MIAA football championship race goes to final day

The game site has moved but the importance of the game hasn’t changed.

The Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association football championship is on the line Saturday when Northwest Missouri State meets Washburn in a game that was originally scheduled to be played at Arrowhead Stadium.

The threat of damaged turf because of snow and cold less than 24 hours before the Chiefs-Seahawks NFL game kicked off on Sunday prompted the move.

The game, known as the Fall Classic, will be played at Bearcat Stadium in Maryville, Mo., and begin at 1 p.m.

Tickets purchased for the Arrowhead game will be refunded at the point of sale, and new tickets must be purchased for Saturday’s game. They are $15 each and students will be admitted free.

Northwest and Pittsburg State each own a 9-1 record. The Gorillas travel to Central Oklahoma, which is in third place at 8-2. Either Pitt State or Northwest has won or shared all but three MIAA championships since 1989.

The Gorillas are ranked sixth and the Bearcats seventh in the Division II coaches poll, but the NCAA regional rankings will have a direct impact on postseason chances.

In the region that includes the MIAA, Pitt State is ranked fourth, Northwest fifth and Central Oklahoma 10th. The top six teams in each of the four regions advance to the NCAA Division II playoffs. The Bearcats won the Division II title last season and Gorillas won it in 2011.

The region’s top two teams receive first-round byes. The bottom four play in an opening round next week with the third- and fourth-seeded teams playing at home.

The NCAA Division II championship game will be played Dec. 20 at Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kan.

This story was originally published November 14, 2014 at 7:03 PM with the headline "MIAA football championship race goes to final day."