OU Football Club headed to national championship game

After posting a perfect 8-0 record this season, Oakland was selected to play in the 2014 National Club Football Association National Championship Bowl Game against Robert Morris University (RMU) this Saturday, Dec. 6 in Salem, Va.

In just its second year in existence, Oakland University’s club football team will compete for a national championship. After posting a perfect 8-0 record this season, Oakland was selected to play in the 2014 National Club Football Association (NCFA) National Championship Bowl Game against Robert Morris University (RMU) this Saturday, Dec. 6 in Salem, Va.

“This is a huge accomplishment for us as a club,” said David Brosky, the team’s president. “It shows the overwhelming support and participation we have been getting, and it’s also a testament to the athletic talent we have on campus.”

The team advanced to the national title game after beating previously undefeated and No. 1-ranked RMU in the Great Lakes Conference Championship in late November. The victory pushed Oakland into the No. 2 ranking, as determined by the NCFA power ranking formula, which is based on four equally weighted components: voting poll, overall win percentage, conference win percentage and total games played. Despite losing to Oakland, RMU retained its No. 1 ranking, which set the stage for a rematch in the national title game.

Oakland is the only NCFA team to go undefeated this season, scoring victories over the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Wright State University, DePaul University, The Ohio State University and Miami (OH) University en route to its unblemished record. The team will look to repeat its performance against RMU, a 27-26 thriller in which the Golden Grizzlies outlasted their opponent with superior depth and special teams play. Oakland’s 43-member roster includes undergraduate and graduate students with varying levels of athletic experience. Nic Bongers, club advisor, said the team is striving to make the entire OU community proud.

“Since we started the club, David Brosky and I sought to deliver a quality football product on campus worthy of the Oakland University name,” Bongers said. “We are honored and proud to be the first team in football pads to wear the black and gold, and compete on the national stage. This team has become family, and OU is our home.”

The national title game will take place on Saturday, Dec. 6 at Salem Stadium in Salem, Va. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. Eastern Time. For more information about the game, including tickets and lodging options, visit the NCFA website at ncfafootball.org. The game will also be streamed live at ustream.tv/channel/ncfa-national-championship-bowl-game.

Along with other club sports, the Oakland University club football program is run through OU’s Department of Campus Recreation. Find the team on Facebook at facebook.com/OUclubfootball, or visit their website at oufootballclub.wix.com/footballclub.