One division presents us with a changing of the guard; another presents us with the same old championship game. And, after a week off, the NAIA returns to the fray to decide their champion as well. Recaps of the Division II and III semifinals and previews of the championship games for D-II, D-III, and the NAIA, after the jump.

Division II Semifinals:
at Delta State 29, Shepherd 17
The Statesmen (11-3) overcame the Rams in an ugly game which was as much the fault of the weather as anything else. Rain fell throughout causing a sloppy field, the winds were so high that passes were basically getting knocked out of the sky, and to top it off the game was delayed for almost 40 minutes due to lightning. Shepherd ends the year 12-2.

at Minnesota-Duluth 17, Northwest Missouri State 13
The weather wasn’t exactly wonderful here either, as the Bulldogs (14-0) ran, ran, and ran some more to stage a late comeback, erasing a 13-3 Bearcat lead and preventing Northwest from making their sixth consecutive visit to Florence for the Division II Championship Game. A blizzard swept through Minnesota, but didn’t make it all the way to Duluth; still, game-time temperatures were around the zero mark, and it was a night game. Brr. Northwest finishes the campaign 12-2.

Division III Semifinals:
at Mount Union 34, Bethel (MN) 14
The Purple Raiders (14-0) keep on raiding. Matt Piloto, starting in place of the injured Neal Seaman, threw for 355 yards and four scores, and the Raider defense limited the Royals to 225 yards of offense. Mount Union makes their sixth consecutive trip to salem, while Bethel ends their run at 12-2.

Wisconsin-Whitewater 27, at Wesley 7
The Warhawks (14-0) picked off Wesley’s Justin Sottilare five times, two of them third-quarter pick sixes, and held the Wolverines to -7 yards on the ground to advance to their sixth straight Stagg Bowl. Wesley bows out with a 12-1 mark.

Division II Championship Game:
Minnesota-Duluth vs Delta State (Braly Stadium, Florence AL; 10:00 am ET, ESPN2)
This will be interesting. Delta State has a high-powered spread offense; Duluth has a pretty sick defense. Delta’s defense is no slouch either, but they’ll be contending with a Bulldog offense that simply crams the ball down your throat behind a Wisconsin-like offensive line. It’s an early kickoff, and an intriguing matchup, just the thing to start off championship Saturday. Duluth is probably going to win, but Delta’s capable of surprises (like holding Shepherd’s offense to 17 points last week, for example).

Division III Championship Game (Stagg Bowl XXXVIII):
Wisconsin-Whitewater vs Mount Union (Salem Stadium, Salem VA; 3:30 pm ET, ESPNU)
This will be the 35th Division III Championship Game, and the sixth consecutive meeting between these two squads. If you’re bad at math, that means they’ve played each other in over one-sixth of the title games. (That doesn’t even take into consideration the other eight times Mount Union’s been here.)

Both teams are likely to be relying on their backups at quarterback, as Piloto could remain in the driver’s seat for Mount Union. Lee Brekke has started all five playoff games for Whitewater in place of Lee Blanchard, who started every regular season game for UWW. That makes calling this game a difficult proposition, but then these teams have split the last four meetings evenly anyway. The general consensus is that Whitewater is a three-point favorite here owing to a slight edge in experience, and I see no reason to contest that view. Then again, I see no reason to worry about picking a winner here anyway; the two squads have now played five consecutive epic championship games against one another, and you’re probably better served just sitting back and enjoying the show.

NAIA National Championship Game:
Sioux Falls vs Carroll (MT) (Barron Stadium, Rome GA; 4:30 pm ET, CBS College Sports)
It’s a shame this game is conflicting with the Humanitarian Bowl and a compelling Division III title game. It’s a shame it’s on a channel most of you don’t get, too. Obviously, there’s the matter of Sioux Falls — playing their final game as an NAIA member — trying to walk away from the NAIA with a 43-game winning streak and three straight titles. There’s the matter of Carroll trying to pop that bubble and keep the NAIA Championship Trophy, you know, IN the NAIA. And there’s the small matter of these two teams playing a rubber match, having met for the title in 2007 and 2008 and splitting those games.

There are two keys to this game. The obvious one in any football game, the line of scrimmage, is a bit of a wash, although when Carroll has the ball they’ve got an edge in depth. The other is at QB, where Carroll’s Gary Wagner is more of a game manager, while USF’s Jon Eastman is a classic passer. If USF can turn this game into a shootout, they’re going to win; if Carroll can keep USF in check, they’ve got the edge. In the end, I think the Cougars ride off into the sunset with their third straight title. If you have the chance (and the channel), give this game some of your attention.