The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) announced the 16 team field and the matchups for the First Round of the NAIA Football Championship Series. The 16-team FCS will kick-off on Saturday, November 19th at eight campus host sites across the country, with the higher seed hosting each contest. Defending National Champion Morningside and Northwestern will represent the GPAC.
The full field features 12 automatic qualifiers and four at-large berths. In order to qualify for an automatic bid, teams must win their conference regular-season title. At-large berths were determined by the NAIA Football National Selection Committee. Teams earning an at-large berth must be ranked in the Top 20 of the final NAIA Coaches’ Top 25 poll.
The 67th Annual NAIA Football National Championship will culminate on December 17th at Durham County Memorial Stadium in Durham, N.C.
Qualifier Highlights
Morningside (Iowa), Grand View (Iowa), and Bethel (Tenn.) are undefeated with a combined 32-0 record. The Mustangs have won three of the last four national championships. Third seeded Northwestern lost by one point to Morningside in the first game of the year. Eleven of the 16 programs qualified for the FCS in 2021 includng both Morningside and Northwestern.
2022 NAIA Football Championship Series – First Round Schedule
Saturday, November 19 | Campus Sites
1 Morningside (Iowa) 10-0 vs. 16 Arizona Christian 8-2
2 Grand View (Iowa) 11-0 vs. 15 Carroll (Mont.) 8-2
3 Northwestern (Iowa) 9-1 vs. 14 Dickinson State (N.D.) 8-2
4 Bethel (Tenn.) 11-0 vs. 12 Keiser (Fla.) 7-3
5 Indiana Wesleyan 9-1 vs. 13 Avila (Mo.) 10-1
6 Benedictine (Kan.) 10-1 vs. 10 Southwestern (Kan.) 9-1
7 Marian (Ind.) 8-1 vs. 11 Saint Xavier (Ill.) 9-2
8 Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) 9-1 vs. 9 Reinhardt (Ga.) 8-1
