Southern Athletic Association - Football

The Southern Athletic Association administers NCAA Division III football for eight member institutions: Berry, Centre, Maryville, Millsaps, Rhodes, Sewanee, Southwestern and Trinity. The conference champion is decided through a single round-robin schedule and receives the SAA’s automatic qualifier to the NCAA Division III Football Championship; formal tiebreak procedures determine the automatic-bid representative when needed. Berry won the 2025 SAA championship with a perfect 7–0 conference record and received a first-round NCAA Tournament bye. The 2025 All-SAA major awards included Offensive Athlete of the Year Bryson Rollins of Maryville, Defensive Athlete of the Year Michael Clark of Berry, Special Teams Athlete of the Year Cree Ross of Centre and Rookie of the Year Grant Bizjack of Millsaps. Maryville became an SAA full member on 1 July 2026 after previously competing in the conference as a football affiliate.