Contact: Clark Teuscher, Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302

NCAA Division III Football Championship Bracket

Nov. 12, 2017 - The North Central College football team will host Saint John's University (Minnesota) in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Division III Football Championship on Saturday. The Division III Football Championship Committee released this year's 32-team playoff field Sunday.

The Cardinals (9-1) are in the field for the 10th time in their history, clinching the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin's (CCIW) automatic bid with a 49-7 victory at Elmhurst College. North Central claimed a share of its 13th CCIW Championship.

The Cardinals are 11-9 overall in the Division III Championship, including a 7-4 record in postseason games at home. North Central has won its first-round game in its last eight appearances. 

Saint John's (9-1) received a provisional bid to the championship after finishing 7-1 in Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) play this season. The Johnnies, who closed the regular season on Saturday with a 10-3 win over Concordia College-Moorhead (Minnesota), have made the field in each of the past three years. Saint John's won Division III national titles in 1976 and 2003. This will be the first football meeting between Saint John's and North Central.

Saturday's kickoff at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium is scheduled for 12:00 noon. More information, including ticket prices, will be made available at northcentralcardinals.com as soon as possible.