Mustangs receive No. 9 seed for NAIA playoffs

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A day after clinching the Great Plains Athletic Conference's automatic bid, the Morningside football team earned the No. 9 seed in the NAIA Football Championship Series.

With the Top 12 bid, the Mustangs get this upcoming week off and will play their next game during the second round on Saturday, Nov. 29. The Mustangs will go for their fourth national championship later this month.

It's the 22nd straight year the Mustangs are in the NAIA playoffs. They made it to the semifinals last season, and were in the second round in 2023.

The Mustangs went 9-2 overall this season, with just one loss in league action. They closed out the regular season with a four-game winning streak, including Saturday's overtime thriller over No. 6 Dordt, which made the field, too. Morningside won all five home games, and four of them by double digits.

Morningside was one of four Iowa teams to make it to the FCS. The other three were Dordt, William Penn, and Grand View.