Wingate will open Division II football playoffs at home

Despite suffering their first loss of the season last week, the third-seeded Bulldogs will take on No. 6 West Florida on Saturday

Members of the Wingate football team celebrate their 2017 South Atlantic Conference championship. (Wingatebulldogs.com photo)

Despite losing its first game of the season, 25-17 at Tusculum on Saturday, the Wingate football team has been selected to the NCAA Division II playoffs.

The Bulldogs (9-1) are the No. 3 seed in the seven-team Southeastern Region of the bracket and will begin postseason play this Saturday at 1 p.m. with a home game against No. 6 seed West Florida. They are the only state team to make the tournament.

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Should Wingate beat the 7-3 Argonauts, it would advance to play either No. 2 Virginia State or No. 7 West Georgia in the region semifinals.

Top-seeded and defending national runnerup North Alabama has a first-round bye. The other two teams in the region are No. 4 Bowie State and No. 5 Delta State. The other four top seeds are Indiana (Pa.), Fort Hays State and Central Washington.

Northwest Missouri State defeated North Alabama 29-3 in the 2016 national championship game. This year’s final will be played on Dec. 16, at 6 p.m. at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kan., and will be broadcast live on ESPN2 HD and ESPN3.com.

Click here for the entire Division II playoff bracket.