MIAA-champion Northwest Missouri State (10-1) has been named the No. 2 seed in Super Regional 4 and has earned a first-round bye in the NCAA Division II football playoffs, set to begin Nov. 15.
The Bearcats will play the winner of MIAA foes Nebraska-Omaha (7-3) and Pittsburg State (10-1), the No. 6 and No. 3 seeds, respectively, at Bearcat Stadium Nov. 22 in a noon kickoff (CST).
The other side of the bracket pits No. 5 Central Washington (10-1) against No. 4 West Texas A&M (10-1). The winner must travel to top-seeded Abilene Christian (10-0) of the Lone Star Conference Nov. 22.
Northwest has earned its 13th NCAA playoff appearance and its 11th in the last 13 years. The Bearcats have advanced to the national championship game in each of the last three seasons.
Northwest handed Nebraska-Omaha and Pittsburg State their first losses of the season in consecutive weeks during the regular season and neither was played in Maryville. The Bearcats shut out Nebraska-Omaha 42-0 in Omaha Sept. 27 and beat Pittsburg State 35-10 in the Fall Classic at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City Oct. 4.
Northwest is 4-0 at home against Nebraska-Omaha under head coach Mel Tjeerdsma. The teams last met in the postseason in 1998, when the Bearcats won the first of back-to-back national championships.
Because of the Fall Classic, Northwest and Pittsburg State haven’t played in Maryville since 2000. The teams split a pair of playoff games in 2004 and 2005 with the Bearcats winning the latter. Northwest has won the last three meetings between the two teams.
With 22 wins in his previous 10 playoff appearances, Tjeerdsma is the winningest DII coach in postseason history. He’s 9-1 in the opening games and 13-3 at home.
story courtesy of Northwest Missouri State media relations
