Well well well, another week of the 2026 D3 football season has come and gone. Much on theme with every other week so far, the games this past weekend were absolute carnage.
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This past weekend saw high scoring battles, tight contests, a few odd matchups and everything in between. but beyond all of that, it taught more about how this season truly is shaking up.
With another week of action gearing up from kickoff on Sep. 26, here is everything that you need to make sure you take away from the previous week of action.
Don't worry, we won't include this as a main talking point, but just for fun, you should make sure you are subscribed to FloCollege so you don't miss any on the D3 action this fall.
1.) There Are Some Legitimate Contenders For The D3 Playoffs Right Now
Yeah, you read that right. There are some legitimate contenders for the D3 playoffs and we haven't even hit week five of the season yet.
Hardin-Simmons, St. John's (MN), Mary Hardin-Baylor, North Central and there are more that can be named.
These teams all have gotten off to a hot start in their early 2026 season campaigns, taking notable wins and having some big plays while doing it.
One of the top contenders for the D3 playoffs that may not get all of the love is the Hardin Simmons Cowboys. HSU is currently 2-0 after picking up early season wins over Chapman and UW-LaCrosse.
The Cowboys this season are averaging 36 points per game over 460 yards of offense per game.
2.) The Very Close Contests Will Only Continue
We hope you have a strong heart because these games that make everyone have heart palpitations are only going to continue.
We are of course referencing those games that only end in just a few points difference. The tight contests decided by a PAT or a safety or most commonly a field goal.
Last week, there were approximately 15 games across the D3 slate that ended in point differentials less than six points.
So safe to say, these D3 teams are playing really smart football if not even a touchdown is separating these teams.
Look out fans, because there are sure to be some more of these games coming soon this weekend and in the coming weeks. Let's just hope for your sake, none of them end in a tie.
3.) The Upcoming Week Is Full Of Byes, Non-Con And A Few Starts Of Conference Play
Ah yes, it's that time in the football season where teams are still testing their power early in the non-con, taking a well-deserved break or simply hitting the ground running in conference play.
With La Verne taking on Chapman to open up the SCIAC conference play to McMurry taking on Dubuque in a non-con battle, the action of the D3 schedule is going to be wild this weekend.
In a surprising twist though, long-time postseason contender North Central (IL) has opted for the bye this week.
More power to these teams though because this truly is the time of year to make your mark and make it early.
Kickoff for the newest weekend of D3 play starts on Sept. 26.
D3 Football Scores From Sept. 19
Widener 17, FDU-Florham 15
Wabash 34, Oberlin 7
Misericordia 28, Stevenson 24
Muhlenberg 41, Wilkes 27
Randolph-Macon 42, Maryville (Tenn.) 14
Wisconsin-Platteville 37, Springfield 14
Case Western Reserve 48, Shenandoah 41
Delaware Valley 24, Albright 21
Berry 16, Carnegie Mellon 10
Hampden-Sydney 43, University of New England 41
Cortland 55, Hartwick 3
Loras 49, Northwestern (Minn.) 13
Union (N.Y.) 38, SUNY Morrisville 17
VTSU Castleton 40, Maine Maritime 0
Central (Iowa) 31, Belhaven 17
Bridgewater State 35, Plymouth State 7
New England College 23, Fitchburg State 22
Trine 59, Bluffton 7
Southern Virginia 38, Keystone 14
Salisbury 43, Washington & Lee 13
Coast Guard 49, Nichols 42
Wesleyan (Conn.) 35, Middlebury 13
Dickinson 40, Lycoming 21
Rose-Hulman 38, Albion 24
Gettysburg 34, WestConn 28
Hope 27, Hanover 10
Endicott 28, Mary Hardin-Baylor 27
Franklin & Marshall 31, Catholic 17
Eastern 32, Lebanon Valley 0
Olivet 56, Manchester 33
Amherst 24, Bates 14
DePauw 56, Ohio Wesleyan 21
Utica 36, Hobart 29
Alfred State 41, Buffalo State 7
Alvernia 28, King's (Pa.) 21
LaGrange 16, Centre 14
Minnesota Morris 30, Buena Vista 28
Wheaton (Ill.) 82, Millikin 10
Susquehanna 49, Johns Hopkins 23
Williams 17, Bowdoin 7
SUNY Brockport 45, Rensselaer 10
Trinity (Conn.) 34, Colby 14
Tufts 42, Hamilton 28
Ithaca 76, Hilbert 6
Mount St. Joseph 35, Adrian 24
Baldwin Wallace 42, Alma 17
Calvin 41, Franklin 7
Ohio Northern 41, Muskingum 13
Heidelberg 37, Mount Union 34
Roosevelt 31, Wisconsin-Stout 10
Concordia Wisconsin 29, Aurora 28
Texas Lutheran 57, Austin College 26
Bethany (W.Va.) 52, Thiel 3
Hendrix 36, Millsaps 27
North Central (Ill.) 45, North Park 10
Ripon 30, Knox 7
Carroll (Wis.) 33, Elmhurst 0
Chicago 49, Nebraska Wesleyan 41
Wisconsin-River Falls 31, Wartburg 14
Denison 38, Wooster 0
Concordia Chicago 46, Rockford 20
WashU 31, Wittenberg 24
Sewanee 24, N.C. Wesleyan 17
Saint John's (Minn.) 77, Hamline 0
Wisconsin-Eau Claire 40, Carthage 0
Wisconsin-Oshkosh 28, Coe 7
Illinois College 54, Lawrence 7
Lake Forest 63, Grinnell 0
Augsburg 30, St. Scholastica 0
Monmouth (Ill.) 42, Cornell College 7
Lakeland 32, Wisconsin Lutheran 31
Wisconsin-Stevens Point 48, Pacific (Ore.) 13
Luther 28, Beloit 0
Brevard 27, Erskine 14
St. Norbert 31, Eureka 0
La Verne 45, Willamette 16
Lewis & Clark 49, Pomona-Pitzer 28
Cal Lutheran 41, Puget Sound 7
Bluefield 28, Greensboro 7
Kalamazoo 42, Anderson (Ind.) 17
John Carroll 56, Kenyon 7
Allegheny 38, Waynesburg 20
Schreiner 31, Southwestern (Texas) 28
Otterbein 35, Wilmington (Ohio) 14
Ursinus 35, Moravian 19
East Texas Baptist 46, Centenary (La.) 14
Crown (Minn.) 13, Martin Luther 9
Bethel (Minn.) 49, Gustavus Adolphus 7
Carleton 48, Macalester 45
Trinity (Texas) 24, Pacific Lutheran 6
Framingham State 23, UMass Dartmouth 21
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