The 2023 NCAA Division III football season was the component of the 2023 college football season organized by the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

at the

Division III In sport, the Third Division, also called Division 3, Division Three, or Division III, is often the third-highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Association football *Belgian Thir ...

level in the United States. The regular season began on September 2 and ended on November 12. This was the 50th season that the NCAA has sponsored a Division III championship. North Central (IL) were the defending national champions. The season's playoffs was played between November 19 and December 15, culminating in the national championship—also known as the Stagg Bowl—at the

Salem Football Stadium Salem Stadium is a stadium in Salem, Virginia, United States. It is primarily used for football and hosts the home football games of the Salem High School Spartans. It was built in 1985 and seats 7,157 people. The stadium is part of the James E. ...

in Salem, Virginia.

Conference changes and new programs

Membership changes

Other headlines

* September 23 – Shenandoah's Haley Van Voorhis became the first woman to play a non-kicking position in NCAA football, coming on as a safety in the first quarter of the Hornets' game against Juniata. * October 4 –

Anna Maria College Anna Maria College is a private Roman Catholic college in Paxton, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1946 as a women's college, but has been coeducational since 1973. The school offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees. History Anna Mari ...

announced it was leaving the

Eastern Collegiate Football Conference The Eastern Collegiate Football Conference is a football-only intercollegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division III. Founded in 2009, it combines six schools spread across the states of Massachusetts, Vermont, and New York ...

and joining the

Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference The Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) is an intercollegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division III. Full member institutions are all located in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts with some affiliate m ...

for the 2025–26 academic year. * October 10 –

Dean College Dean College is a private college in Franklin, Massachusetts. It offers bachelor's degrees, associate degrees, and continuing and professional education and certificates. History Dean College was founded by Dr. Oliver Dean as a co-educational ...

announced it was leaving the

and joining the

for the 2025–26 academic year.

Conference standings

Rankings

Postseason

Teams

Automatic bids (28)

At-large bids (4)

Bracket

* - Host team

Bowl games

Division III had 13 bowl games, featuring teams that did not qualify for the Division III postseason tournament.

Coaching changes

Preseason and in-season

This is restricted to coaching changes that took place on or after May 1, 2023, and will include any changes announced after a team's last regularly scheduled games but before its playoff games.

End of season

This list includes coaching changes announced during the season that did not take effect until the end of the season.

References

{{NCAA Division III football navbox 2023 NCAA Division III football season