2011 Division III football playoffs

December 16, 2011 UW-Whitewater finishes the three-peat UW-Whitewater held its five playoff opponents to a total of 38 points, including shutting down Mount Union in a 13-10 win in Stagg Bowl XXXIX.

December 17, 2011 Scaling the Mount If Mount Union can be overcome, certainly someday so can the Warhawks. Keith McMillan says there's hope for the rest of Division III.

December 18, 2011 ATN Podcast: Wrapping it up Pat and Keith wrap up the 2011 season and Stagg Bowl XXXIX, including handing out our player of the year awards in the Around the Nation Podcast:

December 16, 2011 Mount Union feels the heat The UW-Whitewater defense put Mount Union on its heels and forced the Purple Raiders into bad situations. Ryan Tipps has more from Salem.

December 18, 2011 The 2011 playoff bracket The final results -- how did the 2011 Division III football postseason shake out?

December 15, 2011 Looking to get back on top Jasper Collins and the rest of the junior class at Mount Union have yet to win a national title, finding themselves stymied by UW-Whitewater each of the past two years. A Road to Salem feature.

December 15, 2011 Our Stagg Bowl predictions A triple take isn't nearly enough for the Division III football championship game, so we pulled out all the stops and pumped it up. Here's the Sextuple Take. Who wins, UW-Whitewater or Mount Union?

December 14, 2011 Looking for redemption After spending the entire 2010 postseason on the sidelines, UW-Whitewater quarterback Matt Blanchard finally gets his shot in the Stagg Bowl. A Road to Salem feature.

December 10, 2011 Mount Union returns to Stagg Isaiah Scott caught three balls on defense and Jasper Collins caught nine on offense as the Purple Raiders defeated Wesley 28-21.

December 8, 2011 Making the Tommies tick The St. Thomas defense has been successful this season despite losing two key pieces to injury. What makes this unit tick? More in a Road to Salem feature.

December 8, 2011 Flip of a coin Charles Dieuseul whittled his college football choices down to two and left it to a call of heads or tails. The Purple Raiders' defense has been the benefit. A Road to Salem feature.

December 7, 2011 The men behind the man Levell Coppage is on the verge of becoming the NCAA's all-time leading rusher and leading UW-Whitewater to a third consecutive national championship. But this season's success has taken place with a mostly new offensive line.

December 8, 2011 Once more, with feeling Shane McSweeny and Wesley are headed to Mount Union for another semifinal, two years after a 24-7 loss in Alliance one round short of Salem. This time, they're inspired by someone who isn't able to make the trip with them.

December 2, 2011 We predict Saturday's scores Our Triple Take crew not only gives you their projected scores for this week's games, but they also break the games down. Get your look at Saturday's quarterfinals on the Daily Dose.

December 1, 2011 The last unranked team If you haven't taken a close look at the final eight teams standing in this year's playoff field, consider this -- seven are ranked in the top 10 in the country. And then there's St. John Fisher. A Road to Salem feature.

December 1, 2011 Running wild Shane McSweeny and LiDarral Bailey both can pull it down and run from the quarterback position, although Wesley and Mary Hardin-Baylor do it in significantly different ways. A Road to Salem feature.

November 30, 2011 Putting the clipboard down Tyler Burke got the surprise start at Wabash, where he came in to quarterback the Little Giants' win. Turns out coach Erik Raeburn took a page from the playbook of his uncle, Larry Kehres. A Road to Salem feature.

November 30, 2011 A different look Not only is the Salisbury/UW-Whitewater matchup unusual in the quarterfinals, it also features a different look on offense from the Sea Gulls. More in a Road to Salem feature.

November 14, 2011 Check your bracket! How did you do with your first-weekend picks? Log in and check the bracket challenge, run by the folks at d3photography.com.

November 24, 2011 We predict(ed) Saturday's scores Eight second-round games this week. How many did our Triple Take crew agree on? And how many did they get?

November 23, 2011 Coast to coast Linfield faces nearly a 3,000 mile journey and a 9 a.m. PST kickoff -- such are the sidelights to this unusual cross-country matchup in Saturday's second round. More in a Road to Salem feature.

November 23, 2011 Mirror images When North Central and Wabash line up against each other on Saturday, they'll see a lot of familiar things in each other. They both wear red and white and they'll both bring the pain on defense.

November 22, 2011 Defenses key for Salisbury, Kean Kean intercepted five passes in its first-round win. That might not help much against the triple-option Sea Gulls, however.

November 22, 2011 The ASC rematch The first meeting was interrupted by lightning and the game, and McMurry's season, was never quite the same afterward. What should we expect the second time around? A Road to Salem feature.

November 21, 2011 You gotta play the best In order to win the title, someone will have to knock off Mount Union or UW-Whitewater. Some teams complain about seeing purple on their road to Salem, while Franklin seeks them out. A Road to Salem feature.

November 21, 2011 Podcast: Surprises, top performances and more Keith and Pat break down the first round and preview the second round from every possible angle in this week's Around the Nation podcast. Listen in!

November 20, 2011 D3reports: Live from the playoffs A half-dozen playoff games have D3reports this week, including a handful of new faces and just a little bit of snow. Get a first-person take on these games by watching.

November 19, 2011 First round road warriors Few visiting teams fared well in the first round of the Division III football playoffs, but St. John Fisher, McMurry and Monmouth won their road playoff openers. The first-round wrap-up.

November 19, 2011 Pat Coleman previews the first round Executive editor Pat Coleman took a look at some of the first round games with Scott Roussel of FootballScoop.com.

November 18, 2011 We predict(ed) Saturday's scores How did we do on our playoff score predictions? They're still there in Triple Take.

November 18, 2011 Accounting majors bring toughness for Albion These three are on a mission to change the perception of accountants from pocket-protecting, pencil-sharpening, adding machine-punching, tax-preparing workers in a cubicle to tough guys who are smart, too.

November 18, 2011 Don't call it the Black Flag The Trinity (Texas) defense doesn't give itself that name anymore but the Tigers have certainly returned to their stingy ways, having allowed no more than 16 points in any game this season.

November 18, 2011 Upstate underdogs hit the road For St. John Fisher, getting in was a surprise. For Hobart, it was expected, but the destination might not have been. Andrew Lovell gives us the rundown on both teams in a Road to Salem feature.

November 17, 2011 Playoff picks, surprises, disappointments It's our annual Around the Nation predictions column, where we say who will surprise and disappoint on the road to Salem. And did somebody actually pick against a purple power? (Yes. We wouldn't tease.)

November 17, 2011 Getting new life The Blueboys of Illinois College had to receive special permission from the Midwest Conference to even hold practice last week. Read about one of the most unlikely playoff entrants in Around the Midwest.

November 17, 2011 A look in the mirror The similarities between Franklin and Thomas More run deep. There might not be a more evenly-matched first round game in this year’s postseason.

November 17, 2011 Not ready to retire Illinois Wesleyan's senior-laden defense is making sure that its career doesn't end yet, helping the Titans make the playoffs. Now they face the all-time leading passer in Division III history to open.

November 17, 2011 Separate ways It seemed Cal Lutheran and Redlands were on a collision course for a first-round playoff meeting, but the two are headed in different directions. Jason Galleske talks with both for a Road to Salem feature.

November 16, 2011 First time magic Western New England and Norwich were once brought together by an early-season non-conference game. Now they'll also each be making their first NCAA playoff appearance.

November 16, 2011 2011 playoffs: Delaware Valley bracket From Delaware Valley to Albion, how the eight teams in the top-left bracket shake out.

November 16, 2011 2011 playoffs: Mount Union bracket From Mount Union to Benedictine, how the eight teams in the top-left bracket shake out.

November 16, 2011 2011 playoffs: Mary Hardin-Baylor bracket From Mary Hardin-Baylor to Redlands, how the eight teams in the top-right bracket shake out.

November 16, 2011 2011 playoffs: UW-Whitewater bracket From UW-Whitewater to Albion, how the eight teams in the top-left bracket shake out.

November 13, 2011 What a crazy bracket! And is it a stunner? Check inside. After a final day in which none of the top at-large candidates lost, the field of 32 was released. We're happy to be surprised by a bracket such as this.

November 13, 2011 Here's our projected bracket Endicott has had a week to wait. Will they get rewarded? Who's in and who's out? Here's our projected field of 32. We'll get the NCAA's opinion Sunday after 6 p.m. ET ... and theirs counts.

November 13, 2011 Two-loss teams need not apply We're sorry, but it's reality. History shows Baldwin-Wallace, St. Olaf, St. John Fisher, Wheaton and other teams with two Division III losses will get no shot at an at-large bid from this committee.

September 22, 2011 Stagg Bowl moves to Friday night The 2011 Division III football championship game will be in prime time for the first time in a decade.