Tartan Football Joins Centennial Conference
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Carnegie Mellon University has announced its decision to join the Centennial Conference(opens in new window) as an associate member for football, starting with the 2025 season.
The Tartans have been proud to play in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) since 2014, when the university joined as an affiliate member for football. Over the past decade, Carnegie Mellon has made significant strides competitively, and won conference championships in 2021 and 2022(opens in new window).
“We have cherished our time in the PAC and the experiences it has provided,” said Josh Centor(opens in new window), CMU’s associate vice president for community engagement and director of Athletics(opens in new window). “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 nonconference competition in all of our sports.”
The Centennial Conference is renowned for its strong academic and athletic programs, making it a fitting home for CMU’s football team. The football-playing schools of the conference include Dickinson, Franklin and Marshall, Gettysburg, Johns Hopkins, McDaniel, Muhlenberg and Ursinus. Johns Hopkins was a founding member of the University Athletic Association, which is 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.
Within the UAA, Carnegie Mellon’s other teams travel across the country, competing with institutions in some of the nation’s major metropolitan areas. The transition to the Centennial will broaden the football program’s travel radius and provide opportunities for football student-athletes that are consistent with the rest of Carnegie Mellon’s intercollegiate athletics experiences.
The Centennial will now have eight football-playing institutions, which will afford Carnegie Mellon the opportunity to play three out-of-conference games. In 2025, the Tartans are scheduled to play at the University of Chicago and will host nationally-ranked Wisconsin-La Crosse. An additional out-of-conference game will soon be scheduled for the 2025 season.
“Joining the Centennial Conference represents a significant and exciting opportunity for our football program,” said Head Football Coach Ryan Larsen(opens in new window). “Competing against such high-caliber teams will elevate our program and provide our players with an exceptional experience.”
Carnegie Mellon opened its season on Saturday with a 58-0 win over Thiel College. The Tartans will host Geneva College this Saturday, when the university dedicates its football field in honor of former head coach, Rich Lackner(opens in new window).
