The Northwest Missouri State Bearcats were ranked No. 3 in the NCAA Division II Super Region Four rankings, which were released for the first time this season. Missouri Western and Central Missouri also appear in the top 10.
At 7-1 the Bearcats sit behind No. 1 Midwestern State (7-0) and No. 2 Pittsburg State (8-0). The Gorillas handed Northwest their only loss of the season. After a convincing 45-7 victory over the Truman State Bulldogs last weekend on homecoming at Missouri Western the Griffons improve to 6-2 overall. The Griffons are ranked 7th in the regional rankings. The Central Missouri Mules are 5-3 overall and 5-3 in-region. They are the only three loss team in the Super Region Four rankings.
The top two teams in each region will receive byes in the first round of the NCAA Playoffs which kickoff Nov. 19 followed by second round action on Nov. 26. The national championship game is set for Dec. 17 in Florence, Ala.