It's an annual tradition here at D3football.com, where our pundits pick over the brackets and choose teams that will surprise, ones that will disappoint and decide who will win each bracket.

This year, the four pundits have a fair amount of agreement. And sure, Mount Union and UW-Whitewater are smart picks in a lot of games.

But how do we get there? Who will stand in their way, if indeed this is a relentless march to Purple Party V?

That's what we tackle in this week's Around the Nation.

Playoff toolbox: Team capsules | Where are the seedings? | Download printable bracket | Enter Pick 'em contest | Watch selection show

Plus, Keith McMillan has plenty to say about this bracket, whether it's about the much-discussed lack of seedings and openness in this year's bracket, what he'd like to see changed, and many possible ways to look at the last Pool C decision. That and more in Around the Nation.

Stevenson announced the appointment of Ed Hottle as coach of its new NCAA Division III football program, confirming a D3football.com report from Tuesday night, Nov. 17. Hottle has been coach at Gallaudet since 2005, compiling a 10-18 in three varsity seasons. He will now work to establish Stevenson's program -- first announced in June -- by recruiting student athletes for a developmental season to start in fall 2010 with the plan of beginning intercollegiate competition in 2011.

“Ed is a significant addition to the Mustang athletics team,” said Paul Cantabene, Associate Director of Athletics in charge of men's sports. “He has demonstrated tremendous drive as a program-builder at Gallaudet. We are confident that he'll lay a strong foundation for our program as well.”

Hottle is a graduate of Frostburg State, where he earned his bachelor's in physical education in 1999 and master's in education in 2001. While at FSU, he began as a football intern with the Bobcats before advancing to defensive line coach (1999-2000). In 2001, he worked as the defensive coordinator/head strength and conditioning coach at Denison, and from 2002 to 2004 served as linebackers/defensive line coach at Wesley. Just prior to his tenure at Gallaudet, Hottle served as head coach at Calvert High School in Prince Frederick, Md. He and his wife Ashley have three children and reside in Lothian, Md.

After two developmental seasons, Hottle led the Bison back into NCAA Division III status in 2007 as the team posted a 2-6 record against varsity competition, including its first varsity win since 1991. That same season Hottle served as the defensive coordinator, with two players ranking nationally in various defensive categories for the first time in Gallaudet's history. In 2009, he was selected by his peers as the Eastern Collegiate Football Conference (ECFC) Coach of the Year.

Hottle describes himself as “a firm believer in the fundamentals, discipline, and positive attitude” while focusing on “relentless recruiting and retention.”

“Stevenson is giving me the opportunity to build a program from the ground up, and this is exactly the kind of challenge that motivates me,” he said. “The commitment to principles of Division III athletics here is very strong, and I am truly excited to become part of such a growing university.”

“Ever since we acquired the former Ravens facility for our Owings Mills campus, football seemed like an inevitability for us,” said Kevin J. Manning, president of Stevenson. “Our strong men's and women's programs add vibrancy to our institution and attract students from around the region. Football is a great fit and will draw regional players who want to continue at the university level.”

“It seems like a strange coincidence that just 25 years ago, the Colts left the facility that will now be home to our football program,” Manning said. “You might say that the horses have come back to Owings Mills, this time as Mustangs.”

The bottom seeds -- wait, sorry, the teams playing on the road against teams highly ranked in the last public regional rankings -- have a big task awaiting them this week.

For Trine, however, this year's task might be easier than last year's. In 2008, the Thunder were carrying the burden of an unbeaten regular season record and faced Wheaton, losing 14-0.

What did Trine learn last time around? Matt Florjancic has more in Around the Great Lakes.

For several teams, it will mean playing a team better than any they've seen all year. But if you're Johns Hopkins, perhaps not. A trip to Hampden-Sydney could put them a tad bit out of their comfort zone, but compared to a September game against Delaware Valley, it's not all that different. Ryan Tipps tracks the development of both Johns Hopkins and Hampden-Sydney in Around the Mid-Atlantic.

Playoff toolbox: Download printable bracket | Enter Pick 'em contest | Where's the seedings? | Watch selection show | Saturday game coverage

For Lakeland, however, it's a different story. The 6-4 Muskies needed a helping hand from Benedictine just to get into the playoffs, and the reward is a short trip to UW-Whitewater. Not much else you can say about that, except that Kevin Doherty's team will try to find a way to compete. Clyde Hughes explains in Around the Midwest.

It took an immaculate deflection to get triple-option powerhouse Maine Maritime into the playoffs, a 36-yard score through the air on the last play of the game. For the Mariners, this is uncharted territory, enemy waters, on the road to Montclair State. Tom Haley has more in Around the Northeast.

We're talking about those eight teams in the bottom right-hand bracket. Why, what did you think we meant?

Oh, you mean the fact that one bracket has the No. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 10 teams in the country in it? If only it had No. 1 and No. 2, it would be a men's basketball bracket.

Playoff toolbox: Download printable bracket | Enter Pick 'em contest | Watch selection show | Saturday game coverage

Yes, truth be told, it could be worse. That's why we're not calling it a Bracket of Death. But it's a great bracket, with four games between teams that all have a legitimate chance of winning first-round games.

Keith McMillan and Pat Coleman break it down in this week's Around the Nation podcast.

Meanwhile, what does the selection of Washington and Jefferson mean for future NCAA playoffs? What message does it send to coaches who want to schedule to help their teams get into the tournament?

It's fair to say Keith and Pat are more than a little concerned.

Also, you can hear a full interview with the NCAA committee chair, as Joy Solomen talks about the selections and the Pool C pick we're all talking about. That interview is excerpted in the Around the Nation Podcast as well, but the full interview contains more insight into the brackets.

Go to the podcast page and click the play button to listen. You can load the podcast page in iTunes or can also get this and any of our future Around the Nation podcasts automatically by subscribing to this RSS feed: http://www.d3football.com/dailydose/?feed=podcast

For more Saturday coverage, click here. Plus check out our weekend photo galleries:

• Susquehanna at Union
• No. 22 Willamette at Menlo
• Hamline at St. Olaf

Nearly 20 years after returning the King's football program to varsity status after a 30-year hiatus, coach Rich Mannello announced his resignation on Monday.

In his 17 varsity seasons at King's, Mannello posted an overall 70-104-1 mark. During his first seven seasons building the program King's went 17-51-1. Since 2000, he logged a 53-53 coaching ledger, including five post-season appearances and one MAC title. Mannello was 1-1 in NCAA national playoff games and 2-2 in ECAC bowl contests.
 
Mannello has produced 96 All-Middle Atlantic Conference selections with the 2009 team yet to be announced. He has also coached seven D3football.com All-Americans.  In 2000, all-American tailback Damon Saxon led the nation in rushing with 1,744 yards. In 2002, two-time all-American defensive end Steven Wilson was D3football.com's consensus top defensive player of the year 
 
The education of his players was also of great significance to Mannello, whose teams also made their mark in the classroom. A total of 151 of his players were named to MAC All-Academic teams for posting overall grade-point averages of 3.20 or better.

“I would like to thank all of the players, coaches, friends and family members that have been a part of our football family over the past 19 years,” said Mannello, who informed his players of the decision during a Monday team meeting. “Our No. 1 goal has always been to build relationships that will last a lifetime. This goal was achieved with a tremendous amount of pride and appreciation for all of those that shared in our dream. I would also like to thank my wife Bonny, my stepson Jake, and my son Stone for their unconditional love and support in allowing me to pursue my own dreams in this great game of football.”
 
Mannello was hired by King's in January, 1990 after the college announced it would reinstate varsity football after the sport had been discontinued following the 1963 season. He hired current associate head coach Jim Anderson as his top assistant and the pair began recruiting and assembling a coaching staff before the Monarchs embarked on two junior varsity seasons in 1991 and 1992 in preparation for entrance into the MAC. 
 
In 1993, King's played its first varsity game in 30 years, falling to Albright 30-12. The Monarchs would finish the season 1-9 with a week-seven 20-18 home victory over Juniata standing as Mannello's first career head coaching victory.
 
Mannello's program broke through in 2000 when the Monarchs posted a 7-4 mark, won its first-ever Mayor's Cup with a 20-0 victory over cross-town rival Wilkes, and defeated Ursinus 45-20 to capture the Eastern College Athletic Conference Southern Region Bowl, registering the first post-season title of any kind in King's varsity football history. Mannello was rewarded that year with MAC “Coach of the Year” honors.
 
In 2001, Mannello guided the Monarchs to an 8-3 record and an ECAC Southeast Region Bowl with a 32-29 victory over Muhlenberg. 
 
A year later, the 2002 season proved to be the best in King's history as Mannello's charges went 9-3, won the Middle Atlantic Conference championship and advanced to the NCAA Division III national playoffs for the first-time ever. There, King's won it's NCAA tournament debut with a 28-0 victory over Salisbury. The Monarchs would advance to the “Sweet 16” where it lost to a heavily favored Bridgewater (Va.) College squad 19-17 when a last-second King's field goal fell inches short. Mannello again received MAC Coach of the Year laurels at the conclusion of the season.

Anderson will take over as interim coach during the search process and will be invited to apply for the position, should he wish to pursue the head coaching job at King's.

The bracket has been revealed, unveiled, what have you. Click here to download the PDF.

The committee selected Washington and Jefferson as the final Pool C team, over Ohio Northern (which was not all that surprising) and over St. Norbert (which was surprising). St. Norbert's .491 strength of schedule was significantly better than Washington and Jefferson's .433.

More analysis to come. This was our projection from last night.

So the committee didn't select Ohio Northern for the NCAA playoffs. That's not all that surprising. Ohio Northern was the best team available, but the NCAA has never really seen eye to eye with us on those things.

The committee didn't take the remaining 9-1 team with the best strength of schedule, however. They took the 9-1 team with the worst. That was Washington and Jefferson. And the Presidents' reward? A trip to Alliance, Ohio, to take on Mount Union.

Click here to download a printable bracket.

What's a coach to do? It seems clear now that it is far more important to go 9-1 than it is to play a decent non-conference team. St. Norbert played a decent non-conference team, won, had a significantly better strength of schedule and was left out. Washington and Jefferson played Frostburg State (1-9) and Oberlin (2-8) and got into the field.

But on the other hand, W&J also got screwed. The Presidents should have been seeded ahead of Susquehanna, which had two losses, and Susquehanna should have gone to Mount Union, with W&J going to Delaware Valley. Instead, the worst team in the bracket escaped having to play the best team, even though the mileage was not an issue.

Like the bracket? Hate it? Join the discussion on the Daily Dose

This was our projection from last night.

Adrian has changed coaches effective immediately as Jim Deere will become the program's 24th head coach. The change marks the end of an era as Jim Lyall finished his 20th season as coach of the Bulldogs in 2009 with a record of 6-4.

During Lyall's tenure as head coach, the Bulldogs recorded an overall record of 98-91-1. Adrian hadn't had a losing season since 2001 and had recorded three eight-win seasons and two years with seven wins in that span.

Lyall was told shortly after his team's season-ending victory against Olivet, according to The Daily Telegram Of Adrian, Mich.

"In my opinion, I was surprised, especially the way it was done," Lyall told the paper.

Lyall spent 36 years on the sidelines at Adrian coming over in 1974 after graduating from Michigan. He played defensive line for the maize and blue from 1970-73 under legendary head coach Bo Schembechler. Lyall had the most wins and coached in more games than anyone in Adrian history.

"Jim Lyall is a first-class guy and handled himself with professionalism and integrity," said athletic director Mike Duffy. "We thank him for his outstanding service to Adrian College."

Deere has served on the coaching staff for the last 17 seasons including the last three years as defensive coordinator. He has built one of the top statistical defensive units in Division III and the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association. In 2008, the Bulldogs led the MIAA in five defensive categories including scoring defense (12.4 ppg), passing defense (167.8 ypg), total defense (239.0 ypg), pass efficiency defense (106.2) and sacks (32, for minus-196).

We're coming up close on the bracket reveal on ESPNews. Stick around. And be patient if the server gets overloaded -- it does on every Selection Sunday.

Also check D3boards.com for a link to the bracket when it's available. That's our backup.

After the dust and rubber pellets settled on Saturday night, it turned out that selecting the nine at-large teams wasn't a whole lot different than it was in the middle of the week.

After that, though, it got a little more challenging. See, that little monkey wrench in the works by the name of Maine Maritime makes this bracket projection just a tad more difficult. Ending Curry's run in the NEFC makes the process a little harder for those creating the brackets. Castine, Maine, is not exactly close to the rest of the bracket, after all.

What did we do with them? And who made our projected field? Here's our best guess at the Division III football playoff field of 32. It's our last projection before the bracket comes out Sunday afternoon on ESPNews shortly after 3 p.m. ET.

For all the rest of Saturday's Division III football scores and news, scroll down. And check back throughout the day Sunday for more coverage.

DePauw clinched its playoff bid last week, but Wabash has done its best to sew up an at-large bid this week, defeating DePauw in the Monon Bell game 32-19. The win gives Wabash a 54-53-9 edge in the series and puts the Little Giants in the clubhouse at 9-1, making them the top at-large team in the North Region.

Hampden-Sydney clinched the Old Dominion Athletic Conference title, as Steven Fogleman returned a kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter to give the Tigers a lead and a 34-27 win against archrival Randolph-Macon. Hampden-Sydney held the ball for just 17:32 in the win. Saturday's scores.

All of the automatic bids have been handed out as we approach Selection Sunday, and the 3 p.m. ET announcement on ESPNews. Also, you can get more in-game notes by following @d3football on Twitter.

Maine Maritime became the first team to clinch a bid on Saturday, scoring on the last play of the game to beat Curry 48-42. A 36-yard touchdown pass completed the Mariners' 32-second drive. Susquehanna walked away from the Liberty League with a trophy (photo gallery), beating Union 28-17 to clinch an automatic bid before it heads to the Centennial in 2010. Montclair beat Kean 14-6 in a defensive struggle to win the NJAC. Lakeland wrapped up the NATHC title with a win while Concordia (Ill.) lost to Benedictine.

Illinois Wesleyan clinched up the CCIW with a 49-0 win against North Park, while Mississippi College did the same for the ASC with a 38-24 win against Texas Lutheran. Alfred and Johns Hopkins clinched automatic bids by finishing off overmatched opponents as well. Cal Lutheran clinched its first-ever Division III playoff spot with a win against Redlands.

Thomas More and Mount St. Joseph each ran the table and have already clinched playoff spots. But not all 9-0 records are created equal. No. 11 Thomas More proved that by crushing No. 25 Mount St. Joseph 42-17.

But you want to know what your at-large chances are, right? You can start with our most recent projected bracket. Pool C hopefuls got some good news when Ursinus defeated Dickinson 35-32 to knock the Red Devils out of playoff consideration. But if you're looking for help getting in, well, you didn't get much today. Dickinson lost, but St. Thomas, Coe, Mary Hardin-Baylor and Wabash all won, while Albright may well join them in Pool C with a 44-43 double overtime win against Lebanon Valley. The Lions rallied from a 23-point deficit in the final 20 minutes.

Other bubble teams won as well, with Ohio Northern crushing Wilmington, North Central defeating Elmhurst and Washington and Jefferson topping Waynesburg.

We'll be updating the automatic bid list all day. At the end of the night, we'll do one last set of playoff projections. Then get ready for the waiting game, as we prepare for the selection show at 3 p.m. ET.

No. 1 seed candidates Mount Union, UW-Whitewater, Wesley and St. John's finished running the table, while Case Western Reserve and Wittenberg did as well.

Outside of the playoff picture, Hanover sophomore wide receiver Daniel Passafiume set an NCAA all-divisions single-game record with 25 catches in a 42-28 loss. Passafiume finished with 153 yards and two touchdowns. His effort surpasses the mark of 24 set by receiver Jerry Rice and Chas Gessner. Amherst finished a perfect season by scoring 23 unanswered points in knocking off archrival Williams 26-21. It's the Lord Jeffs' first 8-0 mark since 1984.

Grove City corralled the Mercer County Cup with a 31-24 double-overtime win against Thiel. Greensboro finished with a winning record for the first time in the program's history, edging Shenandoah 23-20.

Sure, we understand. You're all here to go pro in something other than sports. We get that and we respect it. In fact, we cherish it.

But, see, the road from Division III football to the NFL isn't impossible to travel. It's been paved by the likes of London Fletcher, who played at John Carroll and has been in the league for a decade. His JCU teammate, Josh McDaniels, is the head coach of the Denver Broncos. And while longtime standouts such as Bill Schroeder and Mike Maslowski are no longer in the league, a new set of players has taken their place in the NFL.

Most people are familiar with players such as Pierre Garcon, in his second season from Mount Union. But there's also fellow wide receiver Jerheme Urban, who is in his fifth year on an NFL active roster after an All-American career at Trinity (Texas). Or Jason Trusnik, who was an All-American at defensive end for Ohio Northern and now plays linebacker for the Cleveland Browns.

How they got there? Keith McMillan gets their stories direct from the source in this week's Around the Nation.

Playoff preview: ATN Podcast's playoff rundown | Regional rankings Wednesday afternoon | Playoff projections Wednesday night | 11 automatic bids handed out all day Saturday | Final playoff projection Saturday night | Selection show Sunday 3 p.m. ET, ESPNews

What does that have to do with the playoffs? Not much, admittedly. But there's plenty more in Around the Nation, including a rundown of the final 11 automatic bids yet to be clinched and how they will be won. Keep an eye on the at-large contenders as well. There's also your reactions to last week's column bidding farewell to this year's seniors and the weekly Ten Best, counting down the most interesting post-Division III performances of D-III players and coaches in the past decade.

That and more in this week's Around the Nation.

Knox announced that Andy Gibbons will step down from his role as head coach. Chad Eisele, a 1993 graduate of Knox and athletic director at Knox, will take over as head coach while Gibbons remains on staff as the assistant coach and defensive coordinator.

Knox was 1-9 this past season. Gibbons' career record was 47-80.

Eisele has 15 years of experience as a football coach and began his coaching career at Knox in 1993.

"After 14 years it is time for a new voice at the top, and I am very excited about Chad," said Gibbons. "I am energized and fired up to be a part of this change and to build a championship defense."

Gibbons took over as head football coach in 1996, and has amassed the second most wins by a head coach in 114 years of Knox football history.

In five years as head coach at Lake Forest, Eisele amassed a 31-20 (.607) overall record and a 28-16 (.636) record in Midwest Conference competition. In 2002 the Forester team captured the Midwest Conference Championship, their first since 1983, and made their first ever appearance in the NCAA D-III Playoffs.

At the conclusion of the 2002 season Eisele was honored as MWC Coach of the Year, while his senior linebacker Casey Urlacher was named MWC Defensive Player of the Year. It was the third year in a row that the Foresters took the MWC Defensive Player of the Year distinction. In addition, Eisele had seven players named All-Americans and 60 named All-Midwest Conference. Before returning to Knox as athletic director in May 2006, Eisele was the head football coach for the 2005-06 season at Minnesota State-Moorhead.

Eisele said: "I am honored to have this opportunity at my alma mater. When I came here as Athletic Director, I came with the understanding that I was starting a new chapter of my life that would not involve coaching. I thought that if I ever did get to coach again it would be much farther down the road. When Andy decided to change roles, the opportunity for me to become head coach arose. For me to become head coach at my alma mater – it is something I never dreamed would happen. As AD you oversee teams, but you don't get a chance to have a direct positive influence on the student-athletes. Having the opportunity to be head football coach allows me to have that direct contact. I greatly look forwards to that. I am excited about the challenge of leading the Prairie Fire football team."

Eisele takes over a Knox program which is in search of its first winning season since 2002. When Eisele took over at Lake Forest in 2000, he inherited a football program that was in a similar predicament, having not had a winning season since 1986. In only Eisele's third season, (2002) the Foresters went 9-2.

In making the announcement, Eisele thanked Gibbons for his contribution to Knox football. "Andy should be commended for all of his efforts and I am proud that he will still be part of this great program. I don't think most people truly understand what Andy has accomplished in his time as head coach," said Eisele. "He has done far more with far less than many other programs have. I am confident with our combined experience in recruiting that we will be able to recruit some of the best classes of Knox football student-athletes that this school has seen in some time."

Gibbons said: "It has been an honor and a privilege to be the head coach at Knox. We worked extremely hard and of course wish we had won more games the last four years. However, I look back at all the players I have coached and see what type of men they are today, and I know we won! We have had a big impact in so many ways."

Each week during the regular season we look at some of the key statistical performances from the weekend in Division III football, highlighting one per region.

Franklin and Marshall still has a shot at a share of the Centennial Conference title, as we noted in the Around the Nation podcast, but it doesn't have a chance to win the automatic bid. That's because Johns Hopkins, which can secure the automatic bid with a win next week at McDaniel, outgained F&M 507-259, scored on eight of its nine possessions in winning 51-13, held the Diplomats to minus-20 yards rushing, came up with six sacks and two interceptions and never let the Diplomat offense get on a roll in their biggest win in the series since a 42-0 victory in 1959.

Francis Adarkwa of Chicago and Jim O'Brien of Wash U were teammates at Wheaton (Ill.) Warrenville South High School and combined for a ton of yards on opposite sides on Saturday in Wash U's 44-37 win.

The pair, featured in Kickoff 2009, ran for a total of 301 yards on 38 carries and added 12 receptions for 83 yards while O'Brien also threw one pass for 30 yards. Each had two touchdowns that gave his team the lead, while O'Brien added a third in helping the Bears come back from a 27-17 deficit.

Jared Chunn carried the ball 37 times for a career-high 246 yards and two touchdowns as Kean remained perfect in the NJAC play with a 20-0 victory at William Paterson. Chunn's 246 yards is a career-best after topping his old mark of 238 set twice in 2008. The 246 yard performance is fourth all-time on the Kean single-game list. Chunn carried seven times in nine plays on Kean's first scoring drive and set up the Cougars' second touchdown with a 59-yard run to the Pioneer 9-yard line.

Sophomore quarterback Brad Boyle, who has been spotlighted in this feature already this season, broke the NCAA Division III record for most consecutive passes attempted without an interception as Coe beat Buena Vista 31-20. Boyle finished the game 15-of-22 passing for 155 yards and a touchdown as Coe improved to 8-1 and kept its playoff hopes alive. He improved to 185-of-291 passing on the season, while breaking the record of 288 pass attempts without an interception which was set by Alma's Josh Brehm, a Gagliardi Trophy winner, in 2006.

This Saturday is the final chance for many seniors to put on the pads, the final chance for teams to clinch a conference title and the final chance for schools to guarantee their ticket to the 2009 Division III football playoffs.

For Susquehanna, too, it's the final Liberty League game in the program's history, as the program moves again, this time to the Centennial Conference. Around the East heads back to the story of the Crusaders, along with others still pursuing conference titles in that part of the country, such as Union, Susquehanna's final Liberty League foe.

Playoff preview: ATN Podcast's playoff rundown | Regional rankings Wednesday afternoon | Playoff projections Wednesday night | 11 automatic bids handed out all day Saturday | Final playoff projection Saturday night | Selection show Sunday 3 p.m. ET, ESPNews

The Mid-Atlantic features both a conference title and a rivalry so big the name is pretty small: The Game. That's where Randolph-Macon and Hampden-Sydney square off, with the contest having ODAC title implications for the third consecutive season. But what makes a rivalry a rivalry? Is it the players, coaches or fans? Ryan Tipps explores the question in this week's Around the Mid-Atlantic.

For DePauw, the season started with yet another coaching change and a fresh round of adversity when it lost a game its starting quarterback got hurt. But Robby Long's Tigers regrouped, and with senior leader Spud Dick back at the helm, it's DePauw that has a playoff bid wrapped up for once entering the Monon Bell game, not Wabash. Jason Bowen runs down the Tigers' season in Around the South.

Elsewhere, the season is already complete. And while a 6-4 record might not seem awe-inspiring to some, it's downright historic at Gallaudet, which hasn't had a winning record as a varsity program since 1930, or at Western New England, which posted its best record since 1981. Tom Haley has more in Around the Northeast.

And sometimes your Week 11 championship is the championship of just a game, or a bell, or a bridge. For Mount St. Joseph, the road to the Bridge Bowl was a surprise. Clyde Hughes has more in Around the Midwest.

That and more in this week's Around the Region.

As we have each of the past 10 years, D3football.com will lead you on the road to the Stagg Bowl. But we don't know who 20 of the 32 teams traveling that road will be.

Not yet, at least. We'll all find out on Sunday between 3 and 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPNews. But with all the automatic bids left to be handed out, there needs to be a map to figure that out as well.

Keith McMillan and Pat Coleman provide that map in this week's Around the Nation podcast.

How will those remaining automatic bids be decided? Who will get the three Pool B bids? Alright, that's not a very difficult question right now. But who are the Pool C teams? Would you believe we can come up with 14 potential candidates for the six at-large slots?

That, plus the big Week 11 rivalry games, in this week's Around the Nation podcast.

Go to the podcast page and click the play button to listen. You can load the podcast page in iTunes or can also get this and any of our future Around the Nation podcasts automatically by subscribing to this RSS feed: http://www.d3football.com/dailydose/?feed=podcast

Scroll down for more Saturday coverage. Plus check out our weekend photo galleries:

• No. 10 St. Thomas at Bethel
• No. 17 Ohio Northern at No. 13 Capital
• Albright at No. 20 Delaware Valley

Dennis Parker resigned Monday as head coach of Texas Lutheran.

Parker's resignation will be effective Monday, Nov. 16. He will serve as
coach in the Bulldogs' final game of the 2009 season. TLU plays Mississippi College on Saturday in Clinton, Miss.

"We look forward to moving the football program in a new and successful direction," said Bill Miller, TLU's director of athletics. "We thank Coach Parker for his service to TLU, and we wish him well in his future endeavors."

A search for the next TLU football coach will begin immediately, Miller said.

Parker has an overall record of 6-23 with TLU entering the final game of the 2009 season. He was 5-18 in the American Southwest Conference.

Parker was hired as the Bulldogs' head coach in January 2007, and he coached TLU for the 2007, 2008 and 2009 seasons.

TLU is 0-9 this season and has an overall losing streak of 12 games.

Four teams were in the 2009 Division III football playoffs already, and more joined them Saturday. Week 10 scoreboard.

Who joined Thomas More, Monmouth, Mount St. Joseph, Central and Linfield in the field? Mount Union did so in style, crushing No. 15 Otterbein 58-7. Second-ranked UW-Whitewater did the same with a 40-7 victory over UW-Oshkosh.

No. 20 Delaware Valley was the first team to clinch an automatic bid on Saturday, rolling over Albright 45-16 to remain unbeaten in the MAC. The Aggies scored the first 31 points of the game behind quarterback Mike Isgro, who returned from an injured shoulder. It was the first loss for Albright, which was ranked higher in the AFCA poll and the regional rankings but unranked by D3football.com. Photo gallery. The Lions will finish the season against Lebanon Valley, which is also 8-1 after beating Lycoming, 31-21.

Elsewhere in the East region, Ithaca dealt Alfred its first loss 31-10 and denied the Saxons the automatic bid for at least one week. The win clinched Ithaca's 39th consecutive winning season, the second-longest such streak in college football behind Linfield. St. John Fisher rolled over Springfield 34-7 and kept its hopes of making the NCAA playoffs alive.

Fourth-ranked St. John's got a shutout from its defense and clinched the MIAC 28-7 against Augsburg. No. 14 Wittenberg defeated Allegheny 52-10, clinching the NCAC and its first playoff bid since 2006. Trine wrapped up its second straight MIAA title with a 21-16 win over Adrian.

DePauw will go to the Monon Bell game with its playoff bid secure, as the Tigers clinched the automatic bid out of the SCAC with a 34-23 win against Austin College and Centre's 27-17 loss at Trinity (Texas). No. 19 Illinois Wesleyan had another showdown with a ranked conference opponent and registered another win, this time topping No. 12 Wheaton (Ill.) 20-17. No. 18 North Central defeated Augustana 45-26, denying the Titans the at-large bid for at least one more week. Illinois Wesleyan will make the playoffs for the first time since 1996 with a win next week at North Park.

If a two-loss team will get an at-large bid, and the odds are not looking likely considering the way the NCAA has stacked the regional rankings deck against them, it might go to No. 17 Ohio Northern. The Polar Bears defeated No. 13 Capital 31-21 as Kyle Simmons ran for 113 yards and threw for 163 more in the victory. Photo gallery. St. Thomas remained in at-large contention by beating Bethel 19-10 (Photo gallery) while Coe did the same by beating Buena Vista 31-20.

The three leading Pool B candidates each won again. No. 3 Wesley topped Division II Lake Erie 28-13 despite playing without starting quarterback Shane McSweeney. Ninth-ranked Case Western Reserve won 34-17 at Carnegie Mellon, while Huntingdon rolled at Birmingham-Southern 59-28.

Kean beat William Paterson and Montclair State topped Rowan to set up a showdown for the NJAC title next Saturday. Susquehanna pulled away from Worcester Polytech 35-21 to set up a showdown with Union next week for the Liberty League title.

Randolph-Macon made sure "The Game" against Hampden-Sydney next week will be even larger for the rivals. The Yellow Jackets beat Bridgewater (Va.) 33-23 to set up a showdown with the Tigers for the ODAC title next Saturday. Dontavius Watson ran for two touchdowns after the end of regulation and Averett survived to beat Ferrum 34-28 in triple overtime. That, combined with North Carolina Wesleyan's win at Shenandoah sets up a USA South title game for next week.

Johns Hopkins rolled past Franklin and Marshall 51-13 to keep pace with Dickinson in the Centennial Conference. On Friday night, the Red Devils scored on four of their first five possessions to roll past Juniata 41-14 and remain in contention for the Centennial Conference title.

Eureka and Crown combined for 132 points, a Division III record, as Crown won 69-63 in the closing seconds.

Monmouth got a goose egg in the Bronze Turkey game, shutting out Knox 42-0. And as seniors' careers wind down, perhaps it's best to keep in mind the words of McDaniel senior linebacker Mike Weick. He told the Carroll County Times: "We have 120 minutes left of college football for the rest of our lives," Weick said. "That's a scary thought."

Good luck, seniors. At least McDaniel's seniors had something to be happy about today, with a game-winning field goal in the final seconds to edge Gettysburg 22-20. Cornell also sent its seniors off on a Senior Day high note, snapping a 34-game IIAC losing streak by defeating Loras 23-16. Cornell hadn't won any home game since Sept. 8, 2007.

One week after MacMurray and Crown flirted with the Division III single-game record for combined scoring, Crown and Eureka wrote themselves in, combining for 132 points in a game Crown won 69-63.

In a game that featured more than 1,400 yards of total offense and lasted nearly four hours, Storm junior quarterback Adam Hayes delivered a 31-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Robert Yang with 13.3 seconds remaining to break a 63-63 tie.

Eureka forced a 63-63 tie with 1:17 remaining in the fourth quarter when senior quarterback Nick Lindsey scored on a quarterback sneak. Crown started its ensuing possession at its own 19-yard line with 1:08 remaining. The Storm put together a six-play, 81-yard drive in just 54 seconds that was capped by the strike from Hayes to Yang. The visitors gained at least 12 yards on four plays during the hurry-up drive, including a 16-yard run from Hayes to convert on third down early in the series.

The Red Devils had 7.7 seconds to cover 53 yards in its comeback effort, but a 7-yard completion from Lindsey to sophomore Wes Schmidgall and a Sam Durley incompletion intended for Schmidgall near the end zone as time expired ended Eureka's last chance.

The teams finished with a combined 1,430 yards of total offense, setting another Division III single-game record. Eureka finished with 744 yards of total offense, Crown with 686.

Schmidgall set career-highs for the second time in three weeks with 11 catches for 230 yards and four touchdowns. Lindsey ran for 150 yards and four touchdowns on 25 carries. He also threw for a season-high 336 yards and three scores. Durley added 169 passing yards and found Schmidgall for a 52-yard touchdown throw early in the second quarter. Playing in his final collegiate game, senior running back Chris Wakid ran for a season-high 83 yards. Junior wide receiver Keifer McComas set a new career-high with 95 receiving yards on five receptions.

Crown had three receivers go over 100 yards, with Steve Boger catching nine passes for 131, Robert Yang grabbing seven for 114 and Callan McKinley adding 101 yards on five catches.

Lindsey scored his first of four rushing touchdowns to open the scoring and give Eureka a 7-0 lead early in the first quarter. A passing touchdown from Hayes to Boger and an 11-yard touchdown run from Hayes sandwiched a career-long 43-yard field goal from Eureka freshman kicker Travis Huber to give Crown a 14-10 lead after the first quarter. The Red Devils scored 17 unanswered points on touchdowns from Schmidgall and Lindsey and another field goal from Huber to open the second quarter and race to a 27-14 lead, but Crown scored three touchdowns in the final 7:05 of the half to regain the momentum. Schmidgall caught his second touchdown pass of the day with 1:23 remaining before intermission, but Crown held a two-point halftime lead.

The first half featured nine touchdowns and a pair of field goals from Huber. His successful 43-yard try is the longest on record at Eureka, breaking Huber's previous career-best of 41 yards set earlier this season at UW-Stout. Neither team punted during the first 30 minutes and Crown carried a 35-33 lead into intermission.

Eureka and Crown traded touchdowns and the lead on the first two possession of the second half before Huber converted his third field goal try of the game for a 42-42 tie with 5:22 left in the third quarter. Huber finished the game 3-for-3 on field goal attempts and finished his freshman season a perfect 6-for-6 on field goal tries.

With the score tied at 42-42 late in the third quarter, the Eureka defense forced Crown to punt for the first time. The Red Devils needed just three plays on their ensuing possession to regain the lead when Lindsey found Schmidgall with a 30-yard strike for a 49-42 lead. The Storm answered with a nine-play drive capped by a 3-yard touchdown plunge from Tyler Hallblade to tie the game again at 49-49.

Eureka was poised to regain the lead on its first drive of the fourth quarter, but a pass from Lindsey was intercepted by Conrad Dewey at the Crown 13-yard line, ending Eureka's bid to regain the lead. The interception was Eureka's only turnover of the day and marked the only time in Eureka's nine trips to the red zone the Red Devils did not come away with points.

The Storm put together its longest drive of the game on the ensuing possession, grinding out 87 yards on 14 plays in 6:04 to take a 56-49 lead on another 3-yard touchdown run from Hallblade with 7:45 remaining. Schmidgall pulled down his fourth and final touchdown catch of the day just six plays later on an 11-yard toss from Lindsey for a 56-56 tie. Hallblade and Lindsey traded rushing touchdowns late in regulation before the Storm put together its game-winning drive in the final minute.

Hallblade led all players with 184 rushing yards on 28 carries.

Defensively, Eureka freshman linebacker Seth Zehr recorded game-highs with 10.5 tackles and eight solo stops. Junior cornerback Rosney Beverly made 9.5 tackles and also recorded one of Eureka's two pass breakups on the day. Junior defensive lineman Tyler Schnarr contributed with Eureka's only solo sack of the day when he threw Hayes for an 11-yard loss early in the fourth quarter.

In all, the game lasted 3 hours, 39 minutes and featured 10 lead changes and five ties. Lindsey and Durley combined for 505 passing yards.

The landscape of Division III football has changed significantly in the past decade, to the point where a bunch of teams in the Top 25 this season were two-win and three-win teams 10 years ago.

With that in mind, Keith McMillan looks back as part of his Ten Best series and looks at the programs that have made the best turnarounds. Going from 2-8 to the national quarterfinals will get you on the list, but who else qualifies?

There's polls to watch and awards to look forward to, both for coaches and players, for results both on and off the field. Who's unbeaten? Who's still winless?

Plus as the regular season winds down it's time to do a few things: celebrate the outgoing senior class, remember the big and medium-sized rivalry games ... oh, and get ready for Selection Sunday and the playoffs. So we have rivalries that are big games, and other big games that might not have the same bloodlines to look forward to.

There's something in Keith's column for everyone. That and more in this week's Around the Nation.

Each week during the regular season we look at some of the key statistical performances from the weekend in Division III football, highlighting one per region.

In the past six weeks, Shenandoah has lost games by 3,3,3,3,6 and now two points. The Hornets won their opener, 21-3 against Catholic, and haven't won since. Two of the losses were in overtime. In another game, Ferrum scored the final 10 points to win 19-13. Maryville beat Shenandoah 22-19 on a touhdown and two-point conversion with 17 seconds left. This week, Shenandoah actually scored last, with a touchdown with 18 seconds left. The Hornets, however, had missed an extra point in the second quarter and needed to go for two. The conversion failed.

Further deconstructing the Maine Maritime rushing performance, the Mariners ran for their 730 yards without truly dominating the time of possession. Maine Maritime held the ball for just 31:10 of the game.

The Mariners had only three possessions of longer than four minutes, and none longer than 4:14. Apparently gaining 11.6 yards per carry doesn't exactly run the clock.

The University of Chicago managed the most yards of total offense that Case Western Reserve had allowed all season, 413, but it wasn't enough. After Chicago hit a 25-yard field goal to tie the game at 24-24 with 13:00 left in the game, Case scored the last 14 points for the win despite Dan Whalen throwing just one pass. It was Greg Meyer who carried the Spartans down the stretch, running for 110 yards on 10 carries.

Linebacker Cory Olson scored Hamline's first touchdown of the game in the 34-17 win over Carleton after he snagged an interception in the first quarter and returned it 39 yards for the score. He also had three pass breakups in the game and forced a fumble that the Pipers recovered. He added seven tackles, three solo.

Not happy with the way things went last year? No problem.

Nobody wants to be left in the hands of the selection committee, especially not this year, where it's apparent from the regional rankings that winning percentage alone is more important than playing a strong schedule. Just take control of your own destiny.

Illinois Wesleyan did just that, with a win against North Central this past weekend, and Clyde Hughes wrote about it in Around the Midwest.

In the MIAC, St. Thomas no longer controls its own destiny, but one thing the Tommies do appear to control is the return game. That's because of Fritz Waldvogel, who accomplished the rare feat of returning the opening kickoff for a touchdown for a second consecutive week. Adam Johnson tells his story in Around the West.

When the season started, Christopher Newport was coming off a playoff season, had big hopes, and had Tunde Ogun in the backfield.

Only problem, Ogun "tweaked" something in his knee in the season opener against Wesley. And it looked like an ACL tear, another in a long line of injuries that detailed his D-I career. Ryan Tipps has more in this week's Around the Mid-Atlantic.

Sometimes a prolonged stint as a backup can be the best way to learn. And Kurt Rocco couldn't have spent much more time as a backup -- three years and three Stagg Bowl runs for Mount Union. After a slow start, he's finally coming into his own for the Purple Raiders, and Matt Florjancic tells the story in this week's Around the Great Lakes.

Around the South tackles the turnaround at McMurry, while Around the East looks at Susquehanna and its Liberty League chances. And the second-longest winning streak in Division III went by the boards this past weekend, as Middlebury ended the 15-game run by Trinity (Conn.). Tom Haley tells all in Around the Northeast.

That and more in this week's Around the Region columns.

It's too far along in the season to ignore what some teams have accomplished any longer. We've written about Lebanon Valley already, but there are others on the list.

Such as Springfield, which still has playoff hopes even if it doesn't control its own Empire 8 destiny, having lost to Alfred. But

Also, suddenly, it seems Washington and Jefferson has lost more PAC championships than it's won over the past five years. What happened? That's one of many topics Keith McMillan and Pat Coleman take on in this week's Around the Nation podcast.

In addition, get their take on the first regional rankings and a look at how they might change. Find out how a backup quarterback prepares and gets prepared for being thrust into the lineup, and how it makes a difference for everyone else on the offense. Plus, a look back at Dome Day and Maine Maritime's record rushing performance.

That and more ... frankly, a lot more, in the Around the Nation podcast.

Go to the podcast page and click the play button to listen. You can load the podcast page in iTunes or can also get this and any of our future Around the Nation podcasts automatically by subscribing to this RSS feed: http://www.d3football.com/dailydose/?feed=podcast

Scroll down for more Saturday coverage. Plus check out our weekend photo galleries:

• Baldwin-Wallace at No. 19 Ohio Northern
• Lebanon Valley at Widener
• RPI at Union
• Lewis and Clark at Menlo
• Concordia-Moorhead or St. Olaf