Football National Semifinal Preview

Setting the Scene:  For just the second time, the national semifinals come to Naperville, as the Cardinals seek to take the final step in achieving a fifth straight trip to the Stagg Bowl.

Series History: This is the first football meeting between the two institutions. North Central has never played a football team from the Landmark Conference.

National Rankings: North Central was ranked No. 1 nationally in the most recent NCAA Division III Top 25 Polls by D3football.com and the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA). Susquehanna was ranked No. 6 in both polls.

The Cardinals have been ranked No. 1 in the last 32 AFCA regular-season polls and 41 of the last 44 D3football.com regular-season polls.

North Central in the NCAA Playoffs:  The Cardinals own a 34-13 overall record in the Division III Football Championship, including trips to the national championship game, the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl, the last four seasons. North Central is 22-4 in postseason home games.

North Central won the 2019 and 2022 national championships and finished as the national runner-up in 2021 and 2023. The Cardinals first qualified for the national quarterfinals in 2010 and the semifinals in 2013.

Elsewhere in the Bracket: The winner of this game will play the winner of the semifinal matchup between Johns Hopkins (Maryland) and Mount Union (Ohio) in the Division III national championship game, the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl, at Shell Energy Stadium in Houston, Texas Jan. 5.

Get full pre-game coverage at northcentralcardinals.com.