KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) announced the final field and the pairings for the first round of the NAIA Football Championship Series (FCS) on Sunday. The 16-team event will kick-off on Saturday, Nov. 17 at eight campus host sites across the country.
Ranked 5th in the final coaches’ poll, Northwestern received the first of the five at-large bids into the Championship Series field and will host 15th-ranked Dickinson State (N.D.) in a first round matchup on Saturday, Nov. 17. Kickoff time will be at 1pm. Adult tickets will sell for $10 and student tickets for $5. The gates will open at 11:30.
This will be the Red Raiders second consecutive and 20th overall appearance in the Football Championship Series and the first time they have hosted a playoff game since 2006. They are 21-17 all-time in the postseason and are 14-5 in first round match-ups (note: the 1987 season was the first the NAIA went to a 16-team format for the championship; from 1978 – 1986, the NAIA had an 8-team championship field, prior to that, it was four-team championship; therefore, the 13-5 record in the first round accounts for the FIRST game played in the postseason by the Red Raiders, whether it be the round of 16, 8 for 4.)
This year’s field includes 11 automatic qualifiers – one from each conference – and five at-large selections. Automatic berths were given to teams that won their conference regular-season title and were ranked within the top 20 of the final regular-season NAIA Football Coaches’ Top 25 Poll. At-large bids were given to the next highest ranked teams that did not claim an automatic spot.
Morningside makes their 15th FCS appearance with their 11-0 record and GPAC championship, and at 19-14 all time at the playoffs.
2018 NAIA Football Championship Series – First Round Schedule
Saturday, November 17 | Campus Sites
Game 1 – Rocky Mountain (Mont.) (8-3) at Morningside (Iowa) (11-0)
Game 2 – St. Xavier (Ill.) (8-3) at Marian (Ind.) (10-0)
Game 3 – Baker (Kan.) (8-2) at Bethel (Tenn.) (10-0)
Game 4 – Concordia (Mich.) (9-2) at Reinhardt (Ga.) (9-1)
Game 5 – Dickinson State (N.D.) (8-2) at Northwestern (Iowa) (9-1)
Game 6 – Langston (Okla.) (9-1) at Kansas Wesleyan (11-0)
Game 7 – Cumberlands (Ky.) (10-1) at Benedictine (Kan.) (10-1)
Game 8 – Grand View (Iowa) (8-2) at Saint Francis (Ind.) (8-2)
