Wartburg Earns NCAA Playoff Berth
Wartburg is going to the NCAA Division III football playoffs after claiming a share of the American Rivers Conference title.
The 19th-ranked Knights earned one of five at-large bids into the playoffs when the 32-team field was unveiled by the selection committee Sunday afternoon. Wartburg will be playing a first-round game against Hope College in Holland, Mich., on Saturday at 11 AM (CST).
The Knights finished the regular season 9-1 and ended league play at 7-1, with their only blemish being a 57-56 overtime loss to Central. Wartburg shared the conference crown with the Dutch, who earned the league's automatic berth into the playoffs.
The conference championship is the third-straight for the Knights and 17th in program history. Wartburg is making its 13th trip to the playoffs.
Unranked Hope earned an automatic bid into the playoff field as champion of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA). The Flying Dutchman went 7-0 in conference play and enter the tournament with a 9-1 mark. This is Hope's fifth all-time postseason appearance and first since 2006.
The Flying Dutchmen are seeking their first playoff win in program history. They are 0-3 on the road and 0-2 at home in the playoffs.
The winner of Saturday's game will face the winner of third-ranked Wisconsin-Whitewater and Monmouth in the second round on Saturday, Nov. 30.