Two human polls and a committee's selections comprise the 2016 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III football rankings. Unlike in Division I's Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), the NCAA, Division III college football's governing body, bestows a national championship on the winner of the Stagg Bowl – the championship round of a 32-team postseason tournament. The main weekly poll that begins in the preseason is the D3football.com poll, which ranks the top 25 colleges in Division III football. One additional poll is released midway through the season, the AFCA Division III Coaches Poll.

Legend   Increase in ranking   Decrease in ranking   Not ranked previous week   Selected for Division III Football Championship Playoffs   Win–loss record   Number of first place votes Tied with team above or below also with this symbol

D3football.com poll

AFCA Coaches Poll

References