RFC Summer Semester: President's Athletic Conference (PAC) Preview (NCAA Division III)

President's Athletic Conference (PAC)--(NCAA Division III)

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2013 Final Standings

Looking back: Despite going 9-1 overall--and 7-1 in President's Athletic Conference (PAC) play during the regular season--the Thomas More College Saints found themselves on the outside looking in come playoff time.  

Instead--it was the Washington and Jefferson College Presidents--who handed the Saints their lone loss of 2013 in a 45-21 rout at home on October 12.  That win helped put W&J in the NCAA Division III playoffs, where they were defeated by eventual national runner-up Mount Union, 34-20, in the first round.

The only other team from the PAC to advance to postseason play last season was the Waynesburg Yellow Jackets.  They lost to Brockport, 19-12, in the ECAC Northwest Bowl.

Looking ahead: An already tough conference is about to get even tougher in 2014, when Carnegie Mellon and Case Western Reserve join the PAC as associate members.

Predicted order of finish (2013 overall record in parentheses):

1. Thomas More (9-1):  With two Top 20 preseason national rankings in two separate publications, don't be surprised if the Saints end up clinching yet another NCAA playoff berth after sitting out last season.


2. Washington and Jefferson (8-3): But don't expect the Presidents go away quite that easily. 

3. Waynesburg (7-4):  The Yellow Jackets will play host to Thomas More and W&J in back-to-back home games to close out the 2014 regular season.  Both games could turn out to be huge in the race for the PAC championship.

4. Geneva (5-5):  The Golden Tornados hope to build on last year's 5-3 mark in league games. With three of the last four games of the 2014 season being at home, they have a chance to do just that, despite losing their last two games of the 2013 campaign.

5. Grove City (5-5):  On the other hand, the Wolverines hope that a two-game winning streak to end 2013 will carry them into 2014 quite nicely.

6. Bethany (W. Va.)--(4-6):  The Bison will open the 2014 season at home against a tough opponent in 2013 national runner-up Mount Union.

7. Westminster (Pa.)--(4-6):  The Titans must start over with a new head coach in Scott Benzel.

8. Thiel (3-7):  The Tomcats never got on track in 2013, struggling to an 0-5 start. But they did end the season with back-to-back overtime games, knocking off an aforementioned Westminster squad, 45-37, in a quadruple overtime thriller.

9. Case Western Reserve (5-4):  Hey, Spartans! Welcome to the PAC!

10. Carnegie Mellon (3-7):  Same thing goes for you too, Tartans!

11. St. Vincent (0-10): After back-to-back winless seasons, the Bearcats have turned to new head coach Ron Dolciato to try and turn around their fortunes.

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