The top seven teams in the final regional rankings qualified for the NCAA Division II playoffs, while UMD was rated ninth in last week’s Super Region Four standings. The Bulldogs won 28-7 against Northern State on Saturday, their third straight victory to end the regular season, but it wasn’t quite enough to advance them.
Northern State went 5-0 this autumn and hadn’t suffered a home loss until last Saturday. On September 17 they defeated Minnesota State-Mankato 23–22, and on October 8 they defeated Winona State 42–21. Both of those teams, along with Bemidji State and Wayne State, qualified for the NCAA tournament, as the NSIC had four teams qualify for the seven-team regional bracket.
