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INDIANAPOLIS – Eastern Illinois football season will continue next Saturday as the Panthers were selected as one of eight at-large teams for the 2007 NCAA FCS Football playoffs. EIU, 8-3, will face off against in-state and former Gateway Conference rival Southern Illinois in Carbondale. The Salukis are 10-1 on the year.
Game time will be 1:30 p.m. Tickets for the playoff game will go on sale at 9 a.m. by calling (217) 581-2106.
The Salukis earned a No. 4 national seed in the 16-team field after a second place finish in the Gateway Football Conference. SIU finished the regular-season with a 45-27 win at Hampton. SIU's only loss this season was to No. 1 overall seed Northern Iowa.
Eastern Illinois will be making their 12th NCAA playoff appearance and third straight. EIU enters the game with an 8-3 record and runner-up finish in the Ohio Valley Conference. EIU knocked off Samford 33-17 in Saturday's senior day game at O'Brien Stadium.
This will be the 59th meeting in the series with SIU holding a 35-22-1 advantage. The two schools last met in 2005 with SIU winning a NCAA FCS playoff first round contest at O'Brien Stadium.
EIU's defense is led by Buck Buchanan candidate Donald Thomas while SIU features Walter Payton Award candidate quarterback Nick Hill.
The winner of the EIU/SIU game will play the winner of the Fordham/Massachusetts contest.
The remainder of the bracket includes No. 1 overall seed Northern Iowa hosting New Hampshire. The winner will play the winner of the Delaware State at Delaware game. McNeese State was selected as the No. 2 overall seed and will host Eastern Washington. That winner will meet the winner of James Madison at Appalachian State. The final national seed was Montana at No. 3 hosting Wofford. That winner will face the winner of Eastern Kentucky at Richmond.
