PAC part of new Division III bowl series
By John Sacco
For the Observer-Reporter
newsroom@observer-reporter.com
Four Division III football conferences, including the Presidents’ Athletic Conference, announced Tuesday the inaugural Opendorse Bowl Series.
The PAC, which includes Washington & Jefferson College and Waynesburg University, is joining with the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference, the North Coast Athletic Conference and the Ohio Athletic Conference to have its highest standing football teams — not qualified or selected to play in the NCAA playoffs — to participate in the inaugural one-day, two-game series to be played Saturday, Nov. 23 at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio.
In its inaugural season, the PAC will be paired against the OAC with the NCAC pitted against the Heartland in the bowl games, according to Joe Onderko, the PAC’s commissioner.
“It’s something we’ve been working on for several years,” Onderko added. “The stars aligned. Anytime you can give our student-athletes a great experience and tie it in with the Professional Football Hall of Fame it makes sense.”
The bowls add a third postseason opportunity for PAC football programs. In addition to the conference champion advancing to the NCAA playoffs and the runner-up being eligible for the Opendorse Bowl Series, PAC teams can also compete in Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) bowl games.
Since 2018, PAC teams have posted a 9-4 record in ECAC Bowl games, including a 4-0 mark the last two seasons. That includes W&J’s 46-21 victory over the United States Merchant Marine Academy in the James Lynah Bowl in 2023 and a victory over Hobart in 2022, both played at Cameron Stadium.
“It’s a great idea,” said Scott McGuinness, W&J’s athletic director. “It’s a chance to highlight good teams from four conferences that don’t qualify for the NCAA playoffs. It’s one of the best venues. It’s a higher profile bowl game.”
Tim Fusina, Waynesburg’s athletic director, said the move is a “great thing for our conference to (participate) in a playoff game for regional recognition.”
He added: “Our league has become a great one with great coaches. To showcase them regionally is great and to compete against schools we go against in recruiting allows us to market ourselves.”
Opendorse, a NIL company and athlete marketplace, will sponsor the series while also providing year-round NIL services to the participating conferences.
“I speak for all four conferences in expressing my excitement for this event,” said Sarah Otey, OAC commissioner. “The four leagues had been considering bowl options for several years but wanted to make sure we were able to deliver a special student-athlete experience and do so in a way that invests in our local communities.”
OAC schools PAC schools are familiar with are Mount Union, John Carroll, Baldwin Wallace and Marietta. NCAC members include Denison, Wittenberg, Wooster, Kenyon and former PAC member Hiram. DePauw was conference champion in 2023.
The PAC is 6-2 in the postseason the last two years. In addition to the success in ECAC games the PAC champions have won their first-round games in the NCAA playoffs before dropping second-round games to the eventual national champion.