Morningside dropped to No. 4 in the final regular season NAIA football poll after Saturday’s 49-48 upset loss at Doane.

Morningside College’s football team is ranked No. 4 in the nation in the final regular season NAIA Football Coaches’ Top 25 Poll released on Nov 16. 

The Mustangs’ eight-week run at No. 1 ended after the Mustangs were upset 49-48 by unranked Doane College in this past Saturday’s regular season finale in Crete, Neb. The victory propelled the Tigers to No. 22 in the final regular season poll. Morningside finished the regular season with a 9-1 record, including an 8-1 mark in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) to share the league title with Northwestern College. The Mustangs, who won their fourth consecutive GPAC championship, defeated Northwestern 42-24 when they met during the regular season on Nov. 8 in Sioux City.

Northwestern is ranked 12th in the final regular season poll to give the GPAC three teams in the NAIA Top 25.

Morningside will take a streak of 11 consecutive appearances in the NAIA Championship Series into the post-season. First round pairings will be announced at 5 p.m. on Sunday.

The Mustangs have a 110-22 record for a .833 winning percentage since the start of the 2004 season. Morningside has advanced to at least the NAIA quarterfinals eight times in the last 10 years, including an appearance in the 2012 Russell Athletic-NAIA Football National Championship Game in Rome, Ga.

Click here for the complete NAIA Top 25.