2019 NAIA FCS First Round Pairings Announced
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – [Qualifier Reveal | FCS Schedule ] The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) announced the final field and the pairings for the first round of the NAIA Football Championship Series (FCS) on Sunday. The 16-team event will kick-off on Saturday, Nov. 23 at eight campus host sites across the country.
The full field features 12 automatic qualifiers and four at-large berths. In order to qualify for an automatic bid, teams must win their conference regular season title and be ranked in the Top 20 in the final NAIA Coaches’ Top 25 poll. You may access the final poll here. At-large berths were given to the next highest ranked teams that did not earn an automatic bid.
The 64th NAIA Football National Championship will take place in Ruston, La., at Eddie G. Robinson Stadium on Saturday, Dec. 21. The city of Ruston, La. will host the championship for the first season for more information on the 2019 NAIA Football National Championship, click here.
2019 NAIA Football Championship Series - First Round Schedule
Saturday, November 23 | Campus Sites
Game 1 – Dickinson State (N.D.) (8-2) at Morningside (Iowa) (10-0)
Game 2 – Reinhardt (Ga.) (9-2) at Marian (Ind.) (9-0)
Game 3 – Baker (Kan.) (8-2) at Kansas Wesleyan (11-0)
Game 4 – Concordia (Mich.) (8-2) at Grand View (Iowa) (11-0)
Game 5 – Ottawa (Ariz.) (9-1) at College of Idaho (10-0)
Game 6 –St. Francis (Ind.) (7-2) at Lindsey Wilson (10-0)
Game 7 – Cumberlands (Ky.) (9-1) at Keiser (Fla.) (9-0)
Game 8 – Saint Xavier (Ill.) (8-2) at Northwestern (Iowa) (9-1)
2019 NAIA Football Championship Qualifiers (Alphabetical Listing)
| School | Qualification Method | Record | Appearances | Most Recent | Championship Record | Titles |
| Baker (Kan.) | Heart of America Athletic Confernce South Division Champion | 9-2 | 18th | 2018 | 17-17 | 0 |
| College of Idaho | Frontier Conference Division Champion | 10-0 | 1st | N/A | N/A | 0 |
| Concordia (Mich.) | At-Large | 8-2 | 3rd | 2018 | 1-2 | 0 |
| Cumberlands (Ky.) | At-Large | 9-1 | 9th | 2018 | 5-8 | 0 |
| Dickinson State (N.D.) | North Star Athletic Association Division Champion | 8-2 | 20th | 2018 | 7-19 | 0 |
| Grand View (Iowa) | Heart of America Athletic Confernce North Division Champion | 11-0 | 8th | 2018 | 6-6 | 1 |
| Kansas Wesleyan | Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference Division Champion | 11-0 | 5th | 2018 | 2-4 | 0 |
| Keiser (Fla.) | Mid-South Conference Sun Division Champion | 9-0 | 1st | N/A | N/A | 0 |
| Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) | Mid-South Conference Bluegrass Division Champion | 10-0 | 5th | 2017 | 3-4 | 0 |
| Marian (Ind.) | Mid-States Football Association Mideast Division Champion | 9-0 | 8th | 2018 | 15-5 | 2 |
| Morningside (Iowa) | Great Plains Regular-Season Champion | 10-0 | 16th | 2018 | 23-14 | 1 |
| Northwestern (Iowa) | At-Large | 9-1 | 21st | 2018 | 21-18 | 2 |
| Ottawa (Ariz.) | Sooner Athletic Conference Division Champion | 9-1 | 1st | N/A | N/A | 0 |
| Reinhardt (Ga.) | Mid-South Conference Appalachian Division Champion | 9-2 | 5th | 2018 | 5-3 | 0 |
| Saint Francis (Ind.) | At-Large | 7-2 | 19th | 2018 | 32-16 | 1 |
| Saint Xavier (Ill.) | Mid-States Football Association Midwest Division Champion | 8-2 | 13th | 2018 | 32-16 | 1 |
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