2007 NCAA Division III football season

{{Short description|American college football season}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}

{{Infobox college football season

| type = NCAA Division III

| year = 2007

| image =

| image_caption =

| regular_season = August – November 2007

| playoffs = November – December 2007

| championship = Salem Football Stadium
Salem, VA

| champion = Wisconsin–Whitewater (1)

| gagliardi = Justin Beaver (RB), Wisconsin–Whitewater

}}

The 2007 NCAA Division III football season, part of the college football season organized by the NCAA at the Division III level in the United States, began in August 2007, and concluded with the NCAA Division III Football Championship, also known as the Stagg Bowl, in December 2007 at Salem Football Stadium in Salem, Virginia. The Wisconsin–Whitewater Warhawks won their first Division III championship by defeating the Mount Union Purple Raiders, 31−21. This was the third of seven straight championship games between Mount Union (3 wins) and Wisconsin–Whitewater (4 wins).

The Gagliardi Trophy, given to the most outstanding player in Division III football, was awarded to Justin Beaver, running back from Wisconsin–Whitewater.{{cite web|title=All-Time Division III Football Championship Records |url=http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_champs_records/2013/d3/champ.pdf|work=NCAA|publisher=NCAA.org|access-date=December 3, 2014|pages=4–15}}

Conference standings

cellpadding="5"

|valign="top" width=25em|{{2007 American Southwest Conference football standings}}

|valign="top" width=25em|{{2007 Atlantic Central Football Conference standings}}

|valign="top" width=25em|{{2007 Centennial Conference football standings}}

valign="top" width=25em|{{2007 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin football standings}}

|valign="top" width=25em|{{2007 Empire 8 Athletic Conference football standings}}

|valign="top" width=25em|{{2007 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings}}

valign="top" width=25em|{{2007 Illini–Badger Football Conference standings}}

|valign="top" width=25em|{{2007 Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings}}

|valign="top" width=25em|{{2007 Liberty League football standings}}

valign="top" width=25em|{{2007 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings}}

|valign="top" width=25em|{{2007 Middle Atlantic Conference football standings}}

|valign="top" width=25em|{{2007 Midwest Conference football standings}}

valign="top" width=25em|{{2007 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings}}

|valign="top" width=25em|{{2007 New England Football Conference standings}}

|valign="top" width=25em|{{2007 New England Small College Athletic Conference football standings}}

valign="top" width=25em|{{2007 New Jersey Athletic Conference football standings}}

|valign="top" width=25em|{{2007 North Coast Athletic Conference football standings}}

|valign="top" width=25em|{{2007 Northwest Conference football standings}}

valign="top" width=25em|{{2007 Ohio Athletic Conference football standings}}

|valign="top" width=25em|{{2007 Old Dominion Athletic Conference football standings}}

|valign="top" width=25em|{{2007 Presidents' Athletic Conference football standings}}

valign="top" width=25em|{{2007 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings}}

|valign="top" width=25em|{{2007 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings}}

|valign="top" width=25em|{{2007 University Athletic Association football standings}}

valign="top" width=25em|{{2007 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference football standings}}

|valign="top" width=25em|{{2007 USA South Athletic Conference football standings}}

|valign="top" width=25em|{{2007 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings}}

valign="top" width=25em|{{2007 NCAA Division III independents football records}}

Conference champions

class="wikitable"
Conference champions
*American Southwest Conference – Mary Hardin–Baylor

Postseason

The 2007 NCAA Division III Football Championship playoffs were the 35th annual single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division III college football. The championship Stagg Bowl game was held at Salem Football Stadium in Salem, Virginia for the 15th time.{{cite web|title=2007 NCAA Division III National Football Championship Bracket|url=http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_champs_records/2013/d3/champ.pdf|work=NCAA|publisher=NCAA.org|access-date=November 30, 2014|pages=15}}

=Qualification=

Twenty-two conferences met the requirements for an automatic ("Pool A") bid to the playoffs. Besides the NESCAC, which does not participate in the playoffs, four conferences had no Pool A bid. The NWC was in the second year of the two-year waiting period, while the ACFC, UAA, and UMAC failed to meet the seven-member requirement. The PAC received a Pool A bid for the first time, having attained seven members and passed through the waiting period.

Schools not in Pool A conferences were eligible for Pool B. The number of Pool B bids was determined by calculating the ratio of Pool A conferences to schools in those conferences and applying that ratio to the number of Pool B schools. The 22 Pool A conferences contained 190 schools, an average of 8.6 teams per conference. Thirty schools were in Pool B, enough for three bids.

The remaining seven playoff spots were at-large ("Pool C") teams.

=Playoff bracket=

{{32TeamBracket-Compact-NoSeeds-Byes

| RD1=First Round
Campus Sites

| RD2=Second Round
Campus Sites

| RD3=Quarterfinals
Campus Sites

| RD4=Semifinals
Campus Sites

| RD5=National Championship Game
Salem Football Stadium
Salem, Virginia

| team-width=155

| score-width=30

| RD1-team01=Mount Union

| RD1-score01=42

| RD1-team02=Ithaca

| RD1-score02=18

| RD1-team03=TCNJ

| RD1-score03=17

| RD1-team04=RPI

| RD1-score04=14

| RD1-team05=Curry

| RD1-score05=42

| RD1-team06=Hartwick

| RD1-score06=21

| RD1-team07=St. John Fisher

| RD1-score07=24

| RD1-team08=Hobart

| RD1-score08=7

| RD1-team09=Central (IA)

| RD1-score09=38

| RD1-team10=Olivet

| RD1-score10=17

| RD1-team11=Saint John's (MN)

| RD1-score11=41

| RD1-team12=Redlands

| RD1-score12=13

| RD1-team13=Wisconsin–Eau Claire

| RD1-score13=24

| RD1-team14=St. Norbert

| RD1-score14=20

| RD1-team15=Bethel (MN)

| RD1-score15=28

| RD1-team16=Concordia Wisconsin

| RD1-score16=0

| RD1-team17=North Carolina Wesleyan

| RD1-score17=35*

| RD1-team18=Washington & Jefferson

| RD1-score18=34

| RD1-team19=Mary Hardin–Baylor

| RD1-score19=52

| RD1-team20=Trinity (TX)

| RD1-score20=23

| RD1-team21=Muhlenberg

| RD1-score21=31

| RD1-team22=Salisbury

| RD1-score22=21

| RD1-team23=Wesley

| RD1-score23=45

| RD1-team24=Hampden–Sydney

| RD1-score24=17

| RD1-team25=Wisconsin–Whitewater

| RD1-score25=34

| RD1-team26=Capital

| RD1-score26=14

| RD1-team27=North Central (IL)

| RD1-score27=44

| RD1-team28=Franklin

| RD1-score28=42

| RD1-team29=Wabash

| RD1-score29=31

| RD1-team30=Mount St. Joseph

| RD1-score30=21

| RD1-team31=Case Western

| RD1-score31=21

| RD1-team32=Widener

| RD1-score32=20

| RD2-team01=Mount Union

| RD2-score01=59

| RD2-team02=TCNJ

| RD2-score02=7

| RD2-team03=Curry

| RD2-score03=7

| RD2-team04=St. John Fisher

| RD2-score04=38

| RD2-team05=Central (IA)

| RD2-score05=37

| RD2-team06=Saint John's (MN)

| RD2-score06=7

| RD2-team07=Wisconsin–Eau Claire

| RD2-score07=12

| RD2-team08=Bethel (MN)

| RD2-score08=21

| RD2-team09=North Carolina Wesleyan

| RD2-score09=0

| RD2-team10=Mary Hardin–Baylor

| RD2-score10=64

| RD2-team11=Muhlenberg

| RD2-score11=21

| RD2-team12=Wesley

| RD2-score12=38

| RD2-team13=Wisconsin–Whitewater

| RD2-score13=59

| RD2-team14=North Central (IL)

| RD2-score14=28

| RD2-team15=Wabash

| RD2-score15=38

| RD2-team16=Case Western

| RD2-score16=23

| RD3-team01=Mount Union

| RD3-score01=52

| RD3-team02=St. John Fisher

| RD3-score02=10

| RD3-team03=Central (IA)

| RD3-score03=13

| RD3-team04=Bethel (MN)

| RD3-score04=27

| RD3-team05=Mary Hardin–Baylor

| RD3-score05=27

| RD3-team06=Wesley

| RD3-score06=10

| RD3-team07=Wisconsin–Whitewater

| RD3-score07=47

| RD3-team08=Wabash

| RD3-score08=7

| RD4-team01=Mount Union

| RD4-score01=62

| RD4-team02=Bethel (MN)

| RD4-score02=14

| RD4-team03=Mary Hardin–Baylor

| RD4-score03=7

| RD4-team04=Wisconsin–Whitewater

| RD4-score04=16

| RD5-team01=Mount Union

| RD5-score01=21

| RD5-team02=Wisconsin–Whitewater

| RD5-score02=31

}}

* Overtime

=Bowl games=

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
style="width:100px"|Date

!style="width:200px"|Bowl

!style="width:200px"|Location

!style="width:130px"|Home team

!style="width:130px"|Away team

! style="width:60px;"|Score

November 17

|ECAC North Atlantic Bowl

|Currier Field
Plymouth, New Hampshire

|Plymouth State

|Bridgewater State

|24–21

November 17

|Victory Bowl

|Reeves Field
Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania

|Malone
(NAIA)

|Geneva

|45–17

See also

References

{{Reflist}}

{{NCAA football season navbox}}