After a big win against Valdosta State, UNA was selected to play in the Division II playoffs on Sunday and will play in a rematch this weekend against rival West Alabama.

That’s what makes the Division II post season so much better than what you have with the bowl system that Division I FBS has at the end of its season every year. Pretty much one loss on your schedule and your chances of making it to the championship are over.

That’s the beauty of Division II having a playoff system at the end of the year: you have room for error and still can win a championship. As long as you get in the field of 24 teams, anything can happen at that point.

The playoffs give teams a second chance to rebound from the regular season mistakes and let downs along the way. It also can change the perceptions of fans if your team makes a run for the title.

This could be true for the Lions. Ever since the team fell in consecutive weeks, fans were panicking and saying this is a letdown year. After those losses, the team got back on track, picking up two big wins, and is carrying momentum into the playoffs.

Look at last season. The Lions lost to Valdosta State in the season and met for a rematch in the first round of the playoffs and came up with a victory at home field. The following week, the Lions met Delta State, who they beat in the season, and lost, and Delta State made it all the way to the championship.

Going into this postseason, the Lions could do exactly like Delta State did last year: lose in the regular season matchup and meet up in the second round and avenge the season loss. I’m not saying it will happen, but it would make a very neat story if it did end up like that.

That’s what is great about being able to play in a postseason playoff: you just don’t know what is going to happen. So throw out all the rankings and all the stats, because, at this point, none of that matters. It’s about who wants the national championship the most and who will give everything to win it all.