CEDAR FALLS — By the slimmest of margins, the Panthers are playoff-bound.
Northern Iowa received one of the last at-large bids Sunday for the Football Championship Subdivision Playoffs, which begin next weekend. The Panthers (6-5) will play at Eastern Washington (9-2) at 3 p.m. (CT) next Saturday in the opening round, with a win sending UNI to No. 6 seed Montana the following week.
Despite two late-season road losses that led to a sixth-place finish in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, the Panthers leaned on their strength of schedule and quality wins to sneak in.
UNI's victories over South Dakota State (8-3), Southern Illinois (7-4) and Big Sky champion Sacramento State (9-2) provided more substance than most other bubble teams could match.