2005 NCAA Division III football season

The 2005 NCAA Division III football season, part of the college football season organized by the NCAA at the Division III level in the United States, began in August 2005, and concluded with the NCAA Division III Football Championship, also known as the Stagg Bowl, in December 2005 at Salem Football Stadium in Salem, Virginia. The Mount Union Purple Raiders won their eighth Division III championship by defeating the Wisconsin–Whitewater Warhawks, 35−28. This was the first of eight subsequent championship games between Mount Union (3 wins) and Wisconsin–Whitewater (5 wins); only the 2012 Stagg Bowl featured a different team.

2005 NCAA Division III football season
Regular season	August – November 2005
Playoffs	November – December 2005
National championship	Salem Football Stadium Salem, VA
Champion	Mount Union (8)
Gagliardi Trophy	Brett Elliott (QB), Linfield
NCAA Division III football seasons

The Gagliardi Trophy, given to the most outstanding player in Division III football, was awarded to Brett Elliott, quarterback from Linfield.

Conference changes and new programs

School	2004 conference	2005 conference
Becker Hawks	No program	Independent
Chowan Hawks	USA South	Independent (Division II)

Conference standings

2005 American Southwest Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 11 Mary Hardin–Baylor $^   7 – 1     9 – 2   Hardin–Simmons   7 – 2     8 – 2   Howard Payne   7 – 2     7 – 3   East Texas Baptist   6 – 3     6 – 4   Texas Lutheran   5 – 4     5 – 5   Louisiana College   4 – 4     4 – 5   McMurry   4 – 5     5 – 5   Sul Ross   2 – 7     3 – 7   Mississippi College   1 – 8     2 – 8   Austin   1 – 8     1 – 9   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com	2005 Atlantic Central Football Conference standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 10 Wesley +^   4 – 1     12 – 2   Salisbury +   4 – 1     8 – 3   Brockport +   4 – 1     5 – 5   Frostburg State   1 – 4     6 – 5   Apprentice §   1 – 4     4 – 6   Buffalo State   1 – 4     3 – 6   + – Conference co-champions ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant § – Not an NCAA member Rankings from D3football.com	2005 Centennial Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Johns Hopkins $^   5 – 1     8 – 3   Franklin & Marshall   4 – 2     5 – 6   Dickinson   3 – 3     4 – 6   Gettysburg   3 – 3     4 – 6   McDaniel   2 – 4     5 – 5   Ursinus   2 – 4     4 – 6   Muhlenberg   2 – 4     3 – 7   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
2005 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 13 Augustana (IL) $^   7 – 0     10 – 2   No. 16 North Central (IL) ^   6 – 1     9 – 2   Carthage   4 – 3     7 – 3   Wheaton (IL)   4 – 3     7 – 3   Elmhurst   3 – 4     6 – 4   Millikin   2 – 5     5 – 5   Illinois Wesleyan   2 – 5     3 – 7   North Park   0 – 7     3 – 7   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com	2005 Empire 8 Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 24 Ithaca $^   6 – 0     8 – 3   Alfred   5 – 1     9 – 2   St. John Fisher   4 – 2     8 – 3   Utica   3 – 3     6 – 4   Springfield   2 – 4     4 – 6   Norwich   1 – 5     3 – 7   Hartwick   0 – 6     4 – 6   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com	2005 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Mount St. Joseph $^   5 – 1     9 – 2   Defiance   4 – 2     6 – 4   Anderson (IN)   3 – 3     5 – 5   Franklin (IN)   3 – 3     5 – 5   Hanover   3 – 3     4 – 6   Bluffton   2 – 4     3 – 7   Manchester   1 – 5     2 – 8   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
2005 Illini–Badger Football Conference standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Lakeland $^   7 – 0     8 – 3   Concordia (WI)   6 – 1     7 – 3   Aurora   5 – 2     5 – 5   Greenville   4 – 3     4 – 6   Benedictine (IL)   3 – 4     3 – 7   MacMurray   2 – 5     4 – 6   Eureka   1 – 6     1 – 9   Concordia (IL)   0 – 7     0 – 10   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	2005 Iowa Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 20 Central (IA) +^   7 – 1     9 – 2   No. 23 Coe +^   7 – 1     9 – 2   Wartburg   6 – 2     7 – 3   Luther   5 – 3     6 – 4   Buena Vista   4 – 4     5 – 5   Simpson (IA)   3 – 5     5 – 5   Loras   2 – 6     3 – 7   Cornell (IA)   1 – 7     2 – 8   Dubuque   1 – 7     2 – 8   + – Conference co-champions ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com	2005 Liberty League football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 14 Union (NY) $^   7 – 0     11 – 1   No. 22 Hobart ^   6 – 1     9 – 2   RPI   5 – 2     8 – 2   WPI   4 – 3     6 – 3   Rochester (NY)   3 – 4     4 – 6   Merchant Marine   2 – 5     3 – 7   St. Lawrence   1 – 6     2 – 7   Coast Guard   0 – 7     2 – 7   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com
2005 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Albion $^   6 – 1     7 – 4   Adrian   5 – 2     8 – 2   Hope   5 – 2     5 – 5   Alma   4 – 3     6 – 4   Olivet   4 – 3     5 – 5   Kalamazoo   3 – 4     4 – 6   Wisconsin Lutheran   1 – 6     1 – 9   Tri-State *   0 – 7     0 – 10   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant * – Provisional NCAA Division III member	2005 Middle Atlantic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 6 Delaware Valley $^   9 – 0     12 – 1   Wilkes ^   8 – 1     8 – 3   Widener   6 – 3     8 – 3   Moravian   5 – 4     7 – 4   Lycoming   5 – 4     6 – 4   King's   5 – 4     5 – 5   Albright   4 – 5     5 – 5   FDU Florham   4 – 5     4 – 6   Lebanon Valley   2 – 7     2 – 8   Susquehanna   1 – 8     2 – 8   Juniata   0 – 9     0 – 10   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com	2005 Midwest Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Monmouth (IL) $^   9 – 0     10 – 1   St. Norbert   8 – 1     8 – 2   Carroll (WI)   6 – 3     6 – 4   Ripon   5 – 4     6 – 4   Beloit   5 – 4     5 – 5   Lawrence   4 – 5     4 – 5   Knox   3 – 6     4 – 6   Lake Forest   3 – 6     4 – 6   Illinois College   2 – 7     3 – 7   Grinnell   0 – 9     1 – 9   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
2005 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 7 Saint John's (MN) $^   8 – 0     11 – 1   No. 8 Concordia–Moorhead ^   7 – 1     10 – 2   St. Olaf   6 – 2     8 – 2   Bethel (MN)   4 – 4     5 – 5   St. Thomas (MN)   4 – 4     4 – 5   Gustavus Adolphus   3 – 5     3 – 7   Carleton   2 – 6     4 – 6   Hamline   1 – 7     3 – 7   Augsburg   1 – 7     1 – 9   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com	2005 New England Football Conference standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Bogan Division Fitchburg State xy   6 – 0     8 – 3   Bridgewater State   5 – 1     9 – 1   Maine Maritime   4 – 2     7 – 3   Worcester State   3 – 3     5 – 5   Westfield State   2 – 4     4 – 5   Framingham State   1 – 5     2 – 7   Massachusetts Maritime   0 – 6     0 – 9   Boyd Division Curry xy$^   6 – 0     9 – 3   Endicott   5 – 1     7 – 3   UMass Dartmouth   4 – 2     5 – 5   MIT   2 – 4     3 – 6   Western New England   2 – 4     3 – 6   Salve Regina   2 – 4     2 – 6   Nichols   0 – 6     0 – 9   Championship: Curry 17, Fitchburg State 14 $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	2005 New England Small College Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 25 Trinity (CT) $   8 – 0     8 – 0   Colby   7 – 1     7 – 1   Bowdoin   6 – 2     6 – 2   Williams   6 – 2     6 – 2   Amherst   5 – 3     5 – 3   Middlebury   3 – 5     3 – 5   Bates   2 – 6     2 – 6   Tufts   2 – 6     2 – 6   Hamilton   1 – 7     1 – 7   Wesleyan   0 – 8     0 – 8   $ – Conference champion Rankings from D3football.com
2005 New Jersey Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 4 Rowan +^   5 – 1     11 – 2   Cortland +^   5 – 1     7 – 3   Montclair State   4 – 2     5 – 5   Western Connecticut   3 – 3     6 – 4   Kean   2 – 4     4 – 6   William Paterson   1 – 5     5 – 5   TCNJ   1 – 5     3 – 7   + – Conference co-champions ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com	2005 North Coast Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 15 Wabash $^   7 – 0     11 – 1   Kenyon   6 – 1     6 – 4   Oberlin   5 – 2     7 – 3   Wittenberg   5 – 2     5 – 5   Wooster   3 – 4     6 – 4   Denison   3 – 4     5 – 5   Allegheny   3 – 4     3 – 7   Ohio Wesleyan   2 – 5     3 – 7   Earlham   1 – 6     1 – 9   Hiram   0 – 7     1 – 9   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com	2005 Northwest Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 3 Linfield $^   4 – 0     10 – 1   Willamette   3 – 1     5 – 4   Whitworth   2 – 2     5 – 3   Puget Sound   1 – 3     4 – 5   Pacific Lutheran   0 – 4     3 – 6   Lewis & Clark *   0 – 0     0 – 4   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant * – Lewis & Clark's conference games were canceled. Rankings from D3football.com
2005 Ohio Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 1 Mount Union $^   8 – 1     14 – 1   No. 18 Ohio Northern   7 – 2     8 – 2   No. 5 Capital ^   7 – 2     10 – 3   John Carroll   6 – 3     7 – 3   Otterbein   6 – 3     7 – 3   Marietta   4 – 5     5 – 5   Baldwin–Wallace   3 – 6     4 – 6   Muskingum   2 – 7     2 – 8   Wilmington (OH)   2 – 7     2 – 8   Heidelberg   0 – 9     0 – 10   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com	2005 Old Dominion Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 12 Bridgewater $^   6 – 0     10 – 2   Hampden–Sydney   4 – 2     8 – 2   Washington and Lee   4 – 2     7 – 3   Guilford   4 – 2     5 – 5   Catholic University   1 – 5     2 – 8   Randolph–Macon   1 – 5     2 – 8   Emory & Henry   1 – 5     1 – 9   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com	2005 Presidents' Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 17 Thiel $^   6 – 0     11 – 1   No. 21 Washington & Jefferson ^   5 – 1     9 – 2   Thomas More   4 – 2     5 – 5   Waynesburg   2 – 4     4 – 6   Westminster (PA)   2 – 4     4 – 6   Grove City   2 – 4     3 – 7   Bethany (WV)   0 – 6     1 – 9   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com
2005 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 9 Occidental $^   6 – 0     9 – 1   Cal Lutheran   5 – 1     8 – 1   Redlands   4 – 2     5 – 4   La Verne   3 – 3     5 – 4   Pomona–Pitzer   2 – 4     4 – 5   Claremont–Mudd–Scripps   1 – 5     3 – 6   Whittier   0 – 6     2 – 7   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com	2005 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 19 Trinity (TX) +^   5 – 0     9 – 1   DePauw +   5 – 0     7 – 2   Sewanee   4 – 2     5 – 5   Centre   3 – 3     7 – 3   Rose–Hulman   2 – 4     5 – 5   Millsaps   1 – 5     2 – 7   Rhodes   0 – 6     2 – 8   + – Conference co-champions ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com	2005 University Athletic Association football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Chicago $   3 – 0     5 – 4   Washington University   2 – 1     6 – 4   Carnegie Mellon   1 – 2     5 – 5   Case Western Reserve   0 – 3     3 – 7   $ – Conference champion
2005 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   North Northwestern (MN) xy$#   7 – 0     8 – 3   Martin Luther   6 – 1     6 – 3   Minnesota–Morris #   4 – 3     4 – 6   Crown #   3 – 4     3 – 6   Trinity Bible §   0 – 7     1 – 8   South Rockford x   5 – 2     7 – 3   Westminster (MO) xy   5 – 2     5 – 5   Maranatha Baptist   2 – 5     4 – 5   Blackburn   2 – 5     2 – 8   Principia   1 – 6     1 – 8   Championship: Northwestern (MN) 27, Westminster (MO) 7 $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant # – Provisional NCAA Division III member § – Not an NCAA member	2005 USA South Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Ferrum +^   6 – 1     9 – 2   Methodist +   6 – 1     8 – 2   Averett   5 – 2     7 – 3   Christopher Newport   5 – 2     6 – 4   North Carolina Wesleyan   3 – 4     4 – 6   Maryville (TN)   2 – 5     3 – 7   Greensboro   1 – 6     2 – 8   Shenandoah   0 – 7     2 – 8   + – Conference co-champions ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	2005 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 2 Wisconsin–Whitewater $^   7 – 0     14 – 1   Wisconsin–Eau Claire   5 – 2     6 – 4   Wisconsin–Oshkosh   4 – 3     7 – 3   Wisconsin–La Crosse   4 – 3     5 – 4   Wisconsin–Stout   3 – 4     6 – 4   Wisconsin–Stevens Point   3 – 4     4 – 6   Wisconsin–River Falls   2 – 5     3 – 7   Wisconsin–Platteville   0 – 7     1 – 9   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com
2005 NCAA Division III independents football records Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Huntingdon   –     7 – 2   Husson   –     4 – 4   Plymouth State   –     4 – 6   Chapman   –     2 – 7   Colorado College   –     2 – 8   Mount Ida   –     1 – 9   Becker   –     0 – 8   Macalester   –     0 – 9   Menlo   –     0 – 10

Conference champions

Conference champions

American Southwest Conference – Mary Hardin–Baylor Atlantic Central Football Conference – SUNY Brockport, Salisbury, and Wesley Centennial Conference – Johns Hopkins College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin – Augustana (IL) Empire 8 Conference – Ithaca Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference – Mount St. Joseph Illini-Badger Football Conference – Lakeland Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Central (IA) and Coe Liberty League – Union (NY) Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Albion Middle Atlantic Conference – Delaware Valley Midwest Conference – Monmouth (IL) Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Saint John's (MN) New England Football Conference – Fitchburg State (Bogan Division), Curry (Boyd Division) Championship Game: Curry 17, Fitchburg State 14 (2OT) New England Small College Athletic Conference – Trinity (CT) New Jersey Athletic Conference – Rowan and SUNY Cortland North Coast Athletic Conference – Wabash Northwest Conference – Linfield Ohio Athletic Conference – Mount Union Old Dominion Athletic Conference – Bridgewater Presidents' Athletic Conference – Thiel Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Occidental Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference – Trinity (TX) University Athletic Association – Chicago Upper Midwest Athletic Conference – Northwestern–St. Paul USA South Athletic Conference – Ferrum and Methodist Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Wisconsin–Whitewater

Postseason

The 2005 NCAA Division III Football Championship playoffs were the 33rd annual single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division III college football. The championship Stagg Bowl game was held at Salem Football Stadium in Salem, Virginia, for the 13th time. The bracket for this field expanded from 28 to 32 teams, where it has remained.

Qualification

Twenty-one conferences met the requirements for an automatic ("Pool A") bid to the playoffs. Besides the NESCAC, which does not participate in the playoffs, five conferences had no Pool A bid. The PAC was in the first year of the two-year waiting period, while the ACFC, NWC, UAA, and UMAC failed to meet the seven-member requirement.

Schools not in Pool A conferences were eligible for Pool B. The number of Pool B bids was determined by calculating the ratio of Pool A conferences to schools in those conferences and applying that ratio to the number of Pool B schools. The 21 Pool A conferences contained 179 schools, an average of 8.5 teams per conference. Thirty-seven schools were in Pool B, enough for four bids.

The remaining seven playoff spots were at-large ("Pool C") teams.

Playoff bracket

	First Round Campus Sites					Second Round Campus Sites					Quarterfinals Campus Sites					Semifinals Campus Sites					National Championship Game Salem Football Stadium Salem, Virginia
	Linfield		63
	Occidental		21			Linfield		28
	Concordia–Moorhead		27			Concordia–Moorhead		14
	Coe		14								Linfield		41
	Saint John's (MN)		62								Wisconsin–Whitewater		44
	Monmouth (IL)		3			Saint John's (MN)		7
	Wisconsin–Whitewater		34			Wisconsin–Whitewater		34
	Central (IA)		14													Wisconsin–Whitewater		58
	Mary Hardin–Baylor		35													Wesley		6
	Trinity (TX)		6			Mary Hardin–Baylor		36
	Wesley		59			Wesley		46
	Ferrum		14								Wesley		46
	Bridgewater (VA)		30								Bridgewater (VA)		7
	Washington & Jefferson		21			Bridgewater (VA)		24
	Thiel		28			Thiel		13
	Johns Hopkins		3																		Wisconsin–Whitewater		28
	Wabash		38																		Mount Union		35
	Albion		20			Wabash		11
	Capital		21			Capital		14
	North Central (IL)		19								Mount Union		34
	Augustana (IL)		49								Capital		31
	Lakeland		22			Augustana (IL)		7
	Mount Union		49			Mount Union		44
	Mount St. Joseph		6													Mount Union		19
	Delaware Valley		37													Rowan		7
	Curry		22			Delaware Valley		21
	Hobart		23			Hobart		14
	Cortland		22								Delaware Valley		21
	Rowan		42								Rowan		27
	Wilkes		3			Rowan		28
	Union (NY)		55			Union (NY)		24
	Ithaca		41

* Overtime

See also

• 2005 NCAA Division I-A football season
• 2005 NCAA Division I-AA football season
• 2005 NCAA Division II football season