Northwest earns 15th straight playoff bid; 23rd overall bid

The Northwest Missouri State Bearcat football team will be the No. 6 seed in the NCAA Super Region Three of the Division II playoffs. Northwest will take on No. 3 seed Grand Valley State on Sat., Nov. 17, in Allendale, Michigan.Northwest earned its 15th straight bid and 23rd overall appearance in the Division II playoffs. Grand Valley State is making its 19th appearance in the Division II playoffs. Northwest and Grand Valley State have combined to make 16 national championship game appearances and the two programs have won 10 national titles. Northwest owns six national championships (1998, 1999, 2009, 2013, 2015, 2016), while Grand Valley State has won four national titles (2002, 2003, 2005, 2006).The Bearcats and Lakers are the two all-time winningest Division II playoff programs. The Bearcats are 47-16 all-time in the playoffs, while the Lakers are 35-14. North Alabama has also won 35 Division II playoff games.Northwest and Grand Valley have met five times in the Division II playoffs with the Bearcats owning a 3-2 advantage. Grand Valley State defeated Northwest in the national title games in 2005 (21-17) and 2006 (17-14). Since then, Northwest has won the final three matchups. In 2007, Northwest scored a 34-16 win over Grand Valley in the semifinals in Maryville, Missouri. Northwest won the 2009 national title with a triumph over Grand Valley (30-23). The Bearcats scored a 27-13 victory over the Lakers in the 2013 national semifinals in Bearcat Stadium.Northwest is 9-2 on the season and shared the MIAA regular season title with Fort Hays State. Grand Valley State is 10-1 overall and went 7-1 in the GLIAC to place second in the league.Game time, ticket and broadcast information will be released later this week.