Cru went to UW-Whitewater and came away with a lot of takeaways. Eight of them, in fact. Meanwhile, Salisbury's season just keeps getting better. As the opponents have been higher and higher ranked, the Sea Gulls have won by larger and larger margins. We talk about their win against Johns Hopkins with coach Sherm Wood on Fast Five.  Cortland avenged its last loss, Mount Union got by against John Carroll, and a number of teams played Division II opponents this year, but one team had the best performance, and who it is might surprise you. We'll whip you through the big games in Division III from this past weekend, catch up with the Bendokovic Bowl, visit the game that of course, had to end on a blocked field goal. Plus, who's getting it done in the 1? Who's pulling through in the 2? Who's prompting glee in the 3? Who's getting up off the floor in the 4? Who's looking alive in the 5? And, who's got something to fix in the 6? To see a list of all the teams talked about in this podcast, look at the list at the bottom of the post. Math Correspondent Logan Hansen talks about the three biggest playoff leverage games for Week 4, plus give a snapshot for how those top eight seeds are looking. Remember, my goodness, people, this is based on projection of how the season will play out and of course, teams with harder schedules might have a harder time making the top eight because they might not actually win all their games. We also hand out game balls to the top performers, pick out the stats of the week, and run through region by region to get some of the other stories you might have missed, such as the team which threw to 15 receivers this week. And since that didn't seem to be enough, Greg and Patrick have to pick one more region to tell one more story about on the fly. There's that and so much more in this week's podcast, so give it a listen! The D3football.com podcast is a weekly in-season podcast by Patrick Coleman and Greg Thomas, which was started in 2007. New episodes are published weekly during the season.

Sometimes Week 2 of the Division III football season can be a bit of a letdown. We know -- teams generally improve the most between Week 1 and Week 2, says every football coach ever. But for the fans, Week 1 is a huge rush, and Week 2, well, some conferences are on bye and with fewer games, some years it just doesn't stack up. For the record: 2024 was not one of those years. Instead, how about a fantastic Week 2, with some course corrections on the field, and some more in the D3football.com Top 25 as well. We'll whip you through the big games in Division III from this past weekend, chat with a 24-year-old and introduce you to a 26-year-old Air Force veteran who has plenty to share with his younger teammates. We'll hear from the wide receiver who transferred from Aurora to North Central only to have his season opening game against ... Aurora. And much more. To see a list of all the teams talked about in this podcast, look at the list at the bottom of the post.  Math Correspondent Logan Hansen talks about the three biggest playoff leverage games for Week 3, plus give a snapshot for how those top eight seeds are looking. There's a surprise team, according to the numbers! We also hand out game balls to the top performers, pick out the stats of the week, and run through region by region to get some of the other stories you might have missed, such as the team which scored 30 points in the fourth quarter to rally from behind and win. And since that didn't seem to be enough, Greg and Patrick have to pick one more region to tell one more story about on the fly.  Plus we chat with St. John's quarterback Aaron Syverson, right after his team finished defeating Wartburg and giving him some much needed relief from a bad afternoon in 2022. There's that and so much more in this week's podcast, so give it a listen!

Listen, this podcast is fun to put together and we think and hope that it is informative, but we are always trying to do more. So this week, since we've finally had some games played, we're adding a couple of new wrinkles to the D3football.com Around the Nation podcast. First of all, since this season the at-large bids and the seedings are basically all going to be done by computers, we figured we'd better get you all ready for that, so we've invited back our Math Correspondent, Logan Hansen. In his Football Analytics 3:01 segment, he's going to spend exactly 3 minutes, 1 second of your time talking about who is key in the running for those top eight spots in the new NCAA Power Index, that thing we call NPI. We'll tell you more about what that means. He'll also spotlight some of the big games -- key leverage games and games that will shape the playoff picture. When you ask Patrick and Greg what the most shocking result was from Week 1 and they both say the same thing, that says a lot. It's a quick run through the top games from this past week, plus the implications and some of the history.  1999 game story from D3football.com; Johns Hopkins rallies from 17 down to beat F&M We also hand out game balls to the top performers, pick out the stats of the week, and run through region by region to get some of the other stories you might have missed. And since that didn't seem to be enough, Greg and Patrick have to pick one more region to tell one more story about on the fly. At a roll of the dice, you never know what they might end up talking about -- even a JV game?  Plus we chat with Calvin head coach Trent Figg, just minutes after his team defeated Oberlin in dominating fashion in the program's first-ever football game. There's that and so much more in this week's podcast, so give it a listen! The D3football.com podcast is a weekly in-season podcast by Patrick Coleman and Greg Thomas, which was started in 2007. New episodes are published weekly during the season.

We had to wait an extra week longer than just about everyone else, but we are here to get you ready for Week 1 with our preview podcast. Patrick and Greg will talk about the big games nationally in this week's pod, but also about the biggest games in Region 1 all the way through Region 6.  Plus, as you may know, tech is going to play a bigger role in the 2024 Division III football season, and not just in the ways we've already talked about. In addition, the Centennial Conference is instituting replay review for its football games, and regardless of how well you think that might work with a typical Division III broadcast, we're here to tell you that yes, it's a good thing. Peter Gallagher, the head coach at Ursinus, joins us to talk about that and the challenges of competing in a league dominated by Johns Hopkins and Muhlenberg, as well as getting to learn a whole new set of teams from the New Jersey Athletic Conference, and more. We answer all the big questions, such as, why exactly did we not start with games this week? What's the best Twitter/X handle for a Division III football head coach? Who really really needs a W in Region 1? Who is going to take snaps for Aurora this week? (Nobody really knows that answer yet, actually.) What low-key big game is under the radar a bit in Region 3? Is Calvin actually favored in its first-ever Division III varsity football game? And is anyone not in the mix for the SCIAC title? Sometimes it's hard to get hold of coaches at this time of year, but we are super grateful to get two of them to take time out of their busy jobs and chat with us about how camp is going in their first head coaching jobs. The D3football.com podcast is a weekly in-season podcast by Patrick Coleman and Greg Thomas, which was started in 2007. New episodes are published weekly during the season.

Division III schools are having some hot fun in the summertime, as training camp is in full swing, and for a number of Division III head coaches, they are running camp for the first time. This is true for schools from Vermont to New Jersey to Pennsylvania to Virginia to Mississippi to Wisconsin to Texas to Minnesota and beyond. Sometimes it's hard to get hold of coaches at this time of year, but we are super grateful to get two of them to take time out of their busy jobs and chat with us about how camp is going in their first head coaching jobs.  We talk with Bethel coach Mike McElroy literally during one of those hot, humid, weekday morning practices as he takes over from legendary Royals head coach Steve Johnson. And Hampden-Sydney coach Vince Luvara joins us as well, stepping in for Tigers' all-time wins leader Marty Favret. In addition, we chat with Tate Journell, a cornerback-wide receiver at Wooster who spent his offseason ... playing baseball? He tells us his story in this edition of the podcast.  Plus, if you're new to Division III football, we'll start off this podcast with a little primer about how things work and what to expect come playoff time. And we also pick a half-dozen sleeper teams -- all of them teams ranked outside our Top 25 (and the extremely similar coaches Top 25 that came out this week), but whom we expect to make noise this season. The D3football.com podcast is a weekly in-season podcast by Patrick Coleman and Greg Thomas, which was started in 2007. New episodes are published weekly during the season.

There's a bunch of serious business being done by Division III quarterbacks this offseason, as nearly four dozen of them have joined up to raise money to fight cancer as Quarterbacks vs. Cancer. There's also some light-hearted work being done by Division III football coaches, as two of them in the NJAC have joined up to fight food insecurity and battle out the proper name of a popular breakfast meat. And one more thing: The Commonwealth Coast Conference has selected a new name. They're announcing it on Aug. 1, but we found it on a website and at the 18:45 mark of this podcast we will tell you the new name.  Seriously. Kudos to the sleuthiness of Dave McHugh. Quarterbacks vs. Cancer is an organization helmed by Alma quarterback Carter St. John, who thought he might only raise a few hundred dollars to support a local area cancer center, but that was just the beginning. He's joined by UW-Whitewater quarterback Jason Ceniti, Concordia-Moorhead quarterback Cooper Mattern and Carthage quarterback Bryce Lowe, plus another 40 additional Division III signal-callers. St. John, Ceniti, Mattern and Lowe join us for a great conversation.  And then there's the Breakfast Bowl -- it's the brainchild of Montclair State head coach Mike Palazzo, who was looking for a way to create a rivalry game for his team and Rowan, in the New Jersey Athletic Conference. And he hit upon a breakfast meat, and if you don't know the Jersey rivalry over the name Taylor Ham or Pork Roll ... listen to this podcast. We'll get you caught up! Patrick and Greg talk about their preseason Top 25 ballots, plus we take two mailbag questions, so make sure you hear them both, and talk about the latest conference shuffle. That's not a repeat from last month's show. We had another. The D3football.com podcast is a weekly in-season podcast by Patrick Coleman and Greg Thomas, which was started in 2007. New episodes are published monthly in the offseason.

Hey, we get it -- you don't like to think about math during the summer. If you're taking a class during the summer, it's probably not math-related, rather some elective. But unfortunately, the math is now going to be just as important in Division III football as it was in the BCS days in Division I. We know. That's not encouraging. And maybe we can't be encouraging about it, at least not the way it's currently set up, but we can sure as heck talk about it and try to explain about it. That's why we've brought back in our math correspondent, Logan Hansen of @loghanratings, to talk about what the new NPI -- the NCAA Power Index -- the new math -- means for the Division III football playoffs and selection format. We'll talk about how many years the NCAA folks tested this formula on, and we'll talk about how many they should have tested it on, and what Logan found when he went back further.  We also talk with Delaware Valley football coach Mike Isgro, a former Aggie player under Duke Greco and assistant coach under Greco who now goes on to replace him. We talk about the long conference winning streak, where the opportunities for improvement are for the Aggies and more. And we also chat with Jessica Huntley, founding commissioner of the Atlantic East Conference. No, this isn't another conference looking to take an automatic bid, but something even more interesting to talk about -- the growth of women's flag football and how much growth we might expect to see at the Division III level in the near future. It's a great conversation about a way schools can look to help manage their enrollment as things get tight out there in higher education, and expand the country's most popular sport in a new venue and new format. Plus we take THREE mailbag questions, so make sure you stick around to hear them all, and talk about some of the latest coaching changes and conference shuffles.

It's not often that we've had to call a coach back the next day and ask follow-up questions, but when news broke less than 24 hours after we talked with Berry coach Tony Kunczewski, we knew we had to get his take on his team getting Randolph-Macon added to its schedule. For Berry, it's one season after a 9-1 season with a low strength of schedule ended in disappointment -- Kunczewski talks about that, about the watch party his team had last November, and how they are channeling that disappointing end in 2024. This edition of the podcast is sponsored by GameStrat, the folks with the experience to help you get your sideline video replay solution up and running for this fall. They've been at this for more than a decade and can get you that edge on your opposition in 2024 with their experience, their expertise, resources for uncovering best practices and more. Mention the offer code D3FB24 to get $100 off a team's order of our sideline replay solution. We also talk with Augustana coach Stephen Bell, coming off his team's 8-2 regular season finish. And while the Culver's Isthmus Bowl might have been a disappointment for the Vikings, it's still a big step up for a program which hasn't made the playoffs since 2005, but still holds the unbroken record of four consecutive Division III football national championships. And since football schedules are almost entirely out and announced, Patrick and Greg went through the games that are in and each picked one game each week to spotlight and talk about. The D3football.com podcast is a weekly in-season podcast by Patrick Coleman and Greg Thomas, which was started in 2007.

When Crawfordsville and Greencastle, Indiana, found themselves beneath a total eclipse last week, it turned out to be a great time to combine a rare celestial event with a chance to talk with the coaches in one of Division III football's top rivalries. In the case of DePauw, that's Brett Dietz, whose team has won […] The post ATN Podcast 352: Can’t eclipse the Monon Bell appeared first on D3football.com » D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast.

What's next? That's a great question this time of year, and we tackle that big question in a few ways in our January podcast, the first one of 2024. Cortland, now the reigning and defending national champs, says what's next is turning the page, but before they do, we sit down with Red Dragons head coach Curt Fitzpatrick to reflect on a great (the greatest?) Stagg Bowl, and the aftermath, while talking about recruiting and the transfer portal and what his program is looking for for next season. We ask what's next of Brad Spencer and North Central football. Spencer reflects on the play call that left his team out of the end zone on a two-point conversion with 80 seconds left in the game, then getting his players back in the meeting room on campus recently to talk about what happens between now and spring ball? Something else that's definitely "next" in Division III is new programs taking the field, and the Roanoke Maroons will do so in a limited way this fall, and a more formal way in 2025. Patrick and Greg sit down with new Roanoke head coach Bryan Stinespring and his defensive coordinator, Mike Giancola, as they start the daunting task of taking a football program from an idea on paper to a unit on the field, one which will play on the same field the Stagg Bowl was just played on. Plus, what's next in the Division III football playoffs? We talk about that drive for 40 teams. Patrick and Greg discuss that and more in this edition of the podcast. The D3football.com podcast is a weekly in-season podcast by Patrick Coleman and Greg Thomas, which was started in 2007. The post ATN Podcast 351: What’s next? appeared first on D3football.com » D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast.

We wrap up another season, here on the D3football.com Around the Nation podcast. Perhaps not as well as the Cortland defense wrapped up Luke Lehnen on the two-point conversion attempt pictured here on the page, but we try. Was this the best Stagg Bowl ever? We've only seen about half of them in person, but our crew does its best to answer that question. Patrick Coleman and Greg Thomas are joined by Keith McMillan, Ryan Tipps, and Frank Rossi and James Baker of In the Huddle. Plus, Cortland sports information director Fran Elia, a podcast superfan, stops by to chat, and we talk with and congratulate Cortland football fans who were getting a bite to eat and a cold beverage at the famous Mac and Bob's in Salem, Virginia. Our crew hands out game balls, and talk about the unsung big plays of the game. Calling a time out? Sure. Fourth-down scramble? Definitely. Is this a changing of the guard? Great question. Will the Stagg Bowl return to Salem at some point after this? We discussed it before, but after the game, maybe things seem different.  Plus, Patrick has some news as to the order of quarterbacks the next time awards are handed out. You'll want to hear, complainers. This edition of the podcast is sponsored by d3photography.com, the licensed photography bureau contracted by D3sports.com. The crew discusses, in this edition of the podcast. The D3football.com podcast is a weekly in-season podcast by Patrick Coleman and Greg Thomas, which was started in 2007. The post ATN Podcast 350: Wrapping up an amazing 2023 appeared first on D3football.com » D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast.

It's great to be back in Salem covering a Stagg Bowl, and Patrick and Greg and Frank Rossi are here to preview Stagg Bowl with North Central and Cortland. For North Central, it's the fourth time in a row they've been to a Stagg Bowl, and in four different places, so how does their experience stack up? For Cortland, it's the first Stagg Bowl, but does their experience playing the Cortaca Jug game in Yankee Stadium help this group prepare? From Cortland, we talk with coach Curt Fitzpatrick, quarterback Zac Boyes, linebacker John Whiney and wide receiver Cole Burgess. And from the North Central side, we chat with coach Brad Spencer, quarterback Luke Lehnen, left tackle Jeske Maples, safety Julian Bell and wide receiver DeAngelo Hardy. Will the Stagg Bowl return to Salem at some point after this? We discuss. Plus, we generally expect a high-scoring game, but how high? Over or under 94.5 points? Who will be the most prolific quarterback-to-receiver combo? More over-unders, listener questions, and the rest in our Stagg Bowl preview podcast. The post ATN Podcast 349: We’re here for Stagg Bowl 50 appeared first on D3football.com » D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast.

Just as we expected — one amazing national semifinal and one blowout. Never mind that people generally thought it would be the other way around — not our predictions, by the way, which did not have North Central winning in a blowout. We talk through the Cortland win against Randolph-Macon, hear the reactions of players […] The post ATN Podcast 348: And then there were two appeared first on D3football.com » D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast.

Yep, that's correct. You see the colors above, and nary a Purple Power to be found. No more UW-Whitewater, no Mount Union, and of course, none of those other prominent purple powerhouses that failed to make the field. Instead, you've got the familiar red of North Central, plus Cortland as actual Red Dragons, along with the Yellow Jackets of Randolph-Macon and the orange of Wartburg. These teams got here through a pretty fantastic quarterfinal round, and Patrick and Greg talk about it all. We sit down with DeAngelo Hardy of North Central after his amazing day where he filled the stat sheet in ways you wouldn't imagine possible in one person. Keith McMillan makes another return to the podcast and chats with Mitchell Johnson and Nick Hale, two of the four key running backs for Randolph-Macon. Zac Boyes talks about finding his receiver wide open on a key play that broke the Cortland game at Alma wide open, and Wartburg's Hunter Clasen talks about catching the game-winning touchdown pass against UW-Whitewater. Plus, our listener question: What does each team need to do defensively this week in order to succeed? This edition of the podcast is sponsored by d3photography.com, the licensed photography bureau contracted by D3sports.com. Patrick Coleman and Greg Thomas discuss, in this edition of the podcast. The post ATN Podcast 347: No more purple appeared first on D3football.com » D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast.

We used to do this preview podcasts all the time, before life and day jobs interfered. But it's great to get back in the saddle, and do some longer interviews in this edition of the D3football.com Around the Nation podcast. Founding co-host Keith McMillan sits down for an in-depth conversation with Randolph-Macon coach Pedro Arruza as his team gets ready to take on Johns Hopkins in the quarterfinals. Arruza's career as a head coach at Randolph-Macon has now reached 20 seasons, and that's something considering he almost didn't get past year No. 3. Keith and Pedro talk about that, plus what drove Arruza to become a head coach, and much more. Patrick Coleman sits down with Alma quarterback Carter St. John. Yes, he joined us for Fast Five in 345 and talked about the final drive at Mount Union, but this is a new conversation about how St. John came to Alma rather than backing up a D-III quarterback you have definitely heard of at another school in the region. Plus, how far the kilt wearing has spread on the team, and whether a name like Carter St. John really lends itself to a fine clothing line. (Psst, it does.) We also chat with Curt Fitzpatrick, who is bringing his Cortland team to Alma this upcoming weekend. You'll hear about the Red Dragons' unexpected itinerary, plus get an early look at how Cortland quarterback Zac Boyes compares to St. John. Fitzpatrick also talks about the difference between his team's two very different playoff performances so far in this bracket. And we wrap up our conversations with UW-Whitewater cornerback and Gagliardi Trophy semifinalist Egon Hein. He talks about playing for a new head coach and a new defensive coordinator, ones who are hardly new to the program at all, as well as what it's like to play in front of all those people at Perkins Stadium, preparing for the Nameless Gray Face on the opposing side this week, playing with his brother, and much more. Plus, Trevor Castle brought us a great question: How did North Central get to this dominant position, and who are the programs that are poised to make that next step themselves?  This edition of the podcast is sponsored by d3photography.com, the licensed photography bureau contracted by D3sports.com. Patrick Coleman and Greg Thomas discuss, in this edition of the podcast. The D3football.com podcast is a weekly in-season podcast by Patrick Coleman and Greg Thomas. The post ATN Podcast 346: Heading to the quarterfinals appeared first on D3football.com » D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast.

We can't say in any way, shape or form that we called it. But in podcast 343, we did identify Alma as a team that could challenge Mount Union. But when push comes to shove, no, Alma scoring 24 points in the fourth quarter to defeat Mount Union was not something any of us saw coming.  The magnitude of the victory may not have sunk in yet for everyone at Alma. We catch up with Scots quarterback Carter St. John, who talks us through that final drive and the game-winning touchdown with 10 seconds left. We also talk about the reaction to the loss in Mount Union circles and whether people should circle the wagons around their head coach. Plus, has anyone ever scored 24 in the fourth quarter of an elimination game against Mount Union? Our crack research staff has the answer. How about another thrilling finish? That's what happened when Cortland went for two, then held on against a field goal attempt from Grove City in the closing seconds. Cortland was always going for two, and Red Dragons head coach Curt Fitzpatrick comes on to talk about it. Plus, it's still hard to believe that North Central has to travel to UW-La Crosse this week. It's just as unbelievable for North Central coach Brad Spencer, whose monologue about how we have to do better for student-athletes is well worth your time to listen to. Patrick and Greg talk about all eight second-round games, and take your questions in this edition of the podcast. This edition of the podcast is sponsored by d3photography.com, the licensed photography bureau contracted by D3sports.com. We also hand out game balls and spotlight the key stats in the bracket. Patrick Coleman and Greg Thomas discuss, in this edition of the podcast. The post ATN Podcast 345: Well, that doesn’t happen every day appeared first on D3football.com » D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast.

In our first week of playoffs, the teams that should have been hosting went and won on the road anyway, and while we only had a couple of games go down to the final possession, those were certainly thrilling, memorable games. Endicott gets so close to winning a playoff game once again. Susquehanna almost avoided […] The post Running down the first round appeared first on D3football.com » D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast.

Oh man.  Back in 2011, Patrick wrote a piece on Selection Sunday morning with the headline "Two-loss teams need not apply," essentially calling out the NCAA football committee for not even considering two-loss teams in previous years and wondering if that would change. It did change. It changed that season and in multiple seasons which followed. As the seasons have progressed, getting comfortable that a strong SOS would be rewarded has led teams to schedule some really top-quality non-conference games.  This year, we're back in the bad-ol' days, it seems like. And when you ask for an explanation as to how the criteria were applied, the only answer seems to be that there aren't enough at-large bids. We know this. Thanks.  That puts a damper on what otherwise is not a terrible bracket. Unless you like competitive balance. Unless you like the criteria to actually be used to determine who gets to have home games and who should be traveling. Sometimes there's a common opponent result that should be consulted. Patrick and Greg try to understand why, and we also answer a number of listener questions. What teams do we think can actually win the national championship? How would we try to work within the current system to get more at-large bids? That and more, plus, Whitworth coach Rod Sandberg joins us for our Fast Five interview to talk about his team's last-minute win at Linfield.  This edition of the podcast is sponsored by d3photography.com, the licensed photography bureau contracted by D3sports.com. Plus, we hand out game balls and spotlight the key stories in each region.  Patrick Coleman and Greg Thomas discuss, in this edition of the podcast. The D3football.com podcast is a weekly in-season podcast by Patrick Coleman and Greg Thomas, which was started in 2007. The post ATN Podcast 343: Strength of what, exactly? appeared first on D3football.com » D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast.

If you were are hoping your team can get some help in getting into the NCAA playoffs as an at-large team, we got so close to being able to give you what you wanted on Saturday. But in the end, a few places where teams were on the ropes turned out to be all about chalk and we'll all be holding our collective breath for another week of what should be epic games. Maybe, just maybe teams got some help when the status quo was preserved in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, and River Falls didn't beat La Crosse and turn things into a potential mess. We chat with UWL coach Matt Janus and quarterback Keyser Helterbrand is our guest on Fast Five, talking about everything from playing behind a freshman backup center, to how he ended up at La Crosse in the first place and not some school closer to home.  We hear from Mount Union coach Geoff Dartt after his team got a comfortable win against John Carroll. It was perhaps Mount Union's first big test of the year, and it didn't come until Week 10, but it was a test which they passed. And Cortland aced the Empire 8 final, with Cortland turning the tables on Brockport and making its own defensive presence known.  This edition of the podcast is sponsored by d3photography.com, the licensed photography bureau contracted by D3sports.com. Plus, we hand out game balls and spotlight the cool stats from Saturday and key stories in each region. Patrick gives us his take on the four at-large teams as the playoff picture stands right now. Greg predicts who will win the NJAC's Friday night finales, and we break down the potential five-way tiebreaker in that conference. Yes, there is math. And bacon. And ginsu knives. And more. Patrick Coleman and Greg Thomas discuss, in this edition of the podcast. The post ATN Podcast 342: No help for the bubble appeared first on D3football.com » D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast.

The game between Johns Hopkins and Muhlenberg ended in a pretty epic way on Saturday. So did Belhaven's unbeaten streak this season, at the hands of Maryville. And a 20-year long streak went by the wayside this weekend as well. Matt Mitchell talks about getting back onto the field at exactly the right time for […] The post ATN Podcast 341: Epic endings appeared first on D3football.com » D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast.

The season of regional rankings, mock brackets and things such as Pool C teams is upon us, and how better to get things started than by having a conversation with the chair of the Division III football championship committee?  We start every year with burning questions, and Northwestern (Minn.) head coach Matt Moore was kind enough to sit down and chat with Pat Coleman on campus earlier this week and give the most honest and open answers possible, considering not a single ranking has been made. But when you wonder, what does "results against regionally ranked opponents" mean, and how is it used, well, the answer wasn't what we expected or what we had been told was reality by chairs in years and sports past. This edition of the podcast is sponsored by d3photography.com, the licensed photography bureau contracted by D3sports.com. If you want to hear the answer to what happens when a team plays zero non-conference games, you'll get the best answer we can get so far this season here in this podcast. If you want to know whether the national committee would change a regional ranking if it doesn't line up or make sense with the others, you'll hear that answer as well.  And if you want to know how important strength of schedule is, you can get no answer more clear than Moore's answer.  Pat Coleman and Matt Moore talk, and Pat and Greg Thomas discuss, in this edition of the podcast. The D3football.com podcast is a weekly in-season podcast by Pat Coleman and Greg Thomas, which was started in 2007. The post ATN Podcast 340: A chat with the chair appeared first on D3football.com » D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast.

Greg Thomas starts off this podcast by quoting one of the famous philosophers of our time, and it is true about what point in the season we have reached. If you intend to play in the Stagg Bowl, just know that Week 8 is only the halfway point. In a week where our panel finally […] The post ATN Podcast 339: We’re halfway there appeared first on D3football.com » D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast.

UW-Whitewater and UW-River Falls met in another of the big battles that should determine who goes to the playoffs out of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, whether it's one, two or three teams. And even though one of the most decorated offensive players on the field was held in check -- not to mention off the field -- for the vast majority of the game, River Falls still had a shot at the end. We chat with UW-Whitewater coach Jace Rindahl about his team, his fired-up sideline demeanor, his decision to start going for two in the second quarter and more in this week's podcast. And Matt Walker of UW-River Falls talks about what's still there for his Falcons to accomplish. But there's more ... This edition of the podcast is sponsored by d3photography.com, the licensed photography bureau contracted by D3sports.com. It was a big week for dreams getting crushed just a little bit as well this week. Washington U. had designs on getting into the D3football.com Top 25 (they were already ranked in the coaches poll) but fell at home to Augustana. Carleton fans were looking for a little respect up at St. John's after a 5-0 start. And King's took down Lebanon Valley, which had been riding high ever since Week 1 against Franklin & Marshall. Plus, who got a game ball out of the CCIW? And the NESCAC? What were the interesting stats of the week, and who was having fun in Region 1, pulling through in Region 2, what's to see in the 3, who's looking for more in the 4, showin' some drive in the 5 and got something to fix in the 6? Plus, how are the Top 25 voters looking at Hardin-Simmons? Patrick and Greg tackle that and more in this week's podcast. The D3football.com podcast is a weekly in-season podcast by Pat Coleman and Greg Thomas, which was started in 2007. The post ATN Podcast 338: Midseason reality checks appeared first on D3football.com » D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast.

It seems there can be little doubt that Division III football is at its best on a Saturday afternoon when the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference is playing its conference games. They might draw 20,000-plus fans, they might go to double overtime, but whatever the weekend, it always seems at least one or two of the games is going to be entertaining, if not epic. But Division III is also at its best when it is forward-looking and innovative. When a university for the Deaf and hard of hearing can work with AT&T on a project to help level the playing field for a team that finds it hard to call plays. We ask Gallaudet coach Chuck Goldstein about how well the new 5G helmet worked for his team in their win against Hilbert, plus we talk about much more in the D3football.com Around the Nation podcast. This edition of the podcast is sponsored by d3photography.com, the licensed photography bureau contracted by D3sports.com. Yes, UW-La Crosse came away with a great win at UW-Whitewater, shaking off a losing streak to the Warhawks that had reached 19 games. We talk about the Eagles' new wrinkles on offense and their quality defensive performance as well. Plus, Ithaca finally won a Liberty League game at RPI, and we hear from Ithaca quarterback A.J. Wingfield about that. And we look at the strange way that the Hardin-Simmons at McMurry game came to an end. We also hand out game balls, pick out our stats of the week, answer reader questions, predict winners for some of next week's games and highlight the big ones coming up in Week 7. The D3football.com podcast is a weekly in-season podcast by Pat Coleman and Greg Thomas, which was started in 2007. The post ATN Podcast 337: When D-III football is at its best appeared first on D3football.com » D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast.

W is for Wartburg. W is for Wolverines. And W is for winning. The connection is purely alphabetical, but we know that the top teams had some big wins on Saturday, one for a bell that is little, and made of brass; one that is against a key conference rival; and one that was on the road after a big turnaround. Berry had Trinity on the ropes before the Tigers' defense recovered in the second half. They had us looking super closely in the first half, not gonna lie. But Trinity came out with the win. Wartburg was down at home before scoring two fourth-quarter touchdowns to win. Grove City, of course, held off rival Washington & Jefferson to win on Saturday as well, getting the Wolverines to a 5-0 start for the first time since ... when? We ask Grove City coach Andrew DiDonato about it, plus we talk about much more in the D3football.com Around the Nation podcast. This edition of the podcast is sponsored by d3photography.com, the licensed photography bureau contracted by D3sports.com. North Central put up some incredible numbers on offense on Saturday in beating Wheaton in the Little Brass Bell game, and we'll detail exactly how dominant Cardinals quarterback Luke Lehnen and his colleagues were. Plus, who was having fun in the 1, pulling through in the 2, out to sea in the 3, the score in the 4, lookin' alive in the 5 and in the mix in the 6. Plus, if you saw a couple of close games on Saturday and were concerned, know that you weren't alone, and we'll talk you through which results to be concerned about and which to let go. The D3football.com podcast is a weekly in-season podcast by Pat Coleman and Greg Thomas, which was started in 2007. The post ATN 336: Week 5 is for capital W’s appeared first on D3football.com » D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast.

It's not often the outcome of a single game can turn perceptions in Division III on their head, especially a game in September. But last Friday night, Endicott not only defeated No. 5 Hardin-Simmons, the Gulls defeated the Cowboys soundly. And Pat was there to witness, interview and report. Did Hardin-Simmons losing their starting quarterback and their All-Region linebacker make a difference? What did we see on the ground in Beverly, Massachusetts? Pat gives his analysis here, first, in the D3football.com Around the Nation podcast. This edition of the podcast is sponsored by d3photography.com, the licensed photography bureau contracted by D3sports.com. Check out what Pat called the most spine-tingling thing he has witnessed in 25 years at D3football.com. And hear some of the unique things that go on in postgame speeches and celebrations in the locker room after games, both at Endicott and Tufts, which defeated Bates on Saturday night. Plus we look at Augsburg's Hail Mary win, Grove City's blow struck in the PAC, and hand out game balls. When is the first woman to play a position other than kicker not the first woman to play a position other than kicker? We talk about the woman who played cornerback two weeks ago.  There's that and so much more crammed into this 70 minutes. The D3football.com podcast is a weekly in-season podcast by Pat Coleman and Greg Thomas, which was started in 2007. The post ATN Podcast 335: Striking a blow for New England appeared first on D3football.com » D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast.

This week didn't feature five games between Top 25 teams, but as we've known for years in Division III football, that doesn't make it any less thrilling.  Out of 116 games, you're going to see a little bit of everything, such as a game where three touchdowns were scored in the final 60 seconds. A walk-off field goal for a Top 25 upset. A 0-3 team ranked in the Top 25 (first time for everything). Game balls handed out to players who did a little of everything, or who were the team's go-to guy in the closing moments. This edition of the podcast is sponsored by d3photography.com, the licensed photography bureau contracted by D3sports.com. Last week we talked about the latest 6-foot-4, 245-pound running back -- well, how about a 300-pounder taking a fake punt to the house? Plus, who's getting it done in the 1, feeling blue in the 2, running free in the 3 and much more. We answer reader questions, put Pat and Greg on the spot and more in this podcast covering Division III football's Week 3 games. Plus, we mention every team listed in the tags at the bottom of the page. The D3football.com podcast is a weekly in-season podcast by Pat Coleman and Greg Thomas, which was started in 2007. The post ATN Podcast 334: No less thrilling a week appeared first on D3football.com » D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast.

It was a fun night for Trinity (Texas) fans in San Antonio, and the same for fans of Eastern on a rainy night in Philadelphia. Oberlin got a losing streak out of the way, King's looks good at 2-0, Susquehanna got a win off of the Brockport bullpen, and UW-Whitewater followed a Week 1 statement […] The post ATN Podcast 333: A little fun under the lights appeared first on D3football.com » D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast.

It really does seem as though the 2023 Division III football season is going to be just like the 2022 version. But with even more games between ranked teams, more nailbiting, more magic. Johnnie Magic up in Collegeville? Perhaps, if you're a fan. If you're Trinity (Texas) coach Jerheme Urban, you may come from a different mindset. He gives his perspective on the sequence events at the end of that game at St. John's in our Fast Five interview segment. Plus you'll hear from people on the St. John's side about the big win, and also coach Larry Harmon from Mary Hardin-Baylor and Matt Walker from UW-River Falls about the shocking, blowout manner in which that game went down. In addition, we hear from Johns Hopkins quarterback Bay Harvey after his team's win against Ithaca. Thanks to Riley Zayas of True to the Cru and Frank Rossi of In the Huddle for some bonus audio this week. In addition, we hand out our Game Balls, pull out our stats of the week, answer reader questions, put Greg on the spot and more in this podcast covering Division III football's Week 1 games. The D3football.com podcast is a weekly in-season podcast by Pat Coleman and Greg Thomas, which was started in 2007. The post ATN Podcast 332: Right where we left off appeared first on D3football.com » D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast.

The 2023 Division III football season is upon us, kicking off on Thursday night, Aug. 31. Birmingham-Southern is one of those teams kicking off on Thursday, and the fact that B-SC is here at all is something to celebrate. The school nearly closed this past summer and still faces sever funding issues, but is here […] The post ATN Podcast 331: Let’s get this party started appeared first on D3football.com » D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast.

Teams are in training camps, and if you're new to Division III football, or awaking from a long slumber, this is a good time to get caught up. Because if you're coming to Division III for the first time, as a Division I FBS fan, just know that this is not the same. D-III is […] The post ATN Podcast 330: What you need to know before Week 1 appeared first on D3football.com » D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast.