Vikings, Pioneers Learn Postseason Pairings

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Heart of America Athletic Conference co-champions Missouri Valley and MidAmerica Nazarene will represent the league in the 2014 NAIA Football Championship Series. The 16-team field was released on Sunday evening from the NAIA national office.

The two teams will take part in the first round of games on Saturday, November 22 with winners advancing to the quarterfinals on November 29. The semifinal contests are scheduled for December 6, while the 59th Annual NAIA Football National Championship will be played on Friday, December 19 at Municipal Stadium in Daytona Beach, Fla., and will be broadcast live on ESPN3.

Missouri Valley will get to open the postseason at Gregg-Mitchell Field as the No. 5 seed and face 12th-seeded Northwestern (Iowa). The matchup is a repeat of last season's first round contest, also played in Marshall, with the Vikings claiming a 38-13 victory.

Missouri Valley is making its 12th all-time appearance in the playoffs and fourth in a row. An at-large selection after winning at least a share of the conference crown for the fourth-straight season, the Vikings have won the last two first round games, both at home, and are 4-4 all-time in the round of 16. Northwestern also shared a regular season conference championship, finishing tied with Morningside (Iowa) at the top of the Great Plains Athletic Conference standings.

MidAmerica Nazarene returns to the FCS after a one-year absence as the No. 9 seed and will play its playoff opener in Ashland, Ore., taking on 8th-seeded Southern Oregon. Both teams missed out on last season's playoffs, but return to the National Championship field to play the first-ever head-to-head meeting between the teams.

The Pioneers are making their 11th appearance in the FCS and bring a 5-5 all-time in the round of 16, dropping a 42-24 decision to Cumberlands (Ky.) in the 2012 FCS during its last appearance. MNU won its first league crown since 2011, when the team advanced to the quarterfinal round after a 40-28 win over Southern Nazarene (Okla.) in its playoff opener. The runner-up in the Frontier Conference, the Raiders are hosting their first playoff game since a 30-12 win over Montana-Western in 2002.

2014 NAIA Football Championship Series - First Round Pairings (November 22 - All times CST)

Game 1: Valley City State (N.D.) (9-1) at Carroll (Mont.) (9-1), 1:00 p.m.

Game 2: Langston (Okla.) (7-3) at Grand View (Iowa) (9-1), 12:00 p.m.

Game 3: Campbellsville (Ky.) (7-3) at Saint Xavier (Ill.) (8-2), 1:00 p.m.

Game 4: Ottawa (Kan.) (9-2) at Morningside (Iowa) (9-1), 1:00 p.m.

Game 5: Northwestern (Iowa) (8-2) at Missouri Valley (8-2), 12:00 p.m.

Game 6: Faulkner (Ala.) (9-2) at Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) (9-2), 12:00 p.m.

Game 7: Georgetown (Ky.) (8-2) at Marian (Ind.) (8-2), 2:00 p.m.

Game 8: MidAmerica Nazarene (9-1) at Southern Oregon (9-2), TBA