FB: Presidents' Athletic Conference

[ADL70]

CWRU season preview

https://athletics.case.edu/news/2026/8/3/2026-cwru-football-season-preview.aspx

Not many specifics. Of note, the 5 losses and 1 tie last season were to teams that made the postseason. Admittedly there are more postseason opportunities now, but still.

Will Maisenbacher SO TE transfer from FCS Wofford enrolled mid-year and participated in spring practice.

Looks like the offense will feature more size than in the previous seasons.

[ADL70]

Not to be outdone by the big guys in D1, Thiel has an Australian punter.

https://thielathletics.com/sports/football/roster/spencer-cleary/13950

[DagarmanSpartan]

I like our class of newcomers, after reading the media guide.  I sure hope that our new O-Linemen can step up. 

Being picked 4th out of, essentially, 12, is not a bad place to be.  It's a bit higher than I expected. 

Hopefully we can contend.

I liked Coach Debs' and Kavcic's interview at Media Day. 

[The Third Division]

who in gods green earth gave bethany a first place vote?

https://pacathletics.org/news/2026/8/4/w-j-selected-first-in-2026-pac-preseason-football-poll.aspx

[ADL70]

Someone who thought 10 was high and 1 low?

[ADL70]

I like our class of newcomers, after reading the media guide.  I sure hope that our new O-Linemen can step up. 

Being picked 4th out of, essentially, 12, is not a bad place to be.  It's a bit higher than I expected. 

Hopefully we can contend.

I liked Coach Debs' and Kavcic's interview at Media Day. 

Who besides the three transfers who have been discuss caught your eye? Debs seems high on the OL returning rather than FYs.  "There were several younger players we liked that
are going to see more time this year ... I think this year, if we let the offensive line be aggressive
and physical, we can be a successful offensive line."

PAC currently has a top tier of five and a big gap to sixth. Why would the Spartans be lower than fifth? I wonder how many poll voters were aware of Geneva's schedule advantage. CWRU and Geneva do not play one another in 2026. Geneva, as in 2025, plays one fewer of the top three than CWRU

The situation in Loretto hasn't gotten any better for St Francis. Their website now only shows twelve returning players, when earlier it listed nineteen.

The media guide has Spartan's 2027 schedule with nine conference games without Grove City or St Francis. Rochester, like this season, is the non-conference foe. 

I wish that the five UAA football schools would agree to schedule one another in week 1. CMU and Rochester each need three non-conference games so they could alternate playing the odd team out in week 2.   

[DagarmanSpartan]

The first year class includes some impressive O-Line prospects like Trey Donovan, Buka Odeluga, and Matthew Iannicca.  Those are the kinds of O-linemen we need to be bringing in as true freshmen and developing.

Among transfers, I like both the TE from Wofford and Sergio Beltran from Bates.  I'd pencil both in as starters and immediate impact players.  Beltran was already all-NESCAC.

I am also intrigued by freshman QB Alex Bryson.  6'4" and 210 is impressive at that position.

[ADL70]

I wrote about him in May. "The intriguing FY is Bryson. He graduated HS in 2025 and played last season at a prep school [Fork Union], so still has four seasons of eligibility. His social media suggested that he would enroll in January which should mean that he could have participated in spring practice. At 6'4 210 he has size that hasn't been seen at QB for at least a dozen years. He should get pt and potentially be a 3-year starter."

His bio on the CWRU site doesn't mention Fork Union.

The roster lists 4 QBs who seem to be in their last season of eligibility, although since Pierce Olsen didn't play in either 2023 or 24 at FCS Merrimack (same conference as St Francis), he might be eligible in 2026. Merrimack's 2024 roster lists him as a sophomore instead of redshirt freshman.
His major is listed as pre-med so he might not be interested in another season of football.

That would leave only Chenette returning as a senior in 2027.

[mikefln]

PAC currently has a top tier of five and a big gap to sixth.   

PAC has a top tier of two: W&J and GCC.

Case and Westminster are a step down from those two, but they could easily work their way into that status.

Geneva is in their own category since they probably have the biggest and most loyal fan base. They made great strides last season, so we'll see where they go.

The rest of the schools need a lot of help to get better. Outside of Allegheny and SVC, the other four are fighting to just stay open, as Forbes says they're not in great financial shape.

[ADL70]

My point was the chasm that separates the five from those below.

If you're only looking at 2025, I'd put W&J by itself at the top. They beat my top five: GCC 34-14, Westminster 24-7, Geneva 49-7, and CWRU 28-17.

Going back to 2017 after TMC left, W&J and CWRU were co-champs who didn't play one another.

2018 W&J
2019 CWRU
2020 [spring] Westminster CWRU did not play
2021 Westminster and CMU
2022 CMU
2023 GCC
2024 W&J GCC

Geneva in the previous 3 seasons only lost to the conference teams listed above. In 2025 they beat CWRU.

CWRU beat Westminster in 2023 and W&J in 2022.

[ADL70]

Looking at just the five seasons after Covid, does seem to support your case.

W&J was 38-7 and GCC 37-8. Westminster was 33-12 and CWRU 27-8

But for me what is significant is the futility of the rest of the conference.

[mikefln]

Looking at just the five seasons after Covid, does seem to support your case.

W&J was 38-7 and GCC 37-8. Westminster was 33-12 and CWRU 27-8

But for me what is significant is the futility of the rest of the conference.

The consistent underperformance of the lower-tier teams in this conference is notable. This league has historically been top-heavy, a trend evident since the 1990s when W&J dominated until GCC, led by RJ Bowers, emerged as a strong competitor. In the 2000s, W&J and Thomas More were the primary contenders. Currently, the PAC appears to be experiencing its most competitive period in recent memory.

Several factors contribute to this dynamic. The Western Pennsylvania region boasts a high concentration of football programs, including seven Division II institutions (excluding Mercyhurst, which is not positioned for FCS transition) and eight Division III teams. This does not account for the numerous FCS, Division II, and Division III programs in West Virginia, Northeastern Ohio, and Central Pennsylvania that draw from the same talent pool.

While the strength of the WIAC is frequently discussed, the strategic advantage they possess due to the presence of only one FBS institution and seventeen Division III institutions within the state is often overlooked. All state-affiliated institutions in Wisconsin are Division III. One can only speculate about the potential caliber of Pennsylvania's Division III programs if the state had a single FBS institution instead of three, no FCS institutions instead of eight, no Division II institutions instead of sixteen, and only seven Division III institutions instead of twenty-eight.

Another challenge facing the PAC is the questionable decision to integrate Hiram and St. Francis. Firstly, it is plausible that this decision significantly contributed to Carnegie Mellon University's departure. Secondly, both institutions are currently experiencing financial difficulties. While St. Francis was initially perceived to be disengaging from the complexities of Division I athletics, a review of their financial statements reveals substantial struggles. The addition of two financially distressed institutions, when three existing members were already in precarious financial positions, raises questions regarding strategic alignment.

I am not here to criticize the PAC commissioner or the presidents of member schools. I recognize the complexities of their roles, just as they would recognize the complexities of mine. While I do not possess all the relevant information, the data I do have indicates challenging times ahead for five of the seven lower-performing institutions in terms of operations, let alone football success. I doubt this is a mere coincidence. Again, while I lack complete information, the fact that John Carroll was seeking to leave the OAC at the same time the PAC accepted Hiram is difficult to reconcile.