All twelve teams that could have secured their league’s automatic bids Saturday did so, bringing the known teams in the playoff field to 20. The remaining five automatic bids will be determined on Saturday, and the single Pool B and six Pool C bids will be awarded on Sunday.
Automatic bids already claimed:
American Southwest Conference: Mary Hardin-Baylor
Centennial Conference: Johns Hopkins
College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin: North Central
Eastern Collegiate Football Conference: Norwich
Empire Eight: Salisbury
Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference: Franklin
Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference: Dubuque
Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association: Albion
Midwest Conference: Monmouth (IL)
Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference: Saint Thomas (MN)
North Coast Athletic Conference: Wabash
Northern Athletic Conference: Benedictine (IL)
Ohio Athletic Conference: Mount Union
Old Dominion Athletic Conference: Hampden-Sydney
Presidents’ Athletic Conference: Thomas More
Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference: Trinity (TX)
Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference: Cal Lutheran
Upper Midwest Athletic Conference: Saint Scholastica
USA South Athletic Conference: Christopher Newport
Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference: Wisconsin-Whitewater
bold indicates team will clinch their conference’s automatic bid with a win.
italics indicates team will clinch their conference championship outright with a win, but no autobid.
7-1 Lewis & Clark at #5 Linfield (Northwest)
8-1 Huntingdon at #7 Wesley (DE)
8-1 Widener at #11 Delaware Valley (Middle Atlantic)
#14 Kean at #15 Montclair State (New Jersey)
7-0 Amherst at 5-2 Williams (NESCAC)
8-1 Case Western at 5-4 Carnegie Mellon (University)
7-3 Framingham State at 8-1 Western New England (New England)
6-1 Hobart at 4-4 Rochester (Liberty; Union (NY) wins autobid if Hobart loses)
I have composed a handy primer for playoff formats and guidelines, because we’re getting very very close to starting to hand out bids.
AMERICAN SOUTHWEST:
Eliminated: Howard Payne, Sul Ross State, Mississippi College, East Texas Baptist, Hardin-Simmons, Texas Lutheran, Louisiana
Could go this week: McMurry
CONFERENCE CHAMPION: Mary Hardin-Baylor (clinched share of title and autobid)
Mary Hardin-Baylor left absolutely nothing to chance, crushing Sul Ross State to clinch a share of the title and the automatic bid. They should wrap up the outright title this week at Texas Lutheran; if they slip, McMurry can share the title with a likely win over Mississippi College. East Texas Baptist and Louisiana should win the other two games.
CENTENNIAL:
CONFERENCE CHAMPION: Johns Hopkins (clinched outright title and autobid)
It was a little fraught with peril, but Johns Hopkins (already in possession of the autobid) nailed down the outright title with a close win over Franklin & Marshall. The other interesting result was Dickinson’s 21-20 upset win over Gettysburg.
Expected winners for the final week include Johns Hopkins, Gettysburg, Muhlenberg, and Susquehanna; Ursinus/Dickinson is a toss-up.
CCIW:
Eliminated: North Park, Millikin, Augustana (IL), Elmhurst, Carthage, Wheaton (IL)
Could go this week: Illinois Wesleyan
CONFERENCE CHAMPION: North Central (clinched share of title and autobid)
While Illinois Wesleyan was keeping their hope of sharing the title alive with a grinding defensive win at Carthage, North Central dispatched Wheaton with a vengeance to claiming the autobid and a share of the title.
North Central would make that an outright title with an almost-certain win against North Park, now losers of 81 straight conference games. Should the absolutely unthinkable happen, Illinois Wesleyan would share the title with a likely win at Augustana. Wheaton and Elmhurst should also win.
EASTERN:
CONFERENCE CHAMPION: Norwich (clinched outright title and autobid)
Norwich pulled off the win over New York Maritime, which completed a clean run over the conference schedule and earned the outright title and autobid. Gallaudet was upset by Mount Ida, and Anna Maria, losers of all 27 football games played in their history prior to Saturday, finally experienced the joy of victory with a two-point squeaker over Becker.
This week’s winners should be Maritime, Mount Ida, and — for the first time ever — Anna Maria is actually favored to win a game. (Should they fail, Husson would get their first win of the year.)
EMPIRE 8:
Eliminated: Hartwick, Ithaca, Springfield, Alfred, Frostburg State, Utica
Could go this week: Saint John Fisher
CONFERENCE CHAMPION: Salisbury (clinched share of title and autobid)
Salisbury wasted no time Saturday, thrashing Saint John Fisher to claim the autobid and a share of the title. Everything else also went as expected.
Salisbury should take care of Frostburg, which will also take care of securing the outright title. Should they lose, Saint John Fisher will be waiting to claim their half; they should have no trouble with Hartwick. Alfred should win, as should Springfield; Ithaca is probably doomed to allow Cortland to carry the Cortaca Jug home.
HEARTLAND:
CONFERENCE CHAMPION: Franklin (clinched outright title and autobid)
Franklin steamrolled Earlham to claim a share of the conference title, but ended up walking away with the outright title and the autobid a week early when Mount Saint Joseph upset Hanover. Manchester also scored an upset, whipping Defiance.
Franklin, Rose-Hulman, and Manchester should win this week. Mount Saint Joseph will probably lose their non-conference rivalry game with Thomas More, while Bluffton/Defiance could go either way.
IOWA:
CONFERENCE CHAMPION: Dubuque (clinched outright title and autobid)
It was a barn-burner, but Dubuque survived their showdown with Coe to claim the undisputed IIAC championship and a ticket to the post-season. Luther hit a minor upset, crushing Cornell.
Dubuque will take the final week off as they prepare for the playoffs, while Wartburg, Coe, and Central should win. No telling what will happen with Loras/Buena Vista.
LIBERTY:
Eliminated: Merchant Marine, Worcester Tech, Saint Lawrence, Rochester, Rensselaer
Could go this week: Hobart
CONFERENCE CHAMPION: Union (NY) (clinched share of title)
Finally, we get to talk about a playoff bid that’s not decided. Rensselaer upset Hobart by a point, which combined with Union’s win prevented Hobart from securing the outright title and the autobid. Union, who should lose their non-conference rivalry game with Springfield, will be watching the scoreboard this week to see what Hobart does.
What Hobart should do is beat Rochester, which will take care of last week’s failure as far as the autobid, but will only manage to win them a share of the title now. If Hobart loses again, Union wins the conference title outright and claims the automatic bid. RPI should beat Merchant Marine; no idea who’s going to win the Saint Lawrence/Worcester Tech tilt.
MICHIGAN:
Eliminated: Kalamazoo, Olivet, Alma, Trine, Adrian
Could go this week: Hope
CONFERENCE CHAMPION: Albion (clinched share of title and autobid)
Hope knocked off Adrian, keeping their hope (haha) of sharing the conference title alive, even though the autobid is already settled. Albion celebrated their playoff ticket by losing one of the ugliest games in D-III this year, a 7-3 defeat at DePauw.
Albion is now going to have to defeat Trine to claim the outright title. It’s sort of a coin flip, but if Albion loses they’ll be stumbling into the playoffs as a definite 8-seed at 5-5, and Hope will be able to claim a share of the title with an almost certain win at Olivet. Adrian should handle Alma in the remaining game.
MIDDLE ATLANTIC:
Eliminated: FDU-Florham, Stevenson, King’s (PA), Wilkes, Albright, Lebanon Valley, Lycoming
Could go this week: Widener
CLINCH ALERT: Delaware Valley, Widener (winner claims autobid)
CONFERENCE CHAMPION: Delaware Valley (clinched share of title)
Delaware Valley remained unbeaten, getting past Lycoming and eliminating them from the race while claiming a share of the title. FDU-Florham is no longer winless, having upended King’s.
The autobid is on the line Saturday, as Widener visits Delaware Valley. If Widener wins, the two teams will share the title; if DelVal wins, they get the title outright. DelVal should win this one. Lycoming, Lebanon Valley, and Wilkes should win too.
MIDWEST:
CONFERENCE CHAMPION: Monmouth (IL) (clinched outright title and autobid)
Monmouth had no problem with Knox, securing the outright title having already claimed the autobid last week. Everyone else that should have won did, and everyone’s season is now complete (save, of course, Monmouth’s) as the MWC packs it in a week earlier than everyone else.
Interesting note: if you look at the standings, you’ll see that the MWC played out in perfect order. The only way the standings can align 9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1-0 like they did is if every team lost to everyone above them and beat everyone below them; effectively, the entire conference season was played without a single upset.
MINNESOTA:
CONFERENCE CHAMPION: Saint Thomas (MN) (clinched outright title and autobid)
Saint Thomas left no doubt as to their dominance of the conference, destroying Carleton to complete the perfect regular season. Saint John’s, facing the possibility of a losing season, relieved that worry by upsetting Saint Olaf.
The Tommies will relax and prepare for the playoffs this week, while Bethel, Saint Olaf, Carleton, and Saint John’s should win.
NEW ENGLAND:
BOGAN DIVISION CHAMPION: Framingham State
BOYD DIVISION CHAMPION: Western New England
CLINCH ALERT: Framingham State/Western New England (NEFC Championship Game)
The division titles were already secured, so Saturday’s schedule wasn’t all that relevant. The only upset was Coast Guard’s destruction of Maine Maritime.
This week, Framingham State visits Western New England for the NEFC Championship Game, which WNE should win. Everyone else is done for the year, unless Endicott pulls a Pool C bid out of their pocket (unlikely).
NESCAC:
Eliminated: Tufts, Colby, Middlebury, Hamilton, Bowdoin, Bates, Wesleyan (CT), Williams
Could go this week: Trinity (CT)
CONFERENCE CHAMPION: Amherst (clinched share of title)
Amherst won a tight one over Trinity, claiming a share of the title. They’ll win it outright with a likely win over Williams; if they fail, Trinity will share the title with a win over Wesleyan. Middlebury, Bates, and Bowdoin should also win.
NEW JERSEY:
Eliminated: Western Connecticut State, Morrisville State, William Paterson, Brockport State, Buffalo State, College of New Jersey, Cortland State, Rowan
Could go this week: Montclair State, Kean
CLINCH ALERT: Kean, Montclair State (winner clinches outright title and autobid)
Montclair needed overtime, but they got past Rowan. That, and Kean’s obliteration of William Paterson, sets up this week’s winner-take-all title game. Paterson and Brockport should win; College of New Jersey and Rowan will meet in an unpredictable contest, while Cortland State should secure the Cortaca Jug at Ithaca.
NORTH COAST:
CONFERENCE CHAMPION: Wabash (clinched outright title and autobid)
Wabash dealt with Wittenberg with relative ease, winning the conference outright. Everything else went as planned also.
This week, Wabash should take the Monon Bell from DePauw, while Allegheny, Ohio Wesleyan, Denison, and Wittenberg should all win.
NORTHERN:
Eliminated: Rockford, Maranatha Baptist, Aurora, Lakeland, Concordia (WI), Wisconsin Lutheran
Could go this week: Concordia (IL)
CONFERENCE CHAMPION: Benedictine (IL) (clinched share of title and autobid)
Concordia (IL) kept their hopes of claiming a share of the title alive, but their quest for the playoffs ended with Benedictine’s win over Rockford.
Benedictine should secure the outright title with a win over Wisconsin Lutheran. If that doesn’t happen, Concordia should share the title with a win over Aurora. Lakeland and Maranatha should claim the other two games this week.
NORTHWEST:
Eliminated: Puget Sound, Pacific (OR), Willamette, Whitworth, Pacific Lutheran
Could go this week: nobody
CLINCH ALERT: Lewis & Clark (would clinch share of title and autobid with win); Linfield (would clinch outright title and autobid with win)
Waaaaaaaugh! We had a chance for this week to offer the final regular-season meeting of unbeaten teams in the entire nation, but Lewis & Clark had to go and get knocked off by Willamette last week. They’ll still claim the autobid and a share of the title should they upset Linfield this week, but the more likely outcome is an outright title and playoff bid for Linfield. Whitworth and Pacific Lutheran should win, as well.
OHIO:
CONFERENCE CHAMPION: Mount Union (clinched outright title and autobid)
Mount Union took care of everything by beating Baldwin-Wallace. It was a narrow thing, though. Capital notched a mild upset over Muskingum, and the Muskies suddenly find themselves at 4-5 with a visit from Mount Union looming after a 4-0 start which had them positioned as Mount Union’s apparent challenger. Oh, well.
Mount Union, Baldwin-Wallace, Heidelberg, Otterbein, and Capital should win this week.
OLD DOMINION:
Eliminated: Guilford, Emory & Henry, Catholic, Bridgewater, Randolph-Macon
Could go this week: Washington & Lee
CONFERENCE CHAMPION: Hampden-Sydney (clinched share of title and autobid)
Hampden-Sydney took care of Washington & Lee, claiming the autobid and ensuring a share of the title. Guilford created a three-way tie at the bottom of the standings by upsetting Catholic.
Washington & Lee is idle this week, and will be able to claim a share of the title should Randolph-Macon upset Hampden-Sydney. Otherwise, HSC wins the title outright. Emory & Henry should deal with Guilford; Bridgewater should probably get by Catholic.
PRESIDENT’S:
CONFERENCE CHAMPION: Thomas More (outright title and autobid)
What the hell. Thomas More had already clinched the outright title; perhaps they forgot they were still playing for seeding, but they let Waynesburg get ahead of them early. They came back, but fell on a late score, costing them their unbeaten season.
Thomas More should win this week in their non-conference rivalry tilt with Mount Saint Joseph. Saint Vincent, Grove City, and Westminster should win; Waynesburg and Washington & Jefferson will face off in an uncertain matchup.
SOUTHERN CAC:
Eliminated: Austin, Sewanee, Rhodes, Birmingham-Southern, Millsaps
Could go this week: Centre
CONFERENCE CHAMPION: Trinity (TX) (clinched share of title and autobid)
Trinity came up on top in the final regular season battle of unbeatens in D-III this year, clinching a share of the title and the automatic bid. With a trip to winless Austin this week, they should have no trouble at all converting that to an outright title. Centre should beat Rhodes, and would share the title if Trinity trips over their own feet; they’re also in line for an at-large bid. Birmingham-Southern will probably handle Millsaps.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA:
CONFERENCE CHAMPION: Cal Lutheran (clinched share of title and autobid)
Redlands is in the clubhouse at 5-1; Cal Lutheran can claim the outright title with a win at Occidental, which is likely. If Oxy wins, CLU and Redlands share the title. Redlands should beat Chapman in what will finally be Chapman’s last non-conference game against an SCIAC team, and La Verne and Claremont should also win.
UNIVERSITY:
Eliminated: Chicago
Could go this week: Washington (MO), Carnegie Mellon
CLINCH ALERT: Case Western, Carnegie Mellon, Washington (MO) (see below)
Case took down Washington, while Carnegie Mellon eliminated Chicago from the conversation. This week, Case can claim the outright title with a likely win over Carnegie Mellon. Should the Tartans win, Case and CMU would share the title; they’d be joined by Washington should they knock off Chicago, but that game’s just too odd to predict.
UPPER MIDWEST:
CONFERENCE CHAMPION: Saint Scholastica (clinched outright title and autobid)
There was only one surprise this week: winless MacMurray trounced Eureka. Greenville got past Northwestern in a very mild upset, but not a surprising one.
Scholastica should handle Eureka, which would leave Scholastica with a dominating two-game victory over their closest challengers — idle Westminster and possibly Greenville, who should prevail over Presentation. MacMurray, no longer winless, visits Crown, who still is; anything could happen, since they’re both horrible.
USA SOUTH:
Eliminated: Greensboro, Methodist, Averett, North Carolina Wesleyan, Maryville (TN), Shenandoah
Could go this week: Ferrum
CONFERENCE CHAMPION: Christopher Newport (clinched share of title and autobid)
Christopher Newport defeated Ferrum against my expectations, claiming a share of the title and the autobid. They’ll finish the drill with an expected win over Maryville; a loss would allow Ferrum to snag a share of the title with a likely win over Averett. Methodist and Shenandoah should win also.
WISCONSIN:
CONFERENCE CHAMPION: Wisconsin-Whitewater (clinched share of title and autobid)
Whitewater brought down Eau Claire, and in so doing claimed the outright title. River Falls upset La Crosse, snapping their winless streak.
This week, expect wins from Eau Claire, Platteville, Whitewater, and Oshkosh.
INDEPENDENTS:
All three independents destroyed their opposition last week. Macalester finishes with, for them, a quite respectable 4-5 mark; Wesley and Huntingdon are both 8-1, and guess what? They’re going to smash into one another in Delaware this week. Wesley’s almost certain to win, and in the process will probably snag the Pool B bid. If they fail, Case Western lurks.