The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor football team is ranked #1 in the South Region in the first NCAA Division III Regional Rankings of the 2018 season, released on Wednesday. Berry (GA) College is right behind UMHB at #2 in the regional rankings. Johns Hopkins is ranked third, Centre College holds down the fourth spot and UMHB’s American Southwest Conference rival, Hardin-Simmons University rounds out the top five. Muhlenberg (6th), Randolph-Macon (7th), Washington & Jefferson (8th), Case Western Reserve (9th) and Thomas More (10th) are the other five teams in this week’s ranking. The NCAA Regional Rankings are used to determine selections and seedings for the NCAA Division III National Championships. Wins over regionally ranked opponents is another part of the criteria used in selecting and seeding those teams. There will only be one more regional ranking released to the public prior to the announcement of the 32-team field for the NCAA Division III National Championships on Sunday, November 11th. The final rankings will be released following the bracket announcement.
The Cru is currently 8-0 overall and 7-0 in American Southwest Conference play. UMHB returns to action with a 1 pm home kickoff against Louisiana College this Saturday with a chance to clinch at least a share of the ASC title with a victory. A win would also clinch the conference’s automatic bid to the postseason for the Cru.
