KANSAS CITY, Mo. – [Qualifier Reveal | FCS Schedule] The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) announced the 20 team field and the matchups for the First Round of the NAIA Football Championship Series (FCS) on Sunday. The FCS will kick-off on Saturday, November 18th at four campus sites across the country. The Top 12 seeds receive a first-round bye.
The full field features 13 automatic qualifiers and seven at-large berths. In order to qualify for an automatic bid, teams must win their conference regular season or division title. At-large berths were determined by the NAIA Football National Selection Committee. Teams earning an at-large berth must be ranked in the Top 25 of the final NAIA Coaches’ Top 25 poll, which can be accessed here.
The 68th Annual NAIA Football National Championship will culminate on December 18th at Durham County Memorial Stadium in Durham, N.C. For more information on the 2023 NAIA Football National Championship, click here.
Qualifier Highlights
- The Bethel Wildcats at 10-1 are a seven seed and will get a first-round bye. The Wildcats will play at home on November 25th. More on the Cats later at www.bethelu.edu.
- Coach Michael Jasper was excited about the playoffs. “I’m thrilled that we will get the opportunity to represent the Mid -South Conference in the playoffs. The new format will present some new challenges, but I’m thankful we get a bye to rest up and refocus. Getting to host in the 2nd round is also a blessing. We look forward to putting on a great show in front of a packed house right here in McKenzie at Wildcat Stadium.”
- Northwestern (Iowa), Grand View (Iowa), and Evangel (Mo.) are undefeated with a combined 32-0 record.
- Six teams in the field have won a combined 13 Red Banners.
- Ten of the 20 teams in the FCS played in the postseason a year ago.
- St. Thomas (Fla.) and Louisiana Christian are playing in the FCS for the first time in program history.
- This is the first year with the new 20 team format, where the Top 12 get a first-round bye.
- The NWC Red Raiders have played in the most FCS games with 51 total while their conference foes from Morningside (Iowa) have won the most FCS games (34).
- The Frontier and Great Plains Athletic Conference are tied for the most teams with three each.
Top 12 Qualifiers
| Seed | Institution | Season Record |
| 1 | Northwestern (Iowa) | 11-0 |
| 2 | Grand View (Iowa) | 10-0 |
| 3 | Keiser (Fla.) | 8-2 |
| 4 | Georgetown (Ky.) | 8-1 |
| 5 | Marian (Ind.) | 9-1 |
| 6 | Indiana Wesleyan | 9-1 |
| 7 | Bethel (Tenn.) | 10-1 |
| 8 | Montana Western | 9-1 |
| 9 | Evangel (Mo.) | 11-0 |
| 10 | Morningside (Iowa) | 9-2 |
| 11 | College of Idaho | 8-2 |
| 12 | Saint Xavier (Ill.) | 7-3 |
First Round Matchups
| Institution | Record | Institution | Record | |
| St. Thomas (Fla.) | 8-3 | vs. | Reinhardt (Ga.) | 8-2 |
| Montana Tech | 7-3 | vs. | Dickinson State (N.D.) | 9-1 |
| Dordt (Iowa) | 8-2 | vs. | Ottawa (Kan.) | 6-5 |
| Baker (Kan.) | 8-2 | vs. | Louisiana Christian | 9-1 |
2023 NAIA Football Championship Series Qualifiers
(Alphabetical Listing)
| Institution | Qualification Method | Season Record | Appearances | Last Qualified | FCS Record | Titles |
| Baker (Kan.) | Heart of America South Division Champion | 8-2 | 20 | 2020 | 18-19 | 0 |
| Bethel (Tenn.) | At-Large | 10-1 | 7 | 2022 | 3-6 | 0 |
| College of Idaho | At-Large | 8-2 | 2 | 2019 | 1-1 | 0 |
| Dickinson State (N.D.) | North Star Athletic Association Champion | 9-1 | 24 | 2022 | 7-23 | 0 |
| Dordt (Iowa) | At-Large | 8-2 | 2 | 2020 | 0-1 | 0 |
| Evangel (Mo.) | Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference – Kessinger Division Champion | 11-0 | 8 | 2005 | 7-7 | 0 |
| Georgetown (Ky.) | Mid-South Conference Champion | 8-1 | 23 | 2020 | 25-19 | 3 |
| Grand View (Iowa) | Heart of America North Division Champion | 10-0 | 12 | 2022 | 14-10 | 1 |
| Indiana Wesleyan | Mid-States Football Association Mideast Champion | 9-1 | 3 | 2022 | 2-2 | 0 |
| Keiser (Fla.) | The Sun Conference Champion | 8-2 | 5 | 2022 | 6-4 | 0 |
| Louisiana Christian | Sooner Athletic Conference Champion | 9-1 | 1 | – | – | – |
| Marian (Ind.) | At-Large | 9-1 | 12 | 2022 | 20-9 | 2 |
| Montana Tech | At-Large | 7-3 | 10 | 2016 | 5-9 | – |
| Montana Western | Frontier Conference Champion | 9-1 | 5 | 2021 | 1-4 | 0 |
| Morningside (Iowa) | At-Large | 9-2 | 20 | 2022 | 34-16 | 3 |
| Northwestern (Iowa) | Great Plains Athletic Conference Champion | 11-0 | 25 | 2022 | 30-21 | 3 |
| Ottawa (Kan.) | Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference – Bissell Division Champion | 6-5 | 10 | 2014 | 1-9 | 0 |
| Reinhardt (Ga.) | Appalachian Athletic Conference Champion | 8-2 | 9 | 2022 | 6-7 | 0 |
| Saint Xavier (Ill.) | Mid-States Football Association Midwest Champion | 7-3 | 16 | 2022 | 18-14 | 1 |
| St. Thomas (Fla.) | At-Large | 8-3 | 1 | – | – | – |