/playoffs/2014/second-regional-ranking

Second NCAA regional ranking for 2014

The NCAA releases its second 2014 Division III football regional rankings on Nov. 12.

Remember that regional rankings primarily take Division III games into account. Teams are listed with their Division III record first, followed by their overall record. For more information about the playoff format and how participants are determined, check out our FAQ.

East Region SOS Notes

1 Delaware Valley 9-0 9-0
2 Hobart 9-0 9-0
3 Widener 9-0 9-0
4 Framingham State 8-1 8-1
5 Ithaca 7-2 7-2
6 St. John Fisher 6-2 7-2
7 MIT 8-0 8-0
8 St. Lawrence 7-2 7-2
9 Rowan 6-3 6-3
10 Husson 6-1 7-1

.482
.498
.480
.521
.553
.582
.425
.578
.584
.386
Hobart gets a bump thanks to beating St. Lawrence. ... The regional advisory committee appears to be positioning Framingham to have a viable chance at a Pool B bid. ... St. John Fisher will be on the board with other two-loss teams.
North Region SOS  Notes
1 Mount Union 9-0 9-0
2 John Carroll 9-0 9-0
3 Wheaton (Ill.) 9-0 9-0
4 Wittenberg 8-0 8-1
5 Wabash 8-1 8-1
6 North Central (Ill.) 7-2 7-2
7 Franklin 7-2 7-2
8 Heidelberg 7-2 7-2
9 Chicago 7-1 7-1
10 Adrian 7-2 7-2
.500
.470
.465
.542
.512
.543
.505
.497
.498
.484
If the OAC runner-up is among the first at-large teams put into the field, then Wabash will likely get in. But any of the two-loss teams might be a stretch, because that would mean the region gets three at-large teams. That is definitely possible but not likely.
South Region SOS Notes
1 Wesley 5-0 9-0
2 Mary Hardin-Baylor 9-0 9-0
3 Johns Hopkins 9-0 9-0
4 Washington and Jefferson 9-0 9-0
T5 Texas Lutheran 7-1 8-1
T5 Muhlenberg 8-1 8-1
7 Centre 9-0 9-0
8 Thomas More 8-2 8-2
9 Hampden-Sydney 7-2 7-2
10 Hardin-Simmons 4-2 6-2
.605
.514
.553
.470
.544
.502
.441
.481
.576
.539
Wesley moves up because Rowan made it into the East Region rankings. ... Centre seems unlikely to get a Pool B bid at this rate but how can they be behind Muhlenberg? This would make it possible for an unbeaten team to be left home.
West Region SOS Notes

1 UW-Whitewater 8-0 9-0
2 Wartburg 9-0 9-0
3 St. John's 8-1 8-1
4 Linfield 7-1 7-1
5 UW-Platteville 7-2 7-2
T6 Bethel 7-2 7-2
T6 Chapman 7-1 7-1 
8 UW-Oshkosh 5-1 5-4
9 St. Thomas 7-2 7-2
10 Pacific 6-1 6-2 

.537
.541
.535
.539
.524
.625
.533
.488
.494
.476
Bethel should be higher than Platteville because it has a win against a regionally ranked team. Bethel lost to the No. 2 and No. 3 in the region, while Platteville lost to No. 1 and the North No. 6. Bethel also has the second-highest SOS in all of Division III. There's nothing in the criteria that supports this ranking. ... Figuring matchups here will be more influenced by geography than seeding.

How to use these regional rankings: If you are an at-large candidate, you want to be sure you are the top at-large candidate in your region. That will ensure you get discussed by the national committee and have a chance to be put in the field.

There are 24 automatic bids, two Pool B bids and six Pool C (true national at-large) bids. Selection Sunday is Nov. 16.

Being listed in these rankings is not a guarantee of selection to the playoffs. There is no guarantee an at-large team will be taken from each region.

Dec. 15: All times Eastern
Final
Cortland 38, at North Central (Ill.) 37
@ Salem, Virginia
Video Box Score Recap Photos
Dec. 9: All times Eastern
Final
North Central (Ill.) 34, at Wartburg 27
Box Score Recap
Final
Cortland 49, at Randolph-Macon 14
Box Score Recap Recap Recap Photos
Maintenance in progress.