NESCAC Football Report is a comprehensive site dedicated to the Division III’s New England Small College Athletic Conference football.
Ten Division III schools form the NESCAC Football conference and are located throughout New England, specifically in Maine (Bates, Bowdoin, Colby), Vermont (Middlebury), Massachusetts (Amherst, Tufts, Williams), Connecticut (Trinity and Wesleyan) and New York (Hamilton). Connecticut College is a NESCAC Football member but does not have a football team.
The NESCAC football conference is in Region 1 of Division III which
realigned into six regions in 2021.
Most of the schools started playing football in the late 1800s, with all team playing games before 1900.
The NESCAC football schedule runs for nine weeks between mid-September to mid-November with each team playing every conference opponent once. This round-
robin format for NESCAC football started in 2017; prior to 2017 the league
had an eight game schedule.
Games typically kick-off in early afternoon, but in 2024 there are 6 night
games scheduled, including the three games between the Maine schools
The league does not compete in the Division III football playoff, nor an end of season conference playoff, so each regular season game is critical.
The schools are very competitive academic institutions. Per the 2024 US News & World Report National Liberal Arts College rankings, the NESCAC had the top two rated colleges and of the nine NESCAC schools included in those rankings, eight are in the Top 25.
The league has several rivalries including:
“The Biggest Little Game in America” between Amherst and Williams
The CBB (Colby Bates Bowdoin) Championship amongst the three Maine schools.
The Little Three title between Amherst, Wesleyan and Williams
The Old Rocking Chair Classic between Hamilton and Middlebury
The in-state rivalry between the two Connecticut schools: Trinity and Wesleyan
The final week of the season features three such rivalry games: Amherst-Williams, Trinity-Wesleyan and Colby-Bowdoin.
Each game ends with opposing teams lining up and shaking hands much like the end of an NHL playoff hockey series
NOTE: This site is NOT affiliated with the NESCAC