November 11, 2007

BRYANT FOOTBALL SELECTED TO NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP
Bulldogs Will Travel to Southern Connecticut Saturday
KICKOFF IS AT 12 NOON

Head Coach Marty Fine has led the Bulldogs to back to back NCAA appearances as the Bulldogs will travel to Southern Connecticut Saturday to face the Owls in the 2007 NCAA playoffs at Jess Dow Field in New Haven, CT.

NCAA Playoff Bracket

SMITHFIELD, RI - The Bryant University football team received word this morning of its selection to the 2007 NCAA Division II Football Championship as the NCAA Division II Football Committee announced today the field of 24 teams for the 2007 NCAA Division II Football Championship.

Eight first-round games will be conducted on the campus of one of the competing institutions. In addition, two teams per region have earned first-round byes.

The Bulldogs (8-2), champions of the Northeast-10 Conference and seeded fifth in the region, will travel to New Haven, Connecticut to face fourth-seeded Southern Connecticut State (8-3) this Saturday.  Kickoff at Jess Dow Field will be determined Sunday evening.  This will be the second meeting of the year between the Bulldogs and Owls.  Southern Connecticut defeated Bryant, 56-28 back on November 2 in New Haven, handing Bryant its first conference loss of the season.

The first-round winners will all advance to face a bye team in their region in the second round on the campus of one of the competing institutions. Second-round winners will meet in the quarterfinals at various campus sites.

Quarterfinal winners will advance to play in the semifinals on the campus of one of the competing institutions. Six teams selected per region make up the field of 24 teams. The first-round dates, sites and pairings are:

November 17 at Ellensburg, Washington
Ashland University (8-1) vs. *Central Washington University (8-2)

November 17 at Grand Forks, North Dakota
Winona State University (10-1) vs. *University of North Dakota (9-1)

November 17 at Abilene, Texas
Mesa State College (10-1) vs. *Abilene Christian University (9-2)

  November 17 at Canyon, Texas

Washburn University of Topeka (8-3) vs. *West Texas A&M University (11-0)

November 17 at Salisbury, North Carolina
Albany State University (Georgia) (8-2) vs. *Catawba College (10-1)

November 17 at Cleveland, Mississippi
Shaw University (8-3) vs. *Delta State University (9-1)

November 17 at New Haven, Connecticut
Bryant University (8-2) vs. *Southern Connecticut State University (8-3)

November 17 at West Chester, Pennsylvania
Indiana University of Pennsylvania (8-2) vs. *West Chester University of Pennsylvania (9-2)
*Denotes Host Institution

The following institutions earned first-round byes in each region and also will host a second-round game on November 24, 2007.

Northwest:
1. University of Nebraska at Omaha (10-0)
2. Grand Valley State University (10-0)

Southwest:
1. Chadron State College (11-0)
2. Northwest Missouri State University (9-1)

Southeast:
1. Valdosta State University (9-1)
2. University of North Alabama (9-1)

Northeast:
1. California University of Pennsylvania (11-0)
2. Shepherd University (9-1)

All contests shall start at noon local time. Other times may be established if approved by the committee. Grand Valley State defeated Northwest Missouri State in the 2006 national championship game to claim the NCAA title. The championship game will be played December 15, at Noon Eastern time at Braly Municipal Stadium in Florence, Alabama and will be broadcast live on ESPN2. The 2007 championship will mark 22 consecutive years that the Division II championship game has been played in Florence. In addition, both semifinal games will be played on Saturday, December 8. Kick-off will be at either 11 a.m. Eastern time or 9 p.m. Eastern time and will air on either ESPN2 or ESPNU.