Official NCAA Announcement
NCAA Football Championship Bracket (PDF)
INDIANAPOLIS – The NCAA Championship is back for Division II football and Great Midwest Athletic Conference champion Findlay is among the field of 28 teams selected for the bracket from four super regions.
The NCAA Selection Show was late Sunday afternoon as seven teams from each super region were picked by the national committee with the regular season coming to an end on Saturday.
For the Great Midwest, it was an exciting conclusion on the gridiron in cold November weather as the Oilers defeated Tiffin, 26-21, to celebrate the program’s first conference title since joining the league in 2017.
The Oilers still had to wait and see if their season resume, even with earned access status, would be enough to make the national championship field between programs for consideration between the Northeast-10 Conference (NE-10), Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) and Mountain East Conference (MEC).
Findlay learned it was officially part of NCAA Super Region One and will travel to No. 2 seed Shepherd (PSAC) for a Saturday kickoff at 1:00 p.m. ET from Shepherdstown, WV. The winner would advance to the second round against either No. 3 Notre Dame (MEC) or Slippery Rock (PSAC) on Saturday, Nov. 27.
It sets up an intriguing narrative between the Oilers and Rams. Findlay last defeated Shepherd in the first round of the NCAA playoffs in 2017, also when the Rams were the No. 2 seed, with a 29-17 upset. Findlay would then advance to play against No. 3 seed Assumption in the second round as former program standouts Andrew Alten and Aaron Ivory each received All-American honors during a memorable season.
This time, the Oilers are 8-3 overall and enter the national championship on a three-game win streak while Shepherd is 10-1 overall after finishing second in the East Division of the PSAC standings.
Also in Super Region One is No. 4 seed New Haven (NE-10) against Bentley in the other first-round matchup. The winner of that contest would face Kutztown the following Saturday in the second round.
Twelve first-round games will be conducted on the campus of one of the competing institutions. In addition, one team per super regional has earned a first-round bye. The first-round winners will all advance to the second round with games on the campus of one of the competing institutions. Second- round winners will meet in the quarterfinals at various campus sites. Quarterfinal winners will advance to play in the semifinals on the campus of one of the competing institutions. Seven teams selected per super regional make up the field of 28 teams.
Four teams received first-round byes including No. 1 seed Kutztown from Super Region One, No. 1 seed Valdosta State from Super Region Two, No. 1 seed Ferris State vs. Super Region Three and No. 1 seed Colorado School of Mines in Super Region Four.
This year's tournament will run from Nov. 20 to Dec. 18. The championship game will take place in McKinney, Texas at 9 p.m. ET. That game will be televised live on ESPNU and ESPN+. The 2019 NCAA Football Championship was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.