RFC Summer Semester--Centennial Conference Preview (NCAA Division III)--(Revised predictions)

Note: This corrects an erroneous post from June 10, 2010. RFC regrets the error.

What it is: The Centennial Conference consists of 10 football-playing schools, all in either in Pennsylvania or Maryland. The CC's first season playing on the gridiron came in 1983, when Gettysburg, Muhlenberg, and Swarthmore--which no longer has a football program--finished in a three-way tie for the inaugural league title.

Gettysburg won the first outright CC championship in 1985, when the Bullets finished that season at 6-0-1 in league play en route to an 11-1-1 overall record. Gettysburg fell to Ithaca, 34-0, in NCAA Division III semifinal action. No current member has advanced that far since then.

Full members of the conference fielding football programs are Dickinson, Franklin & Marshall, Gettysburg, Johns Hopkins, McDaniel, Muhlenberg, and Ursinus, while associate members are Juniata and Moravian. Susquehanna enters the CC after winning a share of the Liberty League title last year.

Website: http://www.centennial.org/

Predicted order of finish (2009 overall record in parentheses, projected champion in BOLD type)

1. Johns Hopkins (10-3): Defending CC champs pulled off upset wins over previously unbeaten Hampden-Sydney and Thomas More before falling to Wesley in the quarterfinals. The Bluejays play their first three games on the road to start the 2010 season.

2. Dickinson (8-2): The Red Devils missed out on postseason play despite finishing in a three-way tie for second place (6-2) in 2009. They'll find out quickly how good they are when they travel to Hobart for their season opener on September 11, followed by their home opener against Franklin & Marshall less than a week later.

3. Franklin & Marshall (9-2): A hard-fought 29-24 win over Wilkes in the ECAC South Atlantic Bowl gave the Diplomats their best finish since 2004 (8-3).

4. Susquehanna (8-3): The Crusaders enter the CC trying to erase the memory of last year's first round playoff loss to Delaware Valley.

5. Ursinus (6-5): The Bears won four of their final five regular season games to reach the ECAC Southeast Bowl, where they fell to Kean, 35-14.

6. McDaniel (5-5): The Green Terror struggled to a 3-5 mark in CC play a year ago.

7. Gettysburg (3-7): The Bullets face an NCAA playoff team (Johns Hopkins) and an ECAC Bowl participant (Lebanon Valley) in their first two games of 2010.

8. Muhlenberg (3-7): The Mules will try to get back to their winning ways after a disappointing 2009 season, where they finished 2-6 in the Centennial Conference.

9. Juniata (1-9): The Eagles have won at least five games only twice in the last 10 years (2001-2002).

10. Moravian (2-8): The Greyhounds take on two NCAA playoff teams from last season (Susquehanna and Johns Hopkins) in the first month of this season.