Sep 9, 2024 4 min read

By John Sacco

For the Observer-Reporter

History often repeats itself.

In the case of the Presidents’ Athletic Conference and Carnegie Mellon University, it certainly has.

CMU will withdraw as a football member of the PAC to join the Centennial Conference beginning in 2025, it was officially announced Monday.

The move scuttles the PAC’s plans to divide into two, six-team divisions in 2025 and hold a championship game between division winners.

CMU and Case Western Reserve, who have played as football affiliates in the PAC since 2014, are both full members of the University Athletic Association, which does not sponsor football.

CMU, which has been a member of the UAA since leaving the PAC as a full-time member back in the late 1980s, was expected to be part of the new two-division football alignment in the PAC starting with the 2025 season.

CMU joined the PAC in 1968, then withdrew from the conference following the 1989-1990 academic year. At the time, the Tartans’ hierarchy said it desired to “go in a different direction.”

Well-placed sources confirmed CMU’s departure over the weekend, PAC commissioner Joe Onderko said onday in a news release the conference granted a release to CMU from a multi-year football affiliate contract “following a request from the University.”

Added Onderko: “With this announcement, the 2024 season will serve as the final year of Carnegie Mellon’s affiliate membership in the PAC.

“As a result of this decision, the PAC will be unable to move forward with its planned divisional format and PAC Championship Game, which was set to begin in 2025. The conference is now putting together an eight-game, unbalanced schedule for the 2025 and 2026 seasons, which will be released as soon as it is finalized.”

Hiram, which left the PAC in the late 1980s, is set to return to the conference in 2025. The Terriers will be the 11th football program.

CMU won PAC football titles in 2021 and 2022.

The Tartans essentially forfeited their NCAA first-round playoff game against North Central College (Ill.) in 2021 because several players tested positive for COVID-19. CMU was 8-2 during the season. The game was recorded as a no contest by the NCAA.

“We have cherished our time in the PAC and the experiences it has provided,” said Josh Centor, CMU’s athletic director said in a news release. “Our participation in the PAC has been extremely rewarding, marked by strong performances and meaningful rivalries. We look forward to this upcoming football season and continued non-conference competition in all our sports.”

The football-playing schools of the Centennial Conference are Dickinson, Franklin and Marshall, Gettysburg, Johns Hopkins, McDaniel, Muhlenberg and Ursinus. Johns Hopkins was a founding member of the University Athletic Association, which will continue to be the Tartans’ conference for all other sports.

“We believe the transition will have an impact on the competitiveness of our football program while providing student-athletes with enriching travel experiences and opportunities to compete against some of the nation’s top teams,” Centor said.

Next season, CMU is scheduled to play at the University of Chicago and will host national power Wisconsin-LaCrosse.

“Joining the Centennial Conference represents a significant and exciting opportunity for our football program,” said CMU head coach Ryan Larsen. “Competing against such high-caliber teams will elevate our program and provide our players with an exceptional experience.”

The Centennial Conference feels the move strengthens its football conference.

“Not only does Carnegie Mellon align with the high academic status of our league, but the Tartans’ storied history in football complements the Centennial’s tradition of excellence,” said Portia Hoeg, Centennial Conference executive director. “As a perennial leader among Division III conferences, the Centennial’s already strong football profile will only be enhanced with the addition of Carnegie Mellon.”

The PAC’s two-division football format was made in response to NCAA Division III expanding the national tournament from 32 to 40 teams. The move was aimed at allowing for each football member to have eight conference games and two non-conference games.

At least three PAC (football) member schools – Washington & Jefferson, Case Western Reserve and Grove City have non-conference games scheduled for 2025.

The Presidents are scheduled to play at Hampden-Sydney, while Case Western will meet Wabash and Grove City will play Cortland State and Mount Union.

A spokesman for Waynesburg said Monday it had nothing to report on its 2025 football schedule.

W&J will host CMU Sept. 28. Waynesburg plays at CMU Oct. 5.