Northwestern College has earned a spot in the 2018 NAIA Football Championship Series as announced by the national office earlier this afternoon. 

Ranked 5th in the final coaches' poll, Northwestern received the first of the five at-large bids into the Championship Series field and will host 15th-ranked Dickinson State (N.D.) in a first round matchup on Saturday, Nov. 17. Kickoff time has yet to be determined. 

This will be the Red Raiders second consecutive and 20th overall appearance in the Football Championship Series and the first time they have hosted a playoff game since 2006. They are 21-17 all-time in the postseason and are 14-5 in first round match-ups (note: the 1987 season was the first the NAIA went to a 16-team format for the championship; from 1978 - 1986, the NAIA had an 8-team championship field, prior to that, it was four-team championship; therefore, the 13-5 record in the first round accounts for the FIRST game played in the postseason by the Red Raiders, whether it be the round of 16, 8 for 4.)  

This year's field includes 11 automatic qualifiers – one from each conference – and five at-large selections. Automatic berths were given to teams that won their conference regular-season title and were ranked within the top 20 of the final regular-season NAIA Football Coaches' Top 25 Poll. At-large bids were given to the next highest ranked teams that did not claim an automatic spot.

First Look At the Blue Hawks...Dickinson State is making its 19th appearance in the Football Championship Series and qualified by winning the North Star Athletic Association championship. They went 6-1 in conference play, losing to Waldorf on the road, and are 8-2 overall, also losing to Rocky Mountain (Mont.) in the second game of the season. The Blue Hawks have won four straight games and finished the season ranked 15th in the NAIA Coaches' poll. Head Coach Pete Stanton is in his fifth season as the Blue Hawks head coach and 19th overall season as a coach within the program. Dickinson State holds a 6-18 all-time record in the FCS.

Dickinson State Football Homepage | 

NAIA Press Release | 

2018 NAIA Football Championship Series – First Round Schedule
Saturday, November 18 | Campus Sites

Saturday, November 17 | Campus Sites

Game 1 – Rocky Mountain (Mont.) (8-3) at Morningside (Iowa) (11-0)

Game 2 – St. Xavier (Ill.) (8-3) at Marian (Ind.) (10-0)

Game 3 – Baker (Kan.) (8-2) at Bethel (Tenn.) (10-0)

Game 4 – Concordia (Mich.) (9-2) at Reinhardt (Ga.) (9-1)

Game 5 – Dickinson State (N.D.) (8-2) at Northwestern (Iowa) (9-1)

Game 6 – Langston (Okla.) (9-1) at Kansas Wesleyan (11-0)

Game 7 – Cumberlands (Ky.) (10-1) at Benedictine (Kan.) (10-1)

Game 8 – Grand View (Iowa) (8-2) at Saint Francis (Ind.) (8-2)