Tartans Travel to North Central (Ill.) in NCAA First Round Matchup

(INDIANAPOLIS, Ind.) – The Carnegie Mellon University football team, the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) automatic qualifier to the 2021 NCAA Division III Football Championship, have been selected to play the nation's top ranked team North Central (Ill.) College in the opening round. Kickoff against the Cardinals at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium is scheduled for 12 p.m. on Saturday, November 20 in Naperville, Illinois.

For the Cardinal and Gray, it will mark the seventh time appearing in the NCAA postseason, third under 36-year head coach Rich Lackner, and first since 2006. The Tartans claimed their eighth PAC championship, and the Pool A (automatic bid) that came with it, by virtue of a 24-6 win over Case Western Reserve in the 35th Annual Academic Bowl Saturday. Carnegie Mellon will enter the postseason with an overall mark of 8-2 after finishing 8-1 in the PAC.

North Central, which won the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin championship and is the national defending champion, finished the regular season with a 10-0 record. This will be the 13th postseason appearance for the Cardinals.

The winner of the Carnegie Mellon and North Cenral game will play the winner of the Albion and UW-La Crosse game on Saturday, November 27 at a time and location to be determined.

View the full bracket - pdf