The Linfield University Wildcats have been selected to host a second-round NCAA Division III playoff game on Saturday, Nov. 30, at Maxwell Field in McMinnville. Kickoff is set for noon PST.
 
The Wildcats will host Texas Lutheran, champions of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference.
 
The newly expanded 40-team playoff field was announced Sunday afternoon by the NCAA. Linfield and Texas Lutheran each earned one of 28 first-round playoff byes. The winner could potentially face either Hardin-Simmons (10-0), Trinity (8-2) or Mary Hardin-Baylor (5-3) on Saturday, Dec. 7, at a site to be determined by the NCAA.
 
For the first time, the NCAA is partnering with ESPN+ to carry all Division III playoff events on the cable television. Though the Linfield Sports Network team will furnish the live video and Linfield announcers Joe Stuart and Gary McGarvie will describe the action, the traditional LSN video stream will not be available due to the NCAA's licensing agreement with ESPN.
 
Last Saturday, Linfield knocked off previously unbeaten Whitworth 34-7 to capture the program's third Northwest Conference championship in four seasons.
 
Linfield earned the program's 18th NCAA playoff appearance and 33rd overall postseason invitation. Linfield has an all-time national playoff record of 45-28 (.616) and is 29-16 in postseason games since joining NCAA Division III in 1998.
 
The Wildcats (9-1) are ranked No. 14 in both the American Football Coaches Association and D3football.com polls. Texas Lutheran is unranked.
 
Texas Lutheran is making just its second appearance in the NCAA playoffs, falling 27-20 to Mary Hardin-Baylor in the first round of the 2014 playoffs.
 
The Wildcats and Bulldogs met almost 50 years ago to the day in the NAIA playoffs, a game which TLU won by a 52-8 score in Seguin, Texas.