For four years, University of St. Thomas football players had to answer questions: What are you playing for? How does it feel? Why do it? Not anymore. The Tommies are postseason eligible for the first time in their Division I era.

"You're playing for something more than just the end of the season, our senior day," said senior linebacker Ryan Severs. "Obviously, we love to honor those guys that have played before us, but now we're playing for something more than that. There's just a different level of angst and juice in our locker room right now and we're excited."

That energy came sooner than originally planned. In January, the NCAA reduced the required number of transitional years. So now, this team, which won a frustrating conference championship three years ago, can dream like everybody else.

"We know what's down the road. We know what we can achieve," said senior defensive back Den Juette. "If you look back on the 2022 season, when we were able to accomplish the conference championship, we know what it felt like to not go and allow the next team to go. We're just looking forward to make that next step and do something big for this university."

St. Thomas is in the FCS. Besides the Gophers, they're the only other Division I football team in Minnesota. They still have a low profile nationally, but it's grown a lot. 

Jason Laliberte, a senior offensive lineman from Maple Grove, Minnesota, has seen the evolution.

"It's been really cool to see us gradually progress in everyone's minds and see how we grow throughout the five years I've been here," said Laliberte.

The Tommies are coming off their worst record, regardless of level, in 17 years. Still, they're not sneaking up on anybody.

"They have the best record in the Pioneer League in the first four years we've been in the Pioneer League and it's by several games," said head coach Glenn Caruso, referring to his players. "There's a lot of teams that play really, really well when they either come here to play us or we go there to play them. You're going to get the absolute best that that team has and that's a badge of honor and we wear it proudly."