2010 NCAA Division III football season

The 2010 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 2010, and concluded with the NCAA Division III Football Championship, also known as the Stagg Bowl, in December 2010 at Salem Football Stadium in Salem, Virginia. The Wisconsin–Whitewater Warhawks won their first Division III championship by defeating the Mount Union Purple Raiders, 31−21. This was the sixth of seven straight championship games between Mount Union (3 wins) and Wisconsin–Whitewater (4 wins).

2010 NCAA Division III football season
Regular season	August – November 2010
Playoffs	November – December 2010
National championship	Salem Football Stadium Salem, VA
Champion	Wisconsin–Whitewater (3)
Gagliardi Trophy	Eric Watt (QB), Trine
NCAA Division III football seasons

The Gagliardi Trophy, given to the most outstanding player in Division III football, was awarded to Eric Watt, quarterback from Trine.

Conference changes and new programs

School	2009 conference	2010 conference
Menlo	Northwest (Division III)	Independent (NAIA)

Conference standings

2010 American Southwest Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 5 Mary Hardin–Baylor $^   8 – 0     12 – 1   Louisiana College   7 – 1     7 – 3   No. 24 Hardin–Simmons   6 – 2     8 – 2   McMurry   4 – 4     6 – 4   East Texas Baptist   4 – 4     5 – 5   Texas Lutheran   3 – 5     4 – 6   Mississippi College   2 – 6     4 – 6   Howard Payne   1 – 7     2 – 8   Sul Ross   1 – 7     1 – 8   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com	2010 Atlantic Central Football Conference standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 4 Wesley $^   3 – 0     12 – 1   Salisbury ^   2 – 1     7 – 3   Frostburg State   1 – 2     2 – 8   Apprentice §   0 – 3     2 – 8   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant § – Not an NCAA member Rankings from D3football.com	2010 Centennial Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Ursinus +   7 – 2     8 – 2   Johns Hopkins +   7 – 2     8 – 3   Muhlenberg +^   7 – 2     7 – 4   Moravian   6 – 3     7 – 4   Gettysburg   5 – 4     6 – 4   Franklin & Marshall   5 – 4     6 – 5   McDaniel   4 – 5     5 – 5   Dickinson   3 – 6     3 – 7   Susquehanna   1 – 8     2 – 8   Juniata   0 – 9     0 – 10   + – Conference co-champions ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
2010 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 3 North Central (IL) $^   7 – 0     12 – 1   No. 11 Wheaton (IL) ^   6 – 1     10 – 2   Illinois Wesleyan   4 – 3     7 – 3   Augustana (IL)   4 – 3     6 – 4   Carthage   3 – 4     6 – 4   Elmhurst   3 – 4     6 – 4   Millikin   1 – 6     4 – 6   North Park   0 – 7     2 – 8   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com	2010 Eastern Collegiate Football Conference standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Maritime $^   7 – 0     10 – 1   Norwich   5 – 2     8 – 3   Castleton   5 – 2     5 – 4   Mount Ida   5 – 2     6 – 5   Gallaudet   3 – 4     3 – 5   Becker   2 – 5     2 – 8   Husson   1 – 6     1 – 9   Anna Maria   0 – 7     0 – 10   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	2010 Empire 8 Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 13 Alfred $^   5 – 0     10 – 3   St. John Fisher   3 – 2     9 – 2   Springfield   3 – 2     9 – 2   Ithaca   3 – 2     6 – 4   Hartwick   1 – 4     4 – 5   Utica   0 – 5     5 – 5   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com
2010 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 22 Franklin (IN) $^   8 – 0     9 – 2   Hanover   6 – 2     7 – 3   Defiance   6 – 2     6 – 4   Rose-Hulman   5 – 3     6 – 4   Mount St. Joseph   4 – 4     5 – 5   Bluffton   3 – 5     4 – 6   Anderson (IN)   3 – 5     3 – 7   Manchester   1 – 7     2 – 8   Earlham   0 – 8     0 – 10   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com	2010 Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 12 Wartburg $^   8 – 0     10 – 1   No. 14 Coe ^   7 – 1     9 – 2   Central (IA)   6 – 2     8 – 2   Loras   4 – 4     5 – 5   Luther   4 – 4     5 – 5   Dubuque   3 – 5     4 – 6   Buena Vista   2 – 6     3 – 7   Simpson (IA)   2 – 6     2 – 8   Cornell (IA)   0 – 8     0 – 10   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com	2010 Liberty League football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   St. Lawrence $^   5 – 1     5 – 6   RPI   4 – 2     6 – 4   Hobart   3 – 3     5 – 4   Rochester (NY)   3 – 3     4 – 5   Merchant Marine   3 – 3     4 – 6   Union (NY)   2 – 4     2 – 7   WPI   1 – 5     3 – 7   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
2010 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 10 Trine $^   6 – 0     11 – 1   Adrian   4 – 2     5 – 5   Albion   4 – 2     5 – 5   Hope   3 – 3     3 – 7   Alma   2 – 4     3 – 7   Kalamazoo   2 – 4     3 – 7   Olivet   0 – 6     0 – 10   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com	2010 Middle Atlantic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 16 Delaware Valley $^   6 – 1     9 – 3   Lebanon Valley   5 – 2     6 – 5   Wilkes   5 – 2     6 – 5   Lycoming   4 – 3     6 – 4   Widener   4 – 3     5 – 5   Albright   3 – 4     5 – 5   King's   1 – 6     1 – 9   FDU Florham   0 – 7     3 – 7   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com	2010 Midwest Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   St. Norbert $^   7 – 2     7 – 4   Carroll (WI)   6 – 3     7 – 3   Ripon   6 – 3     7 – 3   Monmouth (IL)   6 – 3     6 – 4   Grinnell   5 – 4     6 – 4   Beloit   5 – 4     5 – 5   Illinois College   5 – 4     5 – 5   Lake Forest   2 – 7     2 – 8   Lawrence   2 – 7     2 – 8   Knox   1 – 8     1 – 9   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
2010 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 7 St. Thomas (MN) $^   8 – 0     12 – 1   No. 6 Bethel (MN) ^   7 – 1     12 – 2   Saint John's (MN)   6 – 2     7 – 3   St. Olaf   4 – 4     6 – 4   Concordia–Moorhead   4 – 4     5 – 5   Gustavus Adolphus   3 – 5     4 – 6   Augsburg   2 – 6     4 – 6   Carleton   2 – 6     3 – 7   Hamline   0 – 8     1 – 9   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com	2010 New England Football Conference standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Bogan Division Framingham State x   6 – 1     9 – 2   Maine Maritime xy   6 – 1     8 – 3   Massachusetts Maritime   4 – 3     5 – 5   Westfield State   4 – 3     5 – 5   Bridgewater State   3 – 4     5 – 5   Worcester State   3 – 4     5 – 5   Coast Guard   1 – 6     2 – 7   Fitchburg State   1 – 6     1 – 9   Boyd Division Western New England x   6 – 1     9 – 2   Endicott xy$^   6 – 1     9 – 3   Salve Regina   5 – 2     6 – 4   Curry   4 – 3     6 – 4   Plymouth State   4 – 3     6 – 4   UMass Dartmouth   2 – 5     3 – 7   Nichols   1 – 6     1 – 9   MIT   0 – 7     1 – 8   Championship: Endicott 38, Maine Maritime 35 $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	2010 New England Small College Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Williams $   8 – 0     8 – 0   Trinity (CT)   7 – 1     7 – 1   Amherst   6 – 2     6 – 2   Colby   4 – 4     4 – 4   Middlebury   4 – 4     4 – 4   Wesleyan   4 – 4     4 – 4   Bowdoin   3 – 5     3 – 5   Bates   2 – 6     2 – 6   Hamilton   1 – 7     1 – 7   Tufts   1 – 7     1 – 7   $ – Conference champion
2010 New Jersey Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 23 Rowan +   8 – 1     9 – 1   No. 18 Cortland +^   8 – 1     10 – 2   No. 19 Montclair State +^   8 – 1     10 – 2   Kean   5 – 4     5 – 5   TCNJ   5 – 4     5 – 5   Buffalo State   4 – 5     4 – 6   William Paterson   3 – 6     4 – 6   Brockport   2 – 7     2 – 8   Morrisville State   2 – 7     2 – 8   Western Connecticut   0 – 9     0 – 10   + – Conference co-champions ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com	2010 North Coast Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 17 Wittenberg $^   6 – 0     10 – 1   Wabash   5 – 1     8 – 2   Allegheny   4 – 2     7 – 3   Wooster   4 – 2     5 – 5   Oberlin   3 – 3     4 – 6   Denison   2 – 4     4 – 6   Ohio Wesleyan   2 – 4     2 – 8   Hiram   1 – 5     1 – 9   Kenyon   0 – 6     0 – 10   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com	2010 Northern Athletics Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Benedictine (IL) $^   7 – 0     8 – 3   Concordia (IL)   6 – 1     8 – 2   Aurora   5 – 2     7 – 3   Wisconsin Lutheran   4 – 3     6 – 4   Lakeland   3 – 4     4 – 6   Concordia (WI)   2 – 5     2 – 8   Maranatha Baptist   1 – 6     1 – 9   Rockford   0 – 7     0 – 10   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
2010 Northwest Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 9 Linfield $^   6 – 0     9 – 2   No. 20 Pacific Lutheran   5 – 1     8 – 1   Willamette   4 – 2     7 – 3   Whitworth   3 – 3     5 – 5   Lewis & Clark   2 – 4     4 – 5   Puget Sound   1 – 5     2 – 7   Pacific (OR)   0 – 6     0 – 9   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com	2010 Ohio Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 2 Mount Union $^   9 – 0     14 – 1   No. 8 Ohio Northern ^   8 – 1     10 – 2   Baldwin–Wallace   6 – 3     7 – 3   Otterbein   5 – 4     6 – 4   Capital   5 – 4     5 – 5   John Carroll   5 – 4     5 – 5   Heidelberg   4 – 5     5 – 5   Muskingum   2 – 7     3 – 7   Marietta   1 – 8     2 – 8   Wilmington (OH)   0 – 9     0 – 10   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com	2010 Old Dominion Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Washington and Lee $^   6 – 0     8 – 3   No. 25 Hampden–Sydney ^   5 – 1     9 – 2   Bridgewater   4 – 2     8 – 2   Randolph–Macon   3 – 3     7 – 3   Catholic University   2 – 4     4 – 6   Emory & Henry   1 – 5     5 – 5   Guilford   0 – 6     0 – 10   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com
2010 Presidents' Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 15 Thomas More $^   7 – 0     11 – 1   Washington & Jefferson   6 – 1     9 – 2   Waynesburg   4 – 3     6 – 4   Bethany (WV)   4 – 3     5 – 5   Grove City   3 – 4     5 – 5   Saint Vincent   3 – 4     3 – 7   Westminster (PA)   1 – 6     2 – 8   Thiel   0 – 7     0 – 10   Geneva #   –     5 – 5   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant # – Provisional NCAA Divisional III member; games not counted in standings Rankings from D3football.com	2010 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 21 Cal Lutheran $^   6 – 0     8 – 2   Redlands   5 – 1     8 – 1   Claremont–Mudd–Scripps   4 – 2     7 – 2   Occidental   3 – 3     4 – 5   Whittier   1 – 5     2 – 7   La Verne   1 – 5     1 – 8   Pomona–Pitzer   1 – 5     1 – 8   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com	2010 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   DePauw $^   6 – 0     9 – 2   Millsaps   5 – 1     7 – 3   Centre   3 – 3     6 – 4   Rhodes   3 – 3     4 – 6   Austin   2 – 4     4 – 5   Trinity (TX)   2 – 4     4 – 6   Sewanee   0 – 6     1 – 9   Birmingham–Southern #   –     6 – 4   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant # – Provisional Division III member; games not counted in standings
2010 University Athletic Association football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Chicago $   3 – 0     8 – 2   Washington University   2 – 1     7 – 3   Case Western Reserve   1 – 2     8 – 2   Carnegie Mellon   0 – 3     4 – 6   $ – Conference champion	2010 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Greenville $   6 – 0     7 – 3   St. Scholastica   5 – 2     7 – 3   Crown   4 – 2     6 – 3   Martin Luther   4 – 2     5 – 4   Minnesota–Morris   4 – 2     4 – 4   Westminster (MO)   3 – 4     5 – 5   Eureka   2 – 5     2 – 8   Northwestern (MN)   1 – 5     1 – 8   MacMurray   0 – 7     0 – 10   $ – Conference champion	2010 USA South Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   North Carolina Wesleyan +   6 – 1     7 – 3   Christopher Newport +^   6 – 1     6 – 5   Ferrum   4 – 3     4 – 6   Shenandoah   4 – 3     4 – 6   Averett   3 – 4     5 – 5   Maryville (TN)   3 – 4     4 – 6   Greensboro   1 – 6     2 – 8   Methodist   1 – 6     2 – 8   + – Conference co-champions ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
2010 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 1 Wisconsin–Whitewater $^   7 – 0     15 – 0   Wisconsin–Stevens Point   5 – 2     7 – 3   Wisconsin–Stout   4 – 3     6 – 4   Wisconsin–Platteville   3 – 4     5 – 5   Wisconsin–Oshkosh   3 – 4     4 – 6   Wisconsin–La Crosse   3 – 4     3 – 7   Wisconsin–Eau Claire   2 – 5     4 – 6   Wisconsin–River Falls   1 – 6     1 – 9   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com	2010 NCAA Division III independents football records Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Macalester   –     6 – 3   Huntingdon   –     6 – 4   Chapman   –     4 – 5   LaGrange   –     3 – 7

Conference champions

Conference champions

American Southwest Conference – Mary Hardin–Baylor Atlantic Central Football Conference‡ – Wesley Centennial Conference – Johns Hopkins, Muhlenberg, and Ursinus College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin – North Central (IL) Eastern Collegiate Football Conference – Maritime Empire 8 Conference – Alfred Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference – Franklin Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Wartburg Liberty League – St. Lawrence Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Trine Middle Atlantic Conference – Delaware Valley Midwest Conference – St. Norbert Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – St. Thomas (MN) New England Football Conference – Framingham State and Maine Maritime (Bogan Division), Endicott and Western New England (Boyd Division) Championship Game: Endicott 38, Maine Maritime 35 New England Small College Athletic Conference – Williams New Jersey Athletic Conference – Montclair State, Rowan, and SUNY Cortland North Coast Athletic Conference – Wittenberg Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference – Benedictine (IL) Northwest Conference – Linfield Ohio Athletic Conference – Mount Union Old Dominion Athletic Conference – Washington & Lee Presidents' Athletic Conference – Thomas More Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Cal Lutheran Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference – DePauw University Athletic Association – Chicago Upper Midwest Athletic Conference – Greenville USA South Athletic Conference – Christopher Newport and North Carolina Wesleyan Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Wisconsin–Whitewater

Postseason

The 2010 NCAA Division III Football Championship playoffs were the 38th 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 18th time.

Qualification

Twenty-three conferences met the requirements for an automatic ("Pool A") bid to the playoffs. Besides the NESCAC, which does not participate in the playoffs, four conferences had no Pool A bid. The ECFC and UMAC were in the second year of the two-year waiting period, while the ACFC and UAA 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 23 Pool A conferences contained 197 schools, an average of 8.6 teams per conference. Twenty-eight schools were in Pool B, enough for three bids.

The remaining six 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
	Wesley		53
	Muhlenberg		14			Wesley		44
	Montclair State		16			Montclair State		7
	Hampden–Sydney		14								Wesley		19
	Thomas More		42								Mary Hardin–Baylor		9
	Washington & Lee		14			Thomas More		7
	Mary Hardin–Baylor		59			Mary Hardin–Baylor		69
	Christopher Newport		7													Wesley		7
	North Central (IL)		57													Wisconsin–Whitewater		27
	St. Norbert		7			North Central (IL)		28
	Ohio Northern		37			Ohio Northern		9
	Wittenberg		14								North Central (IL)		10
	Trine		45								Wisconsin–Whitewater		20
	DePauw		35			Trine		31
	Wisconsin–Whitewater		52			Wisconsin–Whitewater		45
	Franklin		21																		Wisconsin–Whitewater		31
	Mount Union		49																		Mount Union		21
	St. Lawrence		0			Mount Union		31
	Delaware Valley		23			Delaware Valley		3
	Salisbury		12								Mount Union		37
	Alfred		60								Alfred		7
	Maritime		0			Alfred		34
	SUNY Cortland		49			SUNY Cortland		20
	Endicott		35													Mount Union		34
	St. Thomas (MN)		57													Bethel (MN)		14
	Benedictine		10			St. Thomas (MN)		24**
	Linfield		42			Linfield		17
	Cal Lutheran		26								St. Thomas (MN)		7
	Bethel (MN)		28								Bethel (MN)		12
	Wartburg		20			Bethel (MN)		15
	Wheaton (IL)		31			Wheaton (IL)		10
	Coe		21

* Overtime

See also

• 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season
• 2010 NCAA Division I FCS football season
• 2010 NCAA Division II football season