Complete first-round pairings
Final NAIA Top 25

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – For the first time in 12 years, the NAIA Football Championship Series is returning to Raider Stadium next Saturday for round one of the 16-team playoff.

Southern Oregon University (9-2 overall) woke up Sunday to a No. 8 ranking in the NAIA top 25 – a four-spot dip as a result of Saturday's 31-27 loss to Eastern Oregon – which put the Raiders in line to host the ninth-ranked MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) Pioneers.

Kickoff is set for 4 p.m., and tickets will go on sale Tuesday morning at souraiders.com/tickets. Season tickets and other passes are not valid for the NAIA playoffs.

The Pioneers (9-1), who shared the Heart of America Athletic Conference championship, will ride a six-game win streak into Ashland for their 12^th all-time NAIA FCS appearance. They've never played the Raiders head-to-head in any sport.

SOU edged out MidAmerica by just two points in the top-25 poll, 239-237.

The Raiders last went to the postseason in 2012, making a run to the quarterfinals that ended with an overtime loss at Morningside (Iowa). They received an at-large bid for the program's fifth NAIA FCS appearance.

SOU is 4-0 in the first round but has never made it past the second.

The Raider offense will face a defense that ranks fourth in the NAIA in points allowed per game (15.6) and has held three of its last five opponents to seven points or less. The Pioneers also rank fifth in passing yards allowed per game (139.6).

MidAmerica Nazarene's only loss was at Central Methodist, which finished with a record of 5-6. The Pioneers went 3-0 against ranked opponents this season but are No. 23 in the Hensley power rankings, which has them with the 50^th-toughest schedule in the NAIA.

Their trip from Olathe, Kan. – the fourth-most populated city in the state – will span about 1,800 miles.

The playoff field is not bracketed, meaning the teams will be re-seeded after each round, and some pairings may be made based on geographical convenience.

Morningside (Iowa) was upset Saturday, allowing Carroll to move to No. 1 in the rankings. The Saints won the Frontier Conference outright and will host 14^th-ranked Valley City State (N.D.).

Despite its upset at Raider Stadium, Eastern Oregon moved up just one spot to No. 15 in the rankings and was the first team left out of the field. The Mountaineers have never qualified for the NAIA FCS.

SOU had won seven straight at home against ranked opponents until Saturday.