NCAA Bracket
 
MARYVILLE – Past meets future when Maryville and Berry meet in the NCAA Division III Football Championship First Round this Saturday in Georgia.
 
Kickoff is noon.
 
The Scots (8-1) and Vikings (8-2) both earned their respective automatic bids to the 40-team field, Maryville from the USA South and Berry from the Southern Athletic Association. Next season, these two programs will be conference rivals when the Scots join the SAA in football.
 
Maryville's last appearance in the NCAA playoffs came in 2018, and the Scots lost 31-0 at Berry. The Scots also played in the NCAA First Round in 2013 and fell 42-34 at Hampden-Sydney.
 
Berry leads the all-time series 7-3, having won the last seven meetings. The Scots are 1-4 all time in Rome, winning 37-0 in the debut meeting back in 2013. Maryville's last visit to Berry was the debut fall season for Scots head coach Ben Fox, with the Vikings prevailing 20-14. Berry won 31-24 in the most recent matchup, the 2022 season opener in Maryville.
 
The winner of this first-round contest advances to play DePauw (10-0) in Greencastle, Indiana, on Nov. 30.