INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — The NCAA Division III Football Committee announced Sunday afternoon the 40-team field that will compete in the 2025 NCAA Division III Football Championship, with UW-River Falls earning the WIAC's automatic bid and a first-round bye to host a second-round game on Saturday, Nov. 29.

The Falcons will host the winner of the Nov. 22 matchup between Whitworth University and Chapman University. Kickoff is scheduled for noon at Ramer Field.

UWRF will be making its third appearance in the NCAA Playoffs, and first since 1996. The Falcons will also be hosts for the first time in program history. After defeating UW-La Crosse 41-7 on Nov. 8 in River Falls, UWRF secured an automatic bid to the national postseason and clinched at least a share of the 2025 WIAC Championship, the program's first since 1998.

Coming off a 29-19 victory yesterday at UW-Stout, the Falcons wrapped up the regular season with a 9-1 overall record and a 6-1 WIAC first-place record to clinch the WIAC title outright - UWRF's first since 1985.

This season, the Falcons have been ranked as high as No. 4 nationally, matching a program record for the highest national ranking by a media outlet/coaches' poll. The 2025 UWRF regular season also featured a 5-0 undefeated record at home (10-0 since 2023), wins over a trio of ranked opponents, and for the first time since 1988 defeating UW-Whitewater and UW-La Crosse in the same season.

Details on ticket sales and game-day information will be released soon.

Submitted by Trent Jackson/UWRF