PSAC Places Four Teams Into NCAA Football Playoffs for Second Straight Year

Lock Haven, Pa. - For the second straight season and for just the third time in its history, the PSAC has placed four teams into the NCAA Division II football playoffs. Kutztown, Mercyhurst, California and Bloomsburg all earned playoff berths as the bracket was announced by the NCAA on Sunday afternoon.

California, the three-time defending Super Region One champions, is the only PSAC school to repeat its playoff appearance from last year, as the Vulcans will be making their fourth straight appearance in the playoffs and fourth overall, tying East Stroudsburg, Millersville and Shippensburg for the sixth-most in PSAC history. The Vulcans will be the No. 3 seed and will host the No. 6 seed Bloomsburg in the first round this Saturday. Bloomsburg, the PSAC East champion and runner-up who lost in the PSAC Championship game yesterday, will be making its eighth NCAA appearance, its second in the last three seasons, and its fourth in the last six, having also made the playoffs in 2005, 2006 and 2008. The Huskies were regional runners-up to California two years ago.

No. 1 seed Kutztown and No. 2 seed Mercyhurst not only earned their first playoff berths in school history, but also the first round byes that come with the two top seeds in each region. The Golden Bears will take on the winner of this week's Shaw-Shepherd game on November 27 at home while the Lakers will have a rematch with either California or Bloomsburg on November 27 at home in the second round. Mercyhurst defeated Bloomsburg yesterday in the PSAC Championship game and also defeated the Vulcans earlier this season, handing the Vulcans their first PSAC West loss since 2006.

In addition to the four teams in the playoffs for the second straight season, this season also marks the seventh time in the last eight seasons that the PSAC has had at least three teams in the playoffs, with 2006 (2 teams) being the only time since 2004 that there have not been at least three PSAC teams in the playoffs.

Times for the first round games will be announced later this week.


NCAA Division II Super Region One Football Playoffs

Saturday, November 20 - First Round
(6) Bloomsburg at (3) California, TBA
(5) Shaw at (4) Shepherd, TBA

Saturday, November 27 - Second Round
Bloomsburg/California at (2) Mercyhurst, TBA
Shaw/Shepherd at (1) Kutztown, TBA

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