Yankee Conference title restored, first since ’96

Aug 21, 2024, 05:06 PM ET

The Pac-12 won’t be the only two-team conference in Department I football this season– sort of.Sacred Heart and Merrimack revealed Wednesday that they will play for the Yankee Conference title on Nov. 16, restoring the brand name of the old New England-based league that ultimately extended down the East Coast before folding in 1996.

Sacred Heart, based in Fairfield, Connecticut, and Merrimack, based in North Andover, Massachusetts, compete as independents in Department I’s 2nd tier, the Championship Subdivision. Both completed in the Northeast Conference through last season, before deciding to join the City Atlantic Athletic Conference.The MAAC does not

sponsor football.In major college football,

Oregon State and Washington State are still running the Pac-12 as a two-team conference after competitors poached the league of 10 schools.NCAA guidelines enable a two-team conference

to operate for two years, offering Oregon State and Washington State a chance to rebuild.The Yankee Conference is being reborn just in name and spirit by

Spiritual Heart and Merrimack. “It will be a fantastic experience for our student-athletes to complete for the historical prize. We have actually developed a terrific rivalry with Merrimack College, having numerous substantial and interesting games in recent years, “Sacred Heart athletic director Judy Ann Riccio said.The teams will play their regular-season endings Nov. 16 at Merrimack for The Yankee Conference Championship provided by Leona, a marketing company. “We are happy to be able to compete versus Spiritual Heart University for The Yankee Conference Championship,

a brand that carries such strong history and custom in Department I college football,”Merrimack AD Jeremy Gibson said.The Yankee Conference started in 1946 with 6 New England schools, consisting of Maine and UConn. It broadened South in the 1980s and ’90s, consisting of the additions of James Madison and William & Mary, before merging with the Colonial Athletic Conference in 1996.