The race for the 2025 NAIA football national title officially began Sunday night with the announcement of the Championship Series bracket.

The 20-team field sees the top 12 seeds earn first-round byes, with seeds 13 through 20 playing first-round games on Saturday, Nov. 22. Those games are as follows:

No. 20 Texas Wesleyan at No. 13 William Penn (Iowa)
No. 17 St. Thomas (Fla.) at No. 14 Carroll (Mont.)
No. 19 Reinhardt (Ga.) at No. 15 Southeastern (Fla.)
No. 15 Evangel (Mo.) at No. 16 Saint Francis (Ind.)

The top 12 seeds earned byes to the second round on Nov. 29. They are as follows:

1. Grand View (Iowa)
2. Keiser (Fla.)
3. Montana Tech
4. Friends (Kan.)
5. Benedictine (Kan.)
6. Marian (Ind.)
7. Lindsey Wilson (Ky.)
8. College of Idaho
9. Morningside (Iowa)
10. Dordt (Iowa)
11. Indiana Wesleyan
12. Campbellsville (Ky.)

Grand View and Keiser begin the 2025 playoffs where they left off; Grand View defeated defending national champion Keiser to win the 2024 crown.

Games will be played at campus sites through the semifinals on Dec. 13. The NAIA National Championship is set for Dec. 20 at Crowley ISD Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas.

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