It’s been one heck of a year again in the NAIA. The unpredictability year after year is what fans longed for from 2000-2010 and never really received. It seemed like at the start of each season you could pick one of four teams and that’s absolutely who would end up in the national title game.

That’s why this season it season quite strange that we have a rematch from last season’s national championship game. At the beginning of the year, Southern Oregon and Marian were tied for fist place in the NAIA. Most people chalked that up to their recent history and a sort of “congrats” on a previous year well done.

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By Alan Grosbach, Manager of Communications and Sports Information

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – For the second-consecutive season, No. 6 Marian (Ind.) and No. 8 Southern Oregon do battle in the NAIA Football National Championship, presented by Waste Pro. Kick off for the 60th annual event is slated for 6:04 p.m. EST Saturday at Municipal Stadium. The game will be delivered on ESPN3.

Southern Oregon and Marian’s meeting Saturday is the first time that the same two teams have met in the championship game since Carroll (Mont.) and former member Sioux Falls (S.D.) locked horns in 2007 and then again in 2008. Continue reading →

By Alan Grosbach, Manager of Communications and Sports Information
Photo provided by Southern Oregon Athletics

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – (FCS Schedule) For the second-straight year, Marian (Ind.) and Southern Oregon claim road victories to earn a spot in the 60th annual NAIA Football National Championship, presented by Waste Pro, with wins today in the NAIA Football Championship Series (FCS) Semifinals. Marian was dominant in a 45-14 victory at conference rival Saint Francis (Ind.), while Southern Oregon overcame Morningside (Iowa), 30-27, in the game’s final minutes. Continue reading →

It’s pretty crazy to think we are less than a week away from knowing which two teams in the NAIA will be competing for the division’s top prize. Even crazier is knowing the path taken by each of these teams to get to this point.

Southern Oregon started the season tied at No. 1 with Marian. Most people in the NAIA looked at these two teams as being “pretty good” but no one was predicting either team would be back in the NAIA Championship game. After SOU lost to Carroll early, people stopped talking about them but the Raiders didn’t care. They just kept winning and winning. Continue reading →

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – (FCS Schedule) The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) has officially announced the pairings for the 2015 NAIA Football Championship Series Quarterfinals. The four games will take place at campus sites on Saturday, Nov. 28.

Since 1997, host schools in the playoffs own a 200-59 (.772) record in the FCS, including at 53-18 (.746) mark in the quarterfinals. Last season, hosts went 2-2 in the quarterfinals. This was the first time multiple road teams had won since 2007. Continue reading →

Game 1 – Saint Xavier (Ill.) (7-3) at Morningside (Iowa) (10-1): Tough matchup for the Mustangs but they get the win. MC 45 SXU 31

Game 2 – Point (Ga.) (8-2) at Baker (Kan.) (10-1): Baker is the much better team. Baker 35 Point 10

Game 3 – Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) (8-2) at Grand View (Iowa) (10-1): Lots of talent on the field. GV 31 LWC 24

Game 4 – Reinhardt (Ga.) (9-1) at Saint Francis (Ind.) (9-0): Dangerous game for the Cougars at home. Could see a lot of points. USF 49 RU 38

Game 5 – Dickinson State (N.D.) (8-2) at Montana Tech (9-1): Tech has what it takes to go deep this year in the postseason. Tech 31 DSU 10

Game 6 – Campbellsville (Ky.) (8-2) at Marian (Ind.) (8-2): I’m picking Marian but this game worries me on both ends. Campbellsville could surprise some people. Marian 42 Campbellsville 31

Game 7 – Kansas Wesleyan (10-1) at Southern Oregon (8-2): Its been a great run for KWU this year. SOU ends it. SOU 45 KWU 14

Game 8 – Doane (Neb.) (9-1) at Tabor (Kan.) (10-1): Smash mouth football at its finest. Tigers bounce back. Doane 31 Tabor 28.

Game 1 – Saint Xavier (Ill.) (7-3) at Morningside (Iowa) (10-1)
Game 2 – Point (Ga.) (8-2) at Baker (Kan.) (10-1)
Game 3 – Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) (8-2) at Grand View (Iowa) (10-1)
Game 4 – Reinhardt (Ga.) (9-1) at Saint Francis (Ind.) (9-0)
Game 5 – Dickinson State (N.D.) (8-2) at Montana Tech (9-1)
Game 6 – Campbellsville (Ky.) (8-2) at Marian (Ind.) (8-2)
Game 7 – Kansas Wesleyan (10-1) at Southern Oregon (8-2)
Game 8 – Doane (Neb.) (9-1) at Tabor (Kan.) (10-1)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – (Championship Schedule | Video Announcement) The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics has officially announced the teams and first round pairings for the 2015 NAIA Football Championship Series (FCS). The 16-team event kicks off on Nov. 21 at eight campus host sites. The quarterfinal pairings will be announced on Nov. 22.
This year’s field includes 10 automatic qualifiers and six 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 given to the next highest ranked teams that did not claim an automatic spot.
The 60th annual NAIA Football National Championship, presented by Waste Pro, is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 19 in Daytona Beach, Fla. The City of Daytona Beach will host the event at Municipal Stadium for the second-straight season. For information on the NAIA’s partner hotels and details on the championship week schedule details, visit http://bit.ly/NAIARaceToDaytona2015.
Qualifier Highlights
• Seven teams from the 2014 FCS are in the field again this year – Campbellsville (Ky.), Grand View (Iowa), Lindsey Wilson (Ky.), Marian (Ind.), Morningside (Iowa), Saint Xavier (Ill.) and Southern Oregon.
• Top-ranked and Great Plains Athletic Conference champion Morningside is making its 12th-consecutive appearance in the FCS, which is the longest active streak in NAIA Football.
• The Mustangs, who are 14-11 all-time at the event and 9-2 in the first round, have reached the quarterfinals in nine of the last 11 seasons, including a national runner-up finish in 2012.
• Dickinson State (N.D.) owns the most playoff appearances among the qualifiers with 16. The Blue Hawks, who won their first-ever North Star Athletic Association crown this season, are 5-15 all-time in the FCS and qualified for the first time since 2010.
• Saint Francis (Ind.) (15), Baker (Kan.) (14), Morningside (12) and Saint Xavier (10) are the other clubs that have qualified for the event 10-or-more times.
• Saint Francis owns the most FCS victories among the qualifiers with 21. Additionally, the Cougars are 12-2 all-time in the FCS First Round, including a run of 11-straight victories.
• Point (Ga.) and Reinhardt (Ga.) are the two newcomers to the FCS.
• Four teams in the field have previously won national championships – Southern Oregon (2014), Grand View (2013), Marian (2012) and Saint Xavier (2011).
• Southern Oregon looks to become the first team to repeat as national champion since former member Sioux Falls (S.D.) accomplished the feat in 2008 and 2009. The Raiders open the first round against Kansas Wesleyan.
• Saint Francis (9-0) is the only unbeaten team remaining in NAIA football. Last season, no unbeaten teams were in the playoffs – the first time since 1994.
• Doane (Neb.), which last appeared in the FCS in 1999, snaps the longest drought among the qualifiers. The Tigers are 3-4 all-time in four previous trips.
• Grand View (10-1) enters the FCS with the longest active winning streak at 10 games. Saint Francis and Tabor are next with nine-game streaks.
• Ten of the NAIA’s 12 conferences are represented in the first round of the FCS, including multiple programs from the Frontier Conference, Great Plains Athletic Conference, Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC), Mid-South Conference West Division (MSCW) and Mid-States Football Association Mideast League. The two conferences that failed to have representation did not have a team in the top 20 of the final regular-season Coaches’ Top 25 Poll, which is a requirement to qualify for postseason in NAIA football.
• The MSCW boasts the most teams in the playoffs with three – Campbellsville, Lindsey Wilson and Reinhardt. This is the first time a conference has three teams in the FCS since the Heart of America Athletic Conference and the KCAC accomplished the feat in 2013.
• Since the NAIA returned to one division in 1997, FCS First Round hosts own a 112-32 all-time record, including a perfect 8-0 mark a season ago. Last year’s host-sweep was the first time that home teams have gone undefeated in the first round since 2009.

SAGU is fighting to make the postseason and their best season in program history.

In the preseason I posted a poll on “Road to the Chipper” asking fans who they thought would win the NAIA Football Championship and overwhelmingly the fans decided that Southern Oregon would not repeat as champs this year. After a loss to Carroll College, SOU dropped out of the No. 1 spot and seemingly everyone forgot about the Raiders.

Fast forward to this week’s NAIA Top 25 and SOU is back on top and in the driver’s seat to make a repeat performance in Daytona Beach, Fla. But SOU had better buckle up.

It’s only fitting that the rough road of SOU pits them against “Rocky” Mountain this week. Follow that with games against Montana Tech and rival Eastern Oregon and there’s no question that SOU will need more than a learner’s permit to navigate their remaining schedule.

But nonetheless, SOU has silenced the critics who felt they were just a one year wonder as they look for back-to-back titles. Continue reading →