Playing on in postseason football: three from the NSIC and one from the MIAC

Three NCAA Division II football teams from the NSIC as well as the champions of the Division III MIAC and UMAC received national tournament assignments on Sunday.

NSIC champion Minnesota State Mankato (11-0) and at-large teams Minnesota Duluth (10-1) and St. Cloud State (10-1) will play in the 24-team Division II field, and Bethel (10-0) and St. Scholastica (9-1) are in the 32-team Division III field.

Second-ranked MSU Mankato was named the No. 2 seed for the six-team Super Region 3. The Mavericks and top-seeded Northwest Missouri State have first-round byes. Fourth-seeded Minnesota Duluth will play host to No. 5 seed Emporia State on Saturday, while sixth-seeded St. Cloud State will play at No. 3 seed Henderson State.

Bethel received a No. 1 seed in one of the four eight-team Division III regionals. The Royals, the MIAC champs, will play host to UMAC champ St. Scholastica, which earned its third consecutive playoff berth, on Saturday.

Here is the bracket for the Division II tournament.

Here is the Division III bracket.

St. Thomas and Concordia (Moorhead), who tied for second place in the MIAC, were passed over, ending the Tommies' streak of four consecutive playoff appearances. St. Thomas reached the Division III championship game last season.

Also, Southwest Minnesota State accepted an invitation to play in the 48th Mineral Water Bowl on Dec. 7 in Excelsior Springs, Mo. The Mustangs' opponent will be Pittsburg State (Kan.) from the Mid-American Intercollegiate Athletics Association.