D3Keith

- It’s time to start seriously looking at NESCAC teams, starting w/ Wesleyan’s two-TD win vs. Middlebury. While they still won’t have noncon play or playoffs til ‘26, not starting deep into Sept. means we can begin to evaluate. NESCAC teams win titles in other sports. They can be top 25 in football.

- After the Cortland Stagg Bowl win, it was time to adjust old ways of thinking. Yes, I can vote for three Northeast-ish teams in the top 5, and put DePauw at 6.

- You think I *like* voting for Hampden-Sydney instead of Randolph-Macon? But two wins over perennial playoff-caliber programs is two wins.

- We might be re-entering the era of great-by-Mount-Union-standards Mount Union, as opposed to regular-season good Mount Union.

- Also surprising that Mount Union, who voters could make a case for at No. 1 after beating playoff-caliber Wheaton and Grove City handily, is on any ballot lower than No. 2.

Since three have them at 1, we know mathmatically not every ballot has them at 2.

Some #d3fb thoughts after the d3football Week 2 top 25 is published:

- Hard to believe, after NCC undressed Oshkosh, which undressed Linfield, that there are voters, plural, who do not have them ranked No. 1. Preseason QB questions were valid, but after yesterday …

R-MC takes over down 7-0 with 7:28 left. Has missed two FGs, dropped a TD in the end zone, and threw a pick in the end zone.

Central has missed one FG, dropped a TD in the end zone, and threw a pick in the end zone.

Both defenses keeping their teams in it. #d3fb

Macon threw an end-zone INT, and Central led 7-0 at half.

The Dutch start the second half with a 4th & 1 missed 31-yard field goal attempt and a tipped-pass INT.

Classic game where the trailing team hangs around and hangs around and pretty soon isn’t trailing anymore. #d3fb

Randolph-Macon and Central giving each other the kind of game you look for when you schedule a non-conference clash halfway across the country against another potential conference champ.

Dutch throwing the ball well but Yellow Jackets have an end-zone INT. 0-0 9:15 2nd. #d3fb

… three ranked teams playing opponents that are 1-0 and won at least eight games last season:

Coe (9 wins in 2024) at No. 13 UW-River Falls

No. 14 DePauw at Centre (8)

No. 19 Randolph-Macon at Central (8)

And five ranked teams playing teams that won 6 or 7 games in 2024. #d3fb

This might be the best Week 2 #d3fb slate I've ever seen.

Four clashes of ranked teams:

No. 16 UW-Oshkosh at No. 1 North Central

No. 2 Mount Union at No. 15 Grove City

No. 20 John Carroll at No. 3 Johns Hopkins

No. 9 UW-La Crosse at No. 17 Carnegie Mellon

Plus there are …

Probably by the Whitworth game, if not sooner. The thing about the pre-conference part of the schedule is there are a bunch of huge clashes and teams that will end up with 7+ wins are gonna lose a game or two. Lots of opportunity for movement. Good on the 'Cats for playing Oshkosh early.

I can’t speak for them all, but coming off a 6-4 season, new OC & QB, and beating a low-level Week 1 opponent from which we glean little. Let’s see how they do against UMHB on 9/20 and La Crosse on 10/4. They’ll be ranked according to how they perform. #d3fb

I dropped Cortland, Springfield, Linfield, W&J and Hobart. Would all of those teams, and maybe Wheaton and UW-W, beat H-SC? Maybe. But a 38-9 win at DelVal is an impressive start, even if the Aggies are weaker than usual. #d3fb

Lol. You know I’m not from the school of Just Because I Voted For You Last Time Means I Will Again.

I rearrange a lot between preseason and Week 1 @d3football.bsky.social polls.

-Voted for 7 new teams this week; dropped 2 whose wins were less impressive than others.

-Voted for 4 WIAC teams, up from 2 in the preseason. None are Whitewater.

-Voted for 2 ODAC teams for first time in years. #d3fb

Fran's FINAL Big Board: Projecting the biggest stars in the 2025 NFL Draft - PHLY Sports Fran Duffy reveals his final big board on the eve of the 2025 NFL Draft.

While I'm at it...my final Big Board! These are MY top 100 prospects in this year's #NFLDraft and how I see them stacking a few years from now

allphly.com/final-big-bo...

No. 71 QB Luke Lovell, Albion
No. 77 G Alex Westcott, Buffalo State
No. 83 WR Devon Frenchko, Alma
No. 97 LB Rossy Moore, Mount Union
No. 99 CB Key Cunningham, Middlebury
No. 100 T Tucker Kinney, Wartburg

Those are the #d3fb players Brugler has in the top 100 at their positions.

Other D-III players who could be UDFA signings, based on Brugler's draft work for The Athletic:

No. 39 QB Jason Ceniti, UW-W
No. 59 WR Collin Brunstein, Illinois Coll.
No. 60 C Desmond Barnes, N.C. Wesleyan
No. 61 RB Jalen Leonard-Osborne, Ithaca
No. 70 G Markus Finley, Bluffton

Perry, Brugler's 11th-ranked center prospect, is the only #d3fb player in the top 35 at any position.

The past three Division III draftees have been O-linemen: UW-W's Quinn Meinerz (2021; he was an All-Pro in 2024), St. John's' Ben Bartch (2020) and Hobart's Ali Marpet (2015).

Wondering whether any #d3fb players will get drafted this weekend? Seems unlikely.

@danebrugler.bsky.social mentions 59 D-III players in The Beast, but none have a draftable grade.

@fduffy.bsky.social profiled 230 players for ALLCITY Network, and just one, Middlebury iOL Thomas Perry, is D-III.

Blimpie got me through many a college night.

Hand drawn valentine of five huddled over Eagles players set on a grass colored green heart with text that says "I wanna push your tush"

A hand-drawn valentine with a picture of Jalen Hurts (from the back) wearing a white jersey with his name and number in green with the text "LOVE" in green, followed by his last name "Hurts" in green on his jersey with a green bubble that says "in a good way" in white (so that the valentine reads "Love Hurts In a Good Way"

A hand drawn valentine featuring a picture of Swoop the Owl and yellow text that says "I'm gonna swoop into your heart" with a bunch of green hearts everwhere.

A hand-drawn valentine featuring a drawing of lincoln financial field with green text that says "You're my missing LINC" and also a bunch of green hearts all over it

Worked with my pal @dhm.bsky.social to make these Eagles valentines:

I always figured hiring a Mount Union guy would work out well.

D1 - Chiefs HC Andy Reid (BYU); Eagles OC Kellen Moore (Boise State); Commanders OC Kliff Kingsbury (Texas Tech) & DC Joe Whitt Jr. (Auburn).

FCS - Bills HC Sean McDermott & OC Joe Brady (William & Mary); Bills DC Brian Babich (North Dakota State, which left D2 while he was there); Chiefs OC Matt Nagy (Delaware)

The brains behind this weekend’s NFL final four:

#d3fb - Eagles HC Nick Sirianni (Mount Union); Commanders HC Dan Quinn (Salisbury State); Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo (Springfield).

#d2fb - Eagles DC Vic Fangio (East Stroudsburg)

Both #StaggBowl participants have four seniors and a junior starting along their offensive lines, and two senior tight ends as well. This is a great game to watch from the lines out instead of follow-the-ball style.

Here’s how both lines performed in the #d3fb playoffs:

Live from Shell Energy Stadium for the #StaggBowl, the #d3fb national championship.

the buccaneers are one team i would not want to play in the postseason. i'm not in football shape, i don't have anywhere near the skill set that would be necessary, i don't belong to a team, and i would have to play them by myself. under no circumstances would i be interested in that matchup