2018 Division III football playoffs

December 20, 2018 2018 D3football.com Year in Review This was a season full of gratitude, Adam Turer writes. Whether at an elementary school in August or on the way to the airport after the Stagg Bowl, there were constant reminders as to why we at D3football.com give up all of our free time every season to pursue Division III football.

December 9, 2018 2018 Division III football playoff bracket The bracket, updated with the first 30 games on the Road to the Stagg Bowl.

December 15, 2018 Cru seniors end career in style They contributed to UMHB’s first national championship as sophomores in 2016, then went out on top as seniors. The current crop of Cru seniors played in three straight Stagg Bowls and redeemed their loss from 2017 by defeating the Purple Raiders this year. Adam Turer has more from Shenandoah.

December 14, 2018 Cru's control: UMHB makes it two titles in Texas Mary Hardin-Baylor capped its run through a strong Division III football bracket and finished the 2018 season with its second national title, defeating Mount Union 24-16.

December 15, 2018 Podcast: Discussion, debate and conversation Our crew at the Stagg Bowl discusses the game, debates the postseason players and coach of the year awards and we're joined by Stagg Bowl Most Outstanding Player T.J. Josey for a conversation after the game. Tune in as the guys wrap up the 2018 Division III football season.

December 14, 2018 Our Stagg Bowl XLVI predictions Every year we gather Division III football experts together and give you not just six quick predictions, but more. Who will win tonight's game? Here's how it could happen for UMHB or for Mount Union.

December 14, 2018 Podcast: Doin' it live in Texas We'll get you up to date on the latest going on with each team: Who's healthy? Who's out? What will they do to replace them? Plus, we'll tell you why neither team has been able to practice in this beautiful Stadium. And we'll chat with UMHB receiver T.J. Josey and UMU linebacker Danny Robinson. The guys talk about it all in the latest D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast.

December 12, 2018 Fred's football family The 2018 season has been anything but typical for Pete Fredenburg and his Cru. The head coach missed the first three games while serving a self-imposed suspension for NCAA violations. He missed a practice during the week of the Cru’s national semifinal game, for a very different reason. Adam Turer has the story.

December 11, 2018 Backfield in motion Former wide receiver taking snaps, current running back doing the same -- it might not matter that much in Stagg Bowl XLVI. These teams know each other so well at this level that it might be difficult to surprise either one. Adam Turer has more in a Road to the Stagg Bowl feature.

December 10, 2018 Podcast: Breaking down the semifinals Same faces in a new place, as Mount Union and Mary Hardin-Baylor will head down to Shenandoah, Texas. Keith was in Alliance, Pat in Belton and give their take on the games, plus we add a guest to help us break down each side of the ball for both teams. And we also take a look at where JHU and UWW now fit in the national picture.

December 8, 2018 Cru finally gets past Warhawks Mary Hardin-Baylor flipped the script, as the Cru defeated UW-Whitewater for the first time in six meetings, winning 31-14 and ensuring the Texas Stagg Bowl had a Texas team.

December 8, 2018 Mount Union defense has its semifinal moment The Purple Raiders offense threw three interceptions but the Purple Raiders picked off two passes and returned each of them for touchdowns to hold off Johns Hopkins in the first national semifinal.

December 7, 2018 Quick Hits: We predict the semifinals Just four teams remain and only two will get an all expenses paid trip to Shenandoah, Texas for the Stagg Bowl a week from today. Our gang gives its predictions on which teams advance through the semifinals.

December 7, 2018 Podcast: Keys to the game, picks to click Staggered starts! One game at noon, the other at 3:30! Replay! Video review! That’s what the semifinals are all about. In both of them, we have teams which have met before. In the case of Mary Hardin-Baylor and UW-Whitewater, they’ve met five times, with the Warhawks winning them all, dadgummit! Pat and Keith preview the games and have an interview guest in the latest podcast.

December 6, 2018 Berry's performance does the talking Mount Union hasn't permitted anyone currently with the program to talk with D3football.com for more than a year, other that when mandated at playoff games. We don't let that stop us from writing about the North Region Defensive Player of the Year, however. There were plenty of people who could tell us all about Berry.

December 5, 2018 Hopkins' hot seat is historic against Mount Union Like any week, players enter game day with the mindset that they can win -- that they will win. For someone such as Davidson and his Blue Jay teammates, it’s not a stretch into disbelief. At least not for those who remember 2016. A Road to the Stagg Bowl feature by Ryan Tipps.

December 5, 2018 UWW is back, and pounding twice as hard UW-Whitewater returns to the national semifinals after a two-year absence, and that's due in no small part to sophomore Alex Peete and junior Ronny Ponick. Joe Sager has more in a Road to the Stagg Bowl feature.

December 4, 2018 Crusaders defense rises to the challenge The offense puts up eye-popping numbers, but the Cru also boasts the nation's top defense. Big defensive plays in crunch time kept the dream of playing in a home state Stagg Bowl alive. Adam Turer has more in a Road to Stagg Bowl feature.

December 3, 2018 Podcast: Gutting it out For UMHB, it was gutting out a win. For Jackson Erdmann, it was gutting out a quarter and a half with a separated shoulder. Mount Union gutted it out with a running back behind center, while UW-Whitewater got a big lead early and rode it to the finish. Pat and Keith have it all in ATN Podcast 229.

December 1, 2018 Quarterfinals: UMHB advances in thriller Mary Hardin-Baylor survived a fourth-quarter flurry to edge St. John's, while UW-Whitewater held off Bethel and Mount Union and Johns Hopkins moved on as well in Saturday's national quarterfinal games.

November 30, 2018 Quick Hits: We predict the quarterfinals From Maryland to Texas, four games, six opinions and a good amount of consensus reached. But it's not unanimous, and predictions suggest some close games. Check out the D3football.com quarterfinal predictions.

November 29, 2018 Senior Day stumble still stings for RPI One of the last eight teams standing entered the postseason on a 24-point loss to its archrival. Suffice it to say that RPI has put all of that behind it with two playoff wins. Brian Lester has more in a Road to the Stagg Bowl feature.

November 28, 2018 MIAC quarterfinalists doing good work on defense The Johnnies and Royals have their work cut out for them this week, but bring quality defenses into their quarterfinal matchups at UMHB at UWW. Joe Sager has more in a Road to the Stagg Bowl feature.

November 27, 2018 Centennial rivals still alive The Centennial Conference had a year for the ages, and it’s still going. Muhlenberg and Johns Hopkins are each 11-1 with a chance at meeting its rival again, this time in the national semifinals. Adam Turer has more in a Road to the Stagg Bowl feature.

November 26, 2018 Podcast: We know, you hate the bracket Yes, four strong teams on one side of the bracket and fewer than that on the other. You don't like it. We know. Could we ever re-seed the bracket for the quarterfinals? Pat and Keith explore the issues and look at what the NAIA does in this podcast, plus we run down each game and hear from players and coaches.

November 24, 2018 RPI, JHU eliminate East's top two Brockport and Frostburg State were both bounced from the 2018 Division III playoffs, while Muhlenberg shut Randolph-Macon down and Mount Union, UW-Whitewater, St. John's and UMHB rolled. More in the full second-round wrapup.

November 23, 2018 Quick Hits: Our crew's picks for Week 13 Our gang of six posts its round-two picks, so get your fix with what we predict.

November 22, 2018 Game Day podcast: Eight games, four hours We should be in for some great second-round games over a four-hour span of Saturday afternoon. The new Around the Nation podcast previews all eight games, plus interviews two coaches with differing challenges this week. Catch up on that and more in the latest podcast.

November 21, 2018 St. Norbert defense flying high The Green Knights began their defensive turnaround way back in Week 1, of 2017, and it showed last Saturday in Indiana. Now St. Norbert will see what it can do at UW-Whitewater. Adam Turer has more in a Road to the Stagg Bowl feature.

November 20, 2018 Macon happy to be practicing on Thanksgiving Thanksgiving will be spent with a different kind of family this year for Randolph-Macon’s football team. Instead of dispersing from campus to spend time at home, the Yellow Jackets will gather for a team meal – and a practice. Joe Sager has more in a Road to the Stagg Bowl feature.

November 20, 2018 Big test coming for Centre corner Cal Lewellyn isn’t the player opposing quarterbacks want to throw in the direction of on Saturday afternoons. After he picked off seven passes as a freshman, he’s become the cover corner they do their best to avoid. Brian Lester has more in a Road to the Stagg Bowl feature.

November 19, 2018 Podcast: Just good enough With an average margin of victory of nearly 34 points, these were not great games. With several games that looked like the usual top seed vs. No. 8 seed contests, there weren't many worth watching for a neutral D-III fan. Unless, of course, you hooked into the Randolph-Macon win, or St. Norbert's upset of Trine, or Muhlenberg's dramatic finish at Delaware Valley, in which case, Round 1 was just good enough.

November 17, 2018 Macon, Muhlenberg get road wins Randolph-Macon and Muhlenberg each won road games in the first round and Mount Union and Centre advanced easily in the top-right corner of the bracket. Nick Sirico's pick-six with 35 seconds left gave Muhlenberg a 20-13 win at Delaware Valley, while Randolph-Macon picked off Anthony Moeglin four times to pull the upset at John Carroll.

November 17, 2018 St. Norbert stops Trine in its tracks St. Norbert pulled off the first-round road win, while UW-Whitewater, Bethel and North Central cruised in the bottom left-hand corner of the bracket in the first round of the 2018 Division III football playoffs.

November 17, 2018 Johnnies roll in record fashion; Rematches repeat Mary Hardin-Baylor, St. John's and Berry all advanced easily in the top-left corner of the bracket in the first round of the 2018 Division III football playoffs, while Whitworth rolled as well in the final game of the afternoon.

November 17, 2018 Four easy wins in Brockport bracket Chalk reigned supreme as all four home teams won by at least two scores in the bottom right-hand corner of the bracket in the first round.

November 16, 2018 Podcast: The playoffs' first course If the second round of the playoffs is your turkey dinner with all the trimmings, then the first round is ... not that. But you can see it coming. What will be the best games this weekend? We'll preview those and more, plus talk playoff truisms, and hear how officiating crews get selected and evaluated in the playoffs. More in the podcast.

November 14, 2018 Cowboys saddling back up The fourth consecutive trip to the playoffs for Hardin-Simmons will start with a familiar foe, but the Cowboys are hoping some things have changed since they saw Mary Hardin-Baylor six weeks ago. Brian Lester has more in a Road to the Stagg Bowl feature.

November 14, 2018 2018 playoffs: Brockport bracket Here's all the nuts and bolts about the eight teams in the bottom right-hand bracket, from top seed Brockport to No. 8 seed Husson, where you'll find the Engineers (twice), the Blue Jays, Eagles and Golden Eagles, the Bobcats, Golden Bears and Rams.

November 14, 2018 2018 playoffs: Mary Hardin-Baylor bracket Here's all the nuts and bolts about the eight teams in the upper left-hand bracket, from top seed UMHB to No. 8 seed Martin Luther: representing Texas, Minnesota, Washington, Georgia, Tennessee and California.

November 14, 2018 2018 playoffs: Mount Union bracket Here's all the nuts and bolts about the eight teams in the upper right-hand bracket, from top seed Mount Union to No. 8 seed Denison: Purple Raiders, Blue Streaks, Yellow Jackets, Big Red and all the other colors of the rainbow.

November 14, 2018 2018 playoffs: UW-Whitewater bracket Here's all the nuts and bolts about the eight teams in the bottom left-hand bracket, from top seed UW-Whitewater to No. 8 seed Eureka: with Warhawks and Cardinals, Royals and Red Devils, Green Knights and Knights, Panthers and Thunder.

November 13, 2018 Gebele, Denison facing the challenge Canaan Gebele wants to begin his career in analytics next year. For now, though, the senior quarterback is focused on finding the trends to help the Big Red get past a team in purple.

November 12, 2018 Podcast: 'It's definitely not what we want as a committee' That's what the committee chair told us about a key matchup in the bracket. What else did he say? Plus our intrepid podcast hosts go through what the committee got right and wrong, the best matchups, toughest roads, and still have time for game balls from Week 11.

November 12, 2018 Final NCAA regional ranking for 2018 The final NCAA regional rankings for 2018 have been released. This was the one which the football committee used to select at-large teams and seed the field. It also provides the formal answer as to who was on the table at the time of selection.

November 11, 2018 Bracket out: Oh, we're back to this again? People are likely to be annoyed when they look at the very first matchup in the bracket. If you can get past that, the rest of it is pretty good, and they definitely picked a good set of at-large teams, just like we did in our projection. The Division III playoff bracket has been released!

November 10, 2018 Final projected playoff bracket: Who makes the cut? This year, once against Saturday chaos was kept to a minimum, but it wasn't completely devoid of drama and some things got shaken up. Here's who we think makes the playoffs, and where the NCAA could (or should) match them up.

November 7, 2018 Second NCAA regional ranking for 2018 The second of the NCAA's regional rankings for 2018 have been released. The final one will be created Saturday night for the purposes of selecting and seeding the teams in the NCAA playoffs and will be published on Sunday, after the bracket is released.

October 31, 2018 First NCAA regional ranking for 2018 The NCAA's regional rankings have been released, with UW-Whitewater edging out St. John's as No. 1 in the West, and the top-ranked teams in the East, North and South all teams which made the national semifinals in 2017.