National News

 November 13, 2012


The NJCAA is set to cap off an outstanding football season with No. 1 Iowa Western taking on No. 2 Butler in the 2012 NJCAA National Championship Game. The Graphic Edge Bowl will host the matchup Dec. 2, at the UNI Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

The Butler Grizzlies are making their sixth trip to the national title game where they are 3-2 historically. The Grizzlies’ last appearance came in 2010 when the fell 13-12 to No. 2 Navarro. Butler has claimed five outright national championships (1981, ’98, ’99, 2003, ’08) and was named co-champions in 2007. All-time, the Grizzlies have a 14-9 record in their 23 bowl appearances.

Despite being a relatively new football program, Iowa Western has quickly grown into one of the nation’s marquee teams. The Reivers are playing in their first ever national championship game and are making only their third bowl appearance after defeating Rochester 62-0 in the 2011 Graphic Edge Bowl and falling 48-36 to Snow in the 2010 Top of the Mountains Bowl.

This is the first time that the Graphic Edge Bowl has played host to the national title game. The Graphic Edge Bowl has hosted two bowl games annually since 2002.

NJCAATV will broadcast the national championship game live over the internet through iHigh.com.

Wednesday, the NJCAA will release the complete schedule of matchups for the 2012 bowl games.