WACO, TEX.– Hardin-Simmons’ (Tex.) defense recorded four interceptions and allowed Mary Hardin-Baylor (Tex.) only 108 yards of offense in the first half as the Cowboys built a 30-0 lead. Hardin-Simmons would cruise to a 44-21 victory, their first in Belton, Texas, since 2004. The Cowboys move up to No. 5 in this week’s AFCA Division III Coaches Poll, presented by Hudl, while UMHB dropped out.
The top four teams remained unchanged this week. North Central (Ill.) continues their dominance at No. 1, beating Millikin (Ill.), 70-14. No. 2 Cortland (N.Y.) handed Utica (N.Y.) a 45-7 loss while No. 3 Mount Union (Ohio) routed Wilmington (Ohio), 78-19. St. John’s (Minn.) won a close game over Concordia (Minn.), 38-31.
Wisconsin-Platteville rose to their highest ranking in the AFCA poll since 2013, climbing to No. 6 after its 28-7 win over then-No. 5 Wisconsin-River Falls. The Falcons replaced Platteville and dropped to the No. 11 spot. Springfield (Mass.) enters the AFCA poll for the first time this year at No. 25. The Pride are 5-0 and will host MIT (Mass.) this coming Saturday.
2024 AFCA Division III Coaches’ Poll – October 14, 2024
| Rank | School (1st votes) | Rec. | Pts. | Prev. | Week 6 | Next Game |
| 1 | North Central (Ill.) (36) | 5-0 | 1235 | 1 | D. Millikin (Ill.), 70-14 | Oct. 19 vs. North Park (Ill.) |
| 2 | Cortland (N.Y.) (13) | 5-0 | 1207 | 2 | D. Utica (N.Y.), 45-7 | Oct. 19 at Alfred (N.Y.) |
| 3 | Mount Union (Ohio) (1) | 5-0 | 1118 | 3 | D. Wilmington (Ohio), 78-19 | Oct. 19 vs. Heidelberg (Ohio) |
| 4 | St. John’s (Minn.) | 5-0 | 1078 | 4 | D. Concordia (Minn.), 38-31 | Oct. 19 at Carleton (Minn.) |
| 5 | Hardin-Simmons (Tex.) | 5-0 | 1037 | 6 | D. No. 17 Mary Hardin-Baylor (Tex.), 44-21 | Oct. 19 at McMurry (Tex.) |
| 6 | Wisconsin-Platteville | 5-0 | 995 | 11 | D. No. 5 Wisconsin-River Falls, 28-7 | Oct. 19 at No. 19 Wisconsin-Oshkosh |
| 7 | Grove City (Pa.) | 5-0 | 985 | 7 | D. No. 10 Carnegie Mellon (Pa.), 17-10 | Oct. 19 at Washington & Jefferson (Pa.) |
| 8 | Susquehanna (Pa.) | 5-1 | 839 | 9 | D. Keystone (Pa.), 79-6 | Oct. 19 vs. Juniata (Pa.) |
| 9 | Salisbury (Md.) | 5-0 | 794 | 12 | D. William Paterson (N.J.), 63-0 | Oct. 19 vs. Montclair St. (N.J.) |
| 10 | DePauw (Ind.) | 5-0 | 742 | 13 | Idle | Oct. 19 at Denison (Ohio) |
| 11 | Wisconsin-River Falls | 4-1 | 665 | 5 | Lost to No. 11 Wisconsin-Platteville, 28-7 | Oct. 19 vs. Wisconsin-Stout |
| 12 | Whitworth (Wash.) | 5-0 | 653 | 14 | D. Willamette (Ore.), 48-0 | Oct. 19 at Puget Sound (Wash.) |
| 13 | Wartburg (Iowa) | 4-1 | 602 | 15 | D. Buena Vista (Iowa), 70-21 | Oct. 19 vs. Simpson (Iowa) |
| 14 | Endicott (Mass.) | 4-1 | 558 | 16 | Idle | Oct. 19 at New England (Maine) |
| 15 | Carnegie Mellon (Pa.) | 5-1 | 473 | 10 | Lost to No. 7 Grove City (Pa.), 17-10 | Oct. 26 at St. Vincent (Pa.) |
| 16 | Aurora (Ill.) | 5-1 | 445 | 20 | D. Concordia (Wis.), 42-14 | Oct. 19 at Rockford (Ill.) |
| 17 | Linfield (Ore.) | 4-1 | 436 | 19 | D. Lewis & Clark (Ore.), 47-14 | Oct. 12 at George Fox (Ore.) |
| 18 | Hope (Mich.) | 5-0 | 422 | 21 | Idle | Oct. 19 at Kalamazoo (Mich.) |
| 19 | Wisconsin-Oshkosh | 3-2 | 345 | 23 | D. No. 18 Wisconsin-La Crosse, 34-33 | Oct. 19 vs. No. 6 Wisconsin-Platteville |
| 20 | Johns Hopkins (Md.) | 4-1 | 273 | 22 | D. Gettysburg (Pa.), 51-7 | Oct. 19 vs. Franklin & Marshall (Pa.) |
| 21 | Coe (Iowa) | 6-0 | 221 | 24 | D. Central (Iowa), 16-13 2OT | Oct. 19 at Nebraska Wesleyan |
| 22 | Wisconsin-Whitewater | 3-2 | 197 | 8 | Lost to Wisconsin-Stout, 29-27 | Oct. 18 vs. Wisconsin-Stevens Point |
| 23 | Randolph-Macon (Va.) | 4-1 | 126 | 25 | D. Guilford (N.C.), 63-0 | Oct. 19 at Averett (Va.) |
| 24 | Wisconsin-La Crosse | 2-3 | 120 | 18 | Lost to No. 23 Wisconsin-Oshkosh, 34-33 | Oct. 19 at Wisconsin-Eau Claire |
| 25 | Springfield (Mass.) | 5-0 | 108 | NR | Idle | Oct. 19 vs. MIT (Mass.) |
Dropped Out: Mary Hardin-Baylor (Tex.) (17)
Others Receiving Votes: Marietta (Ohio), 93; Mary Hardin-Baylor (Tex.), 87; Case Western Reserve (Ohio), 74; Berry (Ga.), 65; Wisconsin-Stout, 55; Lake Forest (Ill.), 39; Ursinus (Pa.) 37; Wheaton (Ill.), 31; FDU-Florham (N.J.), 20; Trinity (Tex.), 17; Bethel (Minn.), 16; Wabash (Ind.), 14; Washington (Mo.), 8; Washington & Jefferson (Pa.), 8; Alma (Mich.), 5; Baldwin Wallace (Ohio), 4; Chapman (Calif.), 1; Hobart (N.Y.), 1; John Carroll (Ohio), 1.