/playoffs/2016/final-regional-ranking

Final NCAA regional ranking for 2016

The final Division III football regional rankings were released by the NCAA on Nov. 13. 

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.

In this view, we have bolded the at-large teams.

East Region SOS Notes

1 Alfred 10-0 10-0
2 Hobart 9-1 9-1
3 Wesley 8-2 8-2
4 Stevenson 9-1 9-1
5 Western New England 10-0 10-0
6 Frostburg State 9-1 9-1
7 St. John Fisher 8-2 8-2
8 St. Lawrence 9-1 9-1
9 Husson 8-1 8-1
10 Salisbury 7-3 7-3

.582
.566
.553
.491
.473
.518
.590
.520
.444
.546
Frostburg State, the top-ranked at-large from the East Region, sat on the board the entire time and did not get in the field, dispelling the theory that a team who sits on the board the entire time will eventually amass enough support to get selected. ... Both Frostburg and St. John Fisher would have been bubble teams at best.
North Region SOS  Notes

1 North Central (Ill.) 8-0 10-0
2 John Carroll 9-1 9-1
3 Wheaton (Ill.) 9-1 9-1
4 Mount Union 9-1 9-1
5 Olivet 9-1 9-1
6 Wittenberg 9-1 9-1
7 Rose-Hulman 8-2 8-2
8 Franklin 8-1 8-2
9 Denison 8-2 8-2
10 Illinois Wesleyan 7-2 7-2

.527
.510
.516
.490
.558
.492
.465
.494
.485
.514 

Here's your chance to see Mount Union not in the top spot in a region, or even in the top spot as an at-large team. ... Wheaton and Mount Union were selected as at-large teams from this region.
South Region SOS Notes
1 Mary Hardin-Baylor 9-0 10-0
2 Johns Hopkins 10-0 10-0
3 Hardin-Simmons 7-1 9-1
4 Thomas More 9-1 9-1
5 Berry 9-1 9-1
6 Muhlenberg 9-1 9-1
7 Randolph-Macon 9-1 9-1
8 Case Western Reserve 9-1 9-1
9 Huntingdon 8-1 9-1
10 Centre 8-2 8-2
.558
.506
.530
.535
.518
.484
.476
.488
.454
.476 
Hardin-Simmons was likely selected fairly early in the at-large process, and Berry sat through several rounds without getting selected. ... Regardless of whether it had been Berry, Muhlenberg or Case Western Reserve, just one South team was going to get in as an at-large.
West Region SOS Notes

1 UW-Whitewater 8-0 10-0
2 St. Thomas 10-0 10-0
3 UW-Oshkosh 8-1 9-1
4 Coe 10-0 10-0
5 Linfield 8-1 8-1
6 St. John's 9-1 9-1
7 Monmouth 10-0 10-0
8 UW-Platteville 7-2 8-2
9 Northwestern (Minn.) 9-1 9-1
10 Redlands 8-1 8-1

.540
.482
.582
.511
.534
.521
.514
.577
.465
.466 
All three at-large teams in this regional ranking got into the field. UW-Platteville was likely the last team into the field and it probably didn't matter that there isn't a team listed after the Pioneers, but if needed, the regional ranking committee always has a couple of extra teams not listed in the top 10 that could have been considered.

There are 25 automatic bids, one Pool B bid and six Pool C (true national at-large) bids. 

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.