Northwest Missouri State, Central Missouri, Baker open football playoff quests
Northwest Missouri State heads into the NCAA Division II playoffs with a streak on the line.
The Bearcats (10-1) open against Harding (Ark.) Saturday in a 1 p.m. kickoff at Bearcat Stadium in Maryville, Missouri. Northwest hasn’t lost a home playoff game since 2002 and rides a 22-game home postseason winning streak. This is their first home playoff game since 2016.
The streak includes four years when the Bearcats won the national championship — they’ve won a Division II-best six overall — and the Bearcats’ 48 playoff victories are the most in Division I history.
Northwest is the No. 3 seed in Super Region 3. The fourth seed is Central Missouri (10-1), which plays host to Indianapolis at 1 p.m. Saturday. The Mules are in the playoffs for the first time since 2016 and their hometown of Warrensburg, Missouri, is hosting a game for the first time since 2010.
Indianapolis arrives as the top-scoring team in Division II at 49.1 points per game. Central is third at 48.6. Northwest is sixth at 46.8.
If Northwest and Central win two playoff games, they’ll meet in the regional championship game — a rematch of last week’s Bearcats victory that allowed them to tie the Mules for the MIAA championship.
The NAIA Football Championship Series also begins Saturday with first-round games, including Baker (9-2) at Kansas Wesleyan at noon. The Wildcats under first-year head coach Jason Thoren ended the regular season on a seven-game winning streak to capture the program’s fifth straight Heart of America division championship.