November 13, 2011

NAIA Football Championship Series Pairings Announced

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Three Heart of America Athletic Conference teams will begin phase two of the quest for a national championship as the first round matchups were announced for the 2011 NAIA Football Championship Series on Sunday afternoon.

Based on its head-to-head tiebreaker, Missouri Valley claimed the conference's automatic berth, giving the Vikings a return to the postseason after missing out on the playoffs last season. MidAmerica Nazarene will be making its 5th-straight playoff push and 9th overall to match the Vikings' total appearances while Benedictine also garnered an at-large nod to make its 11th postseason appearance and first since 2003.

Missouri Valley, which finished the season ranked #7 in the final NAIA Football Coaches' Poll with a 9-1 record, will host Saint Francis (Ind.), which finished the 2011 regular season with a 8-2 record. The Vikings have an all-time postseason record of 7-8, but are currently riding a 10-game home winning streak heading into postseason play. Saint Francis is making its 12th postseason trip in the last 13 seasons and has won its last 8 First Round contests in FCS play.

MidAmerica Nazarene will host a first round game for the 4th-straight season against a familiar opponent in Southern Nazarene. The two teams met in a neutral site game on October 15 at Wichita State University that saw the Pioneers claim a 41-17 victory. SNU head coach Mike Cochran was previously in charge of the MNU program for a five-year stretch that saw him take the Pioneers to the playoffs in 2002, 2003 and 2004.

The only one of the HAAC teams to hit the road on Saturday, November 19 will be Benedictine, which will visit unbeaten and #3-ranked Georgetown (Ky.). The Ravens are making their conference-leading 11th postseason appearance under legendary head coach Larry Wilcox and will be looking for their first postseason win in 10 seasons. The Tigers captured the Mid-South Conference East Division title and is a three-time national champion, last lifting the title trophy in 2001.

All 8 of the first round games will be staged on Saturday, November 19. Kickoff at Pioneer Stadium for the MNU-SNU game is scheduled for 1:00 p.m., starting at the same time as the Missouri Valley-Saint Francis game at Ashford Stadium. Benedictine and Georgetown will start their playoff clash at 1:30 p.m. at Toyota Stadium.

Click here for the complete NAIA release.