Mary Hardin-Baylor’s 2024 playoff run will begin in San Antonio, as the Crusaders are set to face Trinity University (TX) in the first round next Saturday. UMHB learned of its matchup during the NCAA’s Selection Show on Sunday afternoon.
The contest will be broadcasted live on ESPN+, with kickoff coming at 12 p.m. CT. All playoff contests in the first three rounds kickoff at noon local time, per the Division III Football Pre-Championship manual.
Trinity, with an 8-2 overall record, earned an at-large bid to the postseason after finishing in a three-way tie for first place in the Southern Athletic Association. After dropping two of its first four games, the Tigers have won six straight entering the playoffs. That includes a notable 38-35 overtime win over Berry, who also earned a playoff bid, on Oct. 26.
UMHB and Trinity are familiar opponents, as the two programs met in the opening round of the 2021 playoffs, and the second round of the 2022 playoffs. UMHB went 2-0 in those postseason duels, though Trinity won a regular season contest at home against The Cru last season, 35-16. The Crusaders are 4-4 all-time when facing Trinity in San Antonio.
The winner of that opening round matchup will face Hardin-Simmons, the ASC champion, in Abilene on Nov. 30. HSU finished the regular season with a 10-0 record for the fourth time in program history, and earned the No. 2 overall seed, per the NCAA Power Index (NPI), in the tournament.
UMHB earned an at-large bid to the postseason after finishing second in the American Southwest Conference standings with a 4-2 record in league play. The Crusaders went 5-2 against Division III opponents during the regular season, highlighted by a 35-17 win at UW-Whitewater on Sept. 21.
The Cru learned of their selection to the field on Saturday evening, finishing No. 11 in NPI amongst teams in contention for at-large bids. With the expansion to 40 teams in the Division III playoffs for the first time, after being a 32-team tournament, 12 at-large bids were awarded to teams that did not win the title in their respective conference.
The expanded field also created a new format, with 16 teams playing eight first-round matchups next Saturday on Nov. 23, and the other 24 earning byes in the opening round. The second round is set for Nov. 30. The third round will be played on Dec. 7, and quarterfinals are set for Dec. 14. National semifinals are to be played on Dec. 21 before a long break prior to the Stagg Bowl, which will be played in January for the first time. The national title game is set for Jan. 5 in Houston, Texas at Shell Stadium.
UMHB and Trinity are two of the four programs from Texas that qualified for the tournament. Texas Lutheran, ranked No. 26 in NPI, earned a first round bye, and will play at Linfield in the second round. HSU, as mentioned, also received a first round bye. The winner of the matchup between HSU and Trinity/UMHB will face the winner of Linfield/Texas Lutheran in the third round on Dec. 7.
