KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The 2012 NAIA Football Coaches Poll and Championship Series first round pairings were announced Sunday afternoon. Montana Tech (8-2) dropped seven spots to finish the regular season ranked No. 14. The Orediggers travel to Sioux City, Iowa to take on No. 3 Morningside (10-0) in the FCS first round.
The post season matchup marks the first time meeting between Montana Tech and Morningside (Iowa). Morningside is part of the Great Plains Athletic Conference.
Montana Tech received an automatic bid into the NAIA Championship Series even though the Orediggers fell 46-28 to then-No. 12 Southern Oregon (now No. 10). The victory by the Raiders paved the way for their at-large bid into the Championship Series. The two teams will share the Frontier Conference Championship, but Tech wins the tiebreakers for automatic entry into the post season.
This is the first appearance for the Orediggers in the NAIA Football Championship Series since 2005. The Orediggers lost to Carroll College in the second round after defeating Azusa Pacific on the road in the initial contest.
Montana Tech will host a press conference Monday at 1 p.m. at the HPER Complex. Head coach Chuck Morrell will address the NAIA Football Championship Series and upcoming opponent No. 3 Morningside (Iowa). The public is invited to the event.
There will be opportunity for Oredigger fans to travel with the team to Sioux City. Travel, hotel and ticket information will be released soon.
— Montana Tech Sports Information
| RANK | LAST TIME | SCHOOL (1ST PLACE VOTES) | 2012 RECORD | TOTAL POINTS |
| 1 | 1 | Georgetown (Ky.) (13) | 10-0 | 314 |
| 2 | 2 | Missouri Valley (1) | 10-0 | 298 |
| 3 | 3 | Morningside (Iowa) | 10-0 | 295 |
| 4 | 4 | Saint Xavier (Ill.) | 9-1 | 277 |
| 5 | 5 | Marian (Ind.) | 8-1 | 264 |
| 6 | 6 | Saint Francis (Ind.) | 8-2 | 251 |
| 7 | 8 | Cumberlands (Ky.) | 9-1 | 240 |
| 8 | 10 | St. Ambrose (Iowa) | 9-1 | 227 |
| 9 | 11 | MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) | 8-2 | 220 |
| 10 | 12 | Southern Oregon | 8-2 | 196 |
| 11 | 12 | Baker (Kan.) | 8-2 | 187 |
| 12 | 14 | Northwestern (Iowa) | 9-2 | 176 |
| 13 | 15 | William Penn (Iowa) | 9-2 | 175 |
| 14 | 7 | Montana Tech | 8-2 | 169 |
| 15 | 16 | Ottawa (Kan.) | 8-2 | 143 |
| 16 | 9 | Grand View (Iowa) | 8-3 | 132 |
| 17 | 17 | Tabor (Kan.) | 8-2 | 126 |
| 18 | 18 | Bethel (Tenn.) | 8-3 | 119 |
| 19 | 20 | Doane (Neb.) | 7-3 | 90 |
| 20 | 21 | Cumberland (Tenn.) | 8-3 | 88 |
| 21 | 22 | Carroll (Mont.) | 7-4 | 75 |
| 22 | 25 | Benedictine (Kan.) | 7-4 | 52 |
| 23 | 19 | Evangel (Mo.) | 7-4 | 39 |
| 24 | RV | Valley City State (N.D.) | 7-3 | 30 |
| 25 | NR | Kentucky Christian | 7-4 | 28 |
2012 Football Championship Series Pairings (All times local)
| Game 1: | Bethel (Tenn.) (8-3)* at Georgetown (Ky.) (10-0)^, 3:30 p.m. |
| Game 2: | Ottawa (Kan.) (8-2)* at Missouri Valley (10-0)^, TBD |
| Game 3: | Montana Tech (8-2) at Morningside (Iowa) (10-0)^, 1 p.m. |
| Game 4: | William Penn (Iowa) (9-2) at Saint Xavier (Ill.) (9-1)^, 1 p.m. |
| Game 5: | Northwestern (Iowa) (9-2) at Marian (Ind.) (8-1)^, 1 p.m. |
| Game 6: | Baker (Kan.) (8-2)* at Saint Francis (Ind.) (8-2), 12 p.m. |
| Game 7: | MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) (8-2)^ at Cumberlands (Ky.) (9-1), 12 p.m. |
| Game 8: | Southern Oregon (8-2) at Saint Ambrose (Iowa) (9-1), 1 p.m. |
^ hosted a 2011 FCS First Round
* played on the road in 2011 FCS First Round
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