IUP coach Lou Tepper glanced at his team's roster and noted, "I don't have one player who has ever been to the playoffs."

Will that hurt IUP (8-2) when it plays at West Chester (9-2) today at noon in the first round of the NCAA Division II Northeast Region football playoffs?

"I don't think so. Experience is overrated in the playoffs," he said. "We're looking at this as our exciting next game."

IUP received an at-large bid to the playoffs less than 24 hours after a 41-35 loss to Bloomsburg last Saturday in the final game of the regular season.

"I didn't think our season was over," said Tepper, whose Crimson Hawks received the sixth and final seed. "But I knew [getting a bid] no longer was something we controlled. If we were 9-1, there would be no question we'd be in."

IUP, making its first appearance in the playoffs since 2002, is ranked 23rd in the American Football Coaches Association poll, and West Chester is 16th.

"I'm not big on comparative scores, but it's interesting that IUP and West Chester have played eight common opponents," Tepper said.

"Our scores were better in four of them, and West Chester's scores were better in four of them, for what that's worth."

IUP leads the series, 9-6, but this is the first time IUP and West Chester will meet in the playoffs.

Both teams feature prolific offenses, with IUP averaging 38.3 points per game and West Chester 31.7.

IUP's offensive catalysts are quarterback Andrew Krewatch (61 percent completion, 2,481 yards passing, 23 touchdowns), wideout Ken Witter (44 catches, 556 yards, 4 touchdowns) and running back Kareem Dutrieuille (752 yards rushing, 8 touchdowns).

West Chester relies on quarterback Bill Zwaan (56.8 percent completion, 2,743 yards passing, 25 touchdowns), wideout Mike Washington (44 catches, 1,073 yards, 10 touchdowns) and running back Osagie Osunde (836 yards rushing, 10 touchdowns).

"We both like to throw the ball, but we do it differently," Tepper said. "They do it with a Wing-T and often have four receivers and empty sets. We run the ball more as an I[-formation] team, then we'll throw it."

Division III playoffs

Washington & Jefferson (10-0) plays host to North Carolina Wesleyan (8-2) in a first-round game at noon today at Cameron Stadium.

N.C. Wesleyan, the USA South Conference champion, has won eight games in a row since opening with losses to Wesley and Widener.

The Bishops, making their first trip to the playoffs, average 38 points behind double-threat quarterback Cedric Townsend, who completes 55 percent of his passes for 1,980 yards and 20 touchdowns, and has rushed for 478 yards and 13 touchdowns. Their leading ground-gainers are Bryan Haywood (769 yards, 8 touchdowns) and Teron Bush (726 yards, 5 touchdowns).

Top-seed W&J, which earned an automatic bid to the playoffs as champion of the Presidents' Athletic Conference, is making its 19th appearance in the playoffs and its seventh in the past eight seasons.

The Presidents are the fifth-highest scoring in the country with 47.4 points per game, and quarterback Bobby Swallow is second in passing efficiency.

He has completed 69 percent for 2,841 yards and 42 touchdowns and has thrown just three interceptions.

ECAC Division III Bowl games

Carnegie Mellon (6-4), which has won four games in a row and clinched its 33rd consecutive non-losing season, plays host to Gettysburg (6-4) in the ECAC Southwest Bowl at 2 p.m. today at Gesling Stadium.

Carnegie Mellon senior fullback Travis Sivek is the school's all-time rusher with 4,101 yards.

Gettysburg posted its first winning record since 1995 and is in the postseason for the first time since 1985. The Bullets are led by tailback Tom Sturges (1,431 yards rushing, 12 touchdowns).

• Waynesburg (8-2) plays at Dickinson (8-2) in the ECAC Southeast Bowl at noon today. Waynesburg's Robert Heller, a freshman from Ringgold, leads the country in rushing (2,019 yards) and scoring (16.2 points per game).

Elsewhere

Geneva (8-2) plays host to Malone (7-4) in the National Christian College Association Victory Bowl at 6 p.m. today. Geneva is 4-0 in previous appearances in the bowl.

• Duquesne (6-3), which already clinched its 14th consecutive winning season, finishes with a non-league game at Monmouth (3-6) at noon today. Monmouth is a member of the Northeast Conference.

The Dukes, who will leave the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference to join the NEC in 2008, are 3-0 against NEC teams this season with victories against Sacred Heart, St. Francis (Pa.) and Robert Morris.