Overview: The 2025 season proved to be a banner year for the Centennial Conference, as six of its eight squads advanced to postseason play in some form last fall.
Of those eight teams, three advanced to the NCAA Division III playoffs last season, with second-place Johns Hopkins advancing the farthest. Despite settling for an at-large bid to the playoffs after finishing 6-1 in CC action, the Blue Jays proved why they were one of the nation's elite programs, as they posted convincing wins over Springfield, Salisbury, and Susquehanna, before succumbing to eventual national champion Wisconsin-River Falls 48-41 in the national semifinals on December 20. JHU's season ended at 12-2 after falling to the Falcons.
Meanwhile, two other CC squads advanced to NCAA postseason play after posting solid regular-season performances. Franklin & Marshall made history last fall, as the Diplomats finished CC action unbeaten at 7-0 after upsetting Johns Hopkins in the regular-season finale for both teams, and advanced to the D-III playoffs for the first time ever, only to lose to another first-time participant in Eastern 28-24, in the second round to finish the season at 9-2.
On the other hand, Muhlenberg was the only other CC team to earn an NCAA playoff bid, with the Mules outlasting Union (N.Y.) 34-26 in the first round before being crushed by Mount Union, 49-7, in the second round, to end their season at 9-3. Both of the Mules' regular-season setbacks came against F&M, 28-27 on October 11, and against JHU, 47-26 on November 1, as they settled for a third-place finish in conference play at 5-2.
Finally, the three remaining teams from the CC that advanced to postseason play all finished 3-4 in conference games, with Ursinus defeating Lebanon Valley 31-13 to finish 7-4 overall, Carnegie Mellon outlasting Misericordia 24-17 to end its season at 6-5, and Dickinson dropping a 14-13 decision to Delaware Valley to close their campaign at 5-6. All three games were played as a part of the Centennial-MAC Bowl Series, which features contests between teams from the Centennial and Middle Atlantic Conferences.
With a #6 preseason ranking from Lindy's Sports, expect Johns Hopkins to be the team to beat in the Centennial Conference again this fall. However, don't be surprised if Franklin & Marshall, Muhlenberg, and the rest of the CC have something to say about who comes out on top in 2026.
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