CEDAR FALLS - Two years ago, Northern Iowa's unheralded football team pulled off a stunning upset at top-ranked New Hampshire in the Football Championship Subdivision playoff quarterfinals.

Sunday afternoon, the NCAA's FCS playoff selection committee gave the Wildcats an opportunity to settle that score.

In one of the most intriguing first-round matchups set for Friday and Saturday at campus sites around the country, the top-ranked and top-seeded Panthers (11-0) will host New Hampshire (7-4) at 6:35 p.m. Saturday in the UNI-Dome.

A standing-room only crowd, including most of UNI's players and coaches, packed Beck's On The Hill for Sunday's announcement, which was televised on ESPNU.

"This is awesome just walking in the door here and when I saw everybody parked outside," said head coach Mark Farley. "This is a great response again. There's a love for Panther football right now, and that's why it's pleasing to know that we're going to get to play a game at home."

Nobody expected the Panthers to be playing New Hampshire.

The Wildcats are one of a record five Colonial Athletic Association teams selected for the 16-team postseason field, and one of just four to ever earn an at-large bid with four losses. They will be making their sixth overall playoff appearance and third straight.

"That was surprising, because usually (four losses) is the first criteria that eliminates you," said Farley, who will be leading his fourth team and the program's 13th into the chase for the national championship. "That's a 7-4 team, but that's a good league they're coming from."

Several of UNI's players wondered if the committee became enamored with the idea of a UNI-New Hampshire rematch.

"I wonder if something happened in the committee room where it was about us playing them," said Panther senior linebacker Brannon Carter. "But we're fine with playing them."

"I think they like to see some of these matchups from the past," added quarterback Eric Sanders. "At the same time, everybody in these playoffs is good. Each round's going to be a test for us, so we've just got to keep our focus and play our kind of football.

"I've kind of kept track of what goes on in that conference. It's a good conference with a lot of quality teams. We're a quality conference, as well, so we'll see what happens.

Most importantly, UNI got the No. 1 seed it coveted and the chance to play as many as three playoff games in the UNI-Dome.

"It's going to be great to be here in the Dome," said Sanders. "We're going to have tremendous fan support like we have all year. It's going to give us a little competitive edge, but at the same time we've got to settle it between the white lines."

With all-American and reigning Walter Payton Award winner Ricky Santos at quarterback, New Hampshire is capable of beating anybody. Although three of their four losses were on the road, the Wildcats won at Marshall and Hofstra this season. They also defeated Delaware, an 8-3 playoff team that is matched against Delaware State in the other half of of UNI's postseason bracket.

"We're well aware of how talented they are on offense, and they have a pretty good defense, too," said UNI's Carter. "Santos has been a star for them for three or four years, and they have some other guys back from '05, also."

Santos, who was the quarterback when UNI visited Durham, N.H., has completed 73 percent of 315 passes for 2,721 yards and 22 touchdowns. For his career, the savvy senior has thrown for 12,961 yards and 120 TDs to rank third in both categories on the FCS all-time lists.

"They're a playoff football team and an experienced football team, and they've got a great quarterback, so this will be a huge challenge," said Farley.

"This is a different kind of challenge. The first thing that went through my head is that playing the East Coast teams, that's a different style of football than what we've been playing in the Gateway and the Midwest.

"We're going to have to adapt a little bit of what we do, and I'm sure they will have to, as well, when you start crossing over across the country."

So far this season, UNI has met 11 consecutive challenges. Saturday, that won't matter anymore.

"We're ready to move on," said senior Clifford Waters. "We're ready for whatever they've got to throw at us. We've seen it all this year."

"I definitely think we have our sights set to one common goal, and that's down in Chattanooga," added Eric Hoffman, another senior. "We're looking forward to this next game. We've got to take care of business there first."

Playoff notes

- Other than the Colonial Athletic, no conference has more than two teams in this year's field. The Gateway, Big Sky, Southern and Ohio Valley each have two representatives while the Southland, Mid-Eastern Athletic and Patriot have one each.

- When Southern Illinois hosts Eastern Illinois on Saturday, it will mark the third consecutive year that those two teams have met in the first round.

- Saturday's clash between James Madison and Appalachian State is a showdown of the two teams that have won the last three national titles. The Dukes won in 2004 before the Mountaineers took the last two championships.

Contact Doug Newhoff at (319) 291-1467 or doug.newhoff@wcfcourier.com

FCS playoff glance

First round

GAME FRIDAY

Delaware State (10-1) at Delaware (8-3), 12:30 p.m.

GAMES SATURDAY

New Hampshire (7-4) at No. 1 Northern Iowa (11-0), 6:35 p.m.

Eastern Illinois (8-3) at No. 4 Southern Illinois (10-1), TBA

Fordham (8-3) at Massachusetts (9-2), 11 a.m.

Eastern Washington (8-3) at No. 2 McNeese State (11-0), TBA

James Madison (8-3) at Appalachian State (9-2), TBA

Wofford (8-3) at No. 3 Montana (11-0), 1 p.m.

Eastern Kentucky (9-2) at Richmond (9-2), TBA

Quarterfinals

GAMES SATURDAY, DEC. 1

Delaware State-Delaware winner vs. New Hampshire-Northern Iowa winner

Eastern Illinois-Southern Illinois winner vs. Fordham-Massachusetts winner

Eastern Washington-McNeese State winner vs. James Madison-Appalachian State winner

Wofford-Montana winner vs. Eastern Kentucky-Richmond winner

Semifinals

GAMES DEC. 7-8

Quarterfinal winners

Championship

GAME FRIDAY, DEC. 14

At Chattanooga, Tenn.