FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- Northern Arizona received an at-large bid to the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs when the 24-team field was announced Sunday.
The Lumberjacks, who will be making their first postseason appearance since 2003, will host South Dakota State on Saturday at 6 p.m.
NAU finished the regular season 9-2 for the first time since 1996.
“We worked hard to get here,” said NAU coach Jerome Souers. “We maintained our focus the entire season, as our philosophy was to never look ahead. We only focused on the game in front of us. I’m proud of the way that the guys have approached this season, but we’re not done yet. There’s a lot of football to still be played.”
The top four seeds in the playoff bracket are No. 1 North Dakota State, No. 2 Eastern Illinois, No. 3 Eastern Washington and No. 4 Southeastern Louisiana. The next four seeds are No. 5 Maine, No. 6 McNeese State, No. 7 Towson and No. 8 Montana. The top eight seeds receive a first-round bye and will host second-round games.
NAU was placed in the bracket with No. 3 Eastern Washington.
The Lumberjacks will bring a six-game winning streak into the playoffs in
addition to a perfect 5-0 record at the Walkup Skydome this season.
In the program's last postseason appearance, NAU stunned
top-seeded McNeese State in the first round for its
first-ever FCS playoff victory.
The Big Sky has four teams in the playoffs (NAU, Eastern Washington, Montana and Southern Utah), more than any other conference.
