ELLENSBURG, Wash.—Central Washington football will face Northwest Missouri State in the opening round of the 2021 NCAA Division II Football Championships, Saturday, Nov. 20 in Maryville, Mo. Kickoff time will be determined.
 
The Wildcats have spent the last three weeks ranked among the top six schools in the weekly Super Region Four (West) poll, but the selection committee moved them over to Super Region Three (Central) for seeding purposes, thus creating an out-of-region matchup.
 
The Wildcats (8-2) are the No. 6 seed in the Central Region, while Northwest Missouri (9-1) is seeded third. Ferris State is the region's No. 1 seed.
 
"It feels great. I'm so happy for the players, who have put the work in to get to this moment," CWU head coach Chris Fisk said. "It's exciting to face a program like Northwest Missouri State, a place where football really matters. I have a lot of respect for that program and what they do and their tradition. We'll have our hands full, but I'm excited to get over there."
 
Central Washington is in the Division II Playoffs for the first time since 2017. Overall, the Wildcats will be making their sixth NCAA postseason appearance. The Wildcats captured their fourth straight Great Northwest Athletic Conference title in October and are 11-time champions in the GNAC.
 
The Wildcats are led offensively by third-year freshman quarterback Quincy Glasper. In six games (five starts), Glasper has passed for 1,280 yards and has 17 touchdown passes against just 2 interceptions. He's also rushed for 226 yards and 4 touchdowns.
 
On the other side of the ball, graduate senior linebacker Donte Hamilton leads the way. In 10 games, Hamilton owns 71 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, 5.5 quarterback sacks, and 6 interceptions.