ELLENSBURG, Wash.—Central Washington makes its first appearance in the NCAA playoffs since 2017 on Saturday when the Wildcats visit Northwest Missouri State. Kickoff in Maryville, Mo., is scheduled for 11 a.m. PST.
 
The Wildcats (8-2) are normally a part of Super Region Four (West) and entered last Sunday's selection show ranked sixth among region teams. The NCAA Division II Football Committee, however, moved Central Washington to Super Region Three (Central), thus creating the out-of-region matchup with No. 3 seed Northwest Missouri State.
 
Northwest Missouri State is Division II football royalty. The Bearcats are making their 17^th consecutive playoff appearance, and Northwest Missouri is owner of six National Championship trophies, winning it all in 1998, 1999, 2009, 2013, 2015 and 2016.
 
Still, for CWU head coach Chris Fisk and the Wildcats, this week is all about preparing for the program's first postseason in four years more than it is about who's on the other sideline. But that doesn't mean Fisk and the Wildcats aren't aware of history.
 
"We have to take the nameless, faceless opponent approach but at the same time everyone understands who we're playing and the tradition there," Fisk said. "They have what we want, they are who we want to be. We want our program to look like that at some point in terms of victories and national championships. We call them the Alabama of Division II football. But even Alabama got knocked off at some point. Hopefully we're the up and coming program that can do that."
 
The Wildcats enter the weekend with some serious momentum, having captured their sixth straight win last weekend with a 70-0 victory against Simon Fraser. Third-year freshman quarterback Quincy Glasper passed for 289 yards and accounted for seven total touchdowns in the rout. Darius Morrison caught 5 passes for a career-high 22 yards and the defense limited Simon Fraser to just 92 total yards of offense.
 
STORYLINES
•This is CWU's sixth NCAA postseason appearance, and the first since for the Wildcats since 2017
•The Wildcats swept the GNAC postseason awards, which were announced on Wednesday. Quincy Glasper (Offensive Player of the Year), Donte Hamilton (Defensive Player of the Year) and Chris Fisk (Coach of the Year) were the major winners.
•The Wildcats clinched their fourth straight GNAC title on Oct. 23 with a 53-21 defeat of Western Oregon. It was the program's 11th conference title since joining the GNAC in 2002.
•Saturday's game is the second meeting all-time between Central Washington and Northwest Missouri State. The previous meeting also came in the postseason, when the Bearcats edged Central, 21-20, in the 2009 first round in Ellensburg.
•The Wildcats are seeking their first postseason victory since Nov. 21, 2009, when they defeated Tarleton State, 27-6, in Tarleton, Texas.
•This is Central's first game in Missouri since 2018 when the Wildcats visited Southwest Baptist for a 74-28 victory
•The Wildcats enter play on Saturday riding a 6-game winning streak. During the streak, the Wildcats are averaging 57.3 points, while limiting their opponents to just 14 points and 258 yards of offense per game
•This is the first postseason game for Chris Fisk as a head coach. Fisk was offensive line coach & co-offensive coordinator for Central's last postseason appearance in 2017.
•The Wildcats are 4-1 on the road this season, with their only loss coming at FCS Eastern Washington (63-14) on Sept. 11.
 
ABOUT NORTHWEST MISSOURI STATE
•Northwest Missouri State is a member of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association
•The Bearcats are 6-time national champions, winning title in 1998, 1999, 2009, 2013, 2015 and 2016
•Northwest is making its 17th consecutive postseason appearance, and 25th overall
•The Bearcats won the MIAA regular-season title with a 9-1 record, finishing one-half game ahead of both Washburn and Nebraska-Kearney
•Defensive lineman Sam Roberts was named MIAA Defensive Player of the Year after making 13.5 tackles for loss, including 5 sacks
 
QUOTING HEAD COACH CHRIS FISK
"We're going to have to win the line of scrimmage. Their lines are the strength of their program. They have multiple All-Americans up front. We talked to the kids about how we've played several games over the years to help prepare us for this moment. We've played Idaho, Eastern Washington twice in the last couple of years, we've played Montana, we've played Midwestern State, North Alabama. We've played in big time games like this against personnel like this. And so, we've got to be able to put it together to come out with a victory. It will take an amazing amount of discipline and tenacity for us to get it done."