William & Mary Joins Patriot League
In an unexpected announcement, the College of William & Mary has announced it will join Patriot League football in the 2026 season.
"We are excited to accept this invitation from the Patriot League as football members," said W&M president Katherine A. Rowe in a news release. "It is a delight to be president of a university with such a robust commitment to excellence in Division 1 sports. We are constantly looking at how best we can support students who compete in every one of our sports. This move is a perfect fit for our football program, and we look forward to the future."The college will remain in the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) for its other sports.
William and Mary has been a part of CAA football since its original incarnation as the Yankee Conference in 1993. Seven years earlier, W&M was briefly a charter member of the Colonial League, now known as the Patriot League, but bowed out before the first season to retain scholarship football. The addition of scholarships in the PL renewed interest in W&M as a future member given its academic reputation, but W&M remained steadfast to the CAA. recent changes in that conference, including the departures of Delaware and James Madison, and the subsequent move by rival school Richmond to the PL this season, changed the equation.
"Moving football to the Patriot League is a strategic decision that will align our program with other schools that play competitive football in a strong FCS conference with student-athletes who achieve at the highest level," said athletic director Brian Mann. "Joining a conference with Richmond, with whom we have a football rivalry encompassing 135 games, is another tremendous benefit. We can look forward to closing each football season with Richmond in the battle for the Capital Cup in front of cheering alumni, friends, and fans."
The annual meeting with Richmond, known as the "Oldest Rivalry in the South", has met 135 times since 1898. The rivalry was at risk when Richmond announced its move to the PL last year. A series of early season games were rescheduled through 2030 between the schools, but a move to the PL will likely return the game to its traditional date on the last Saturday of the regular season, much as rivalries such as Harvard-Yale and Lehigh-Lafayette enjoy.
"I think it comes down to a couple of things for us," Mann told the Richmond Times-Dispatch. "We wanted to be connected to the University of Richmond and play them in football every year, and when we can do it the last Saturday before Thanksgiving with the hopes that that game will have some post season implications, that's a place where we want to be...[The Patriot was] serious about becoming a nationally relevant football conference and building on the successes they've already had. And Richmond going in, without reducing anything that they were doing in football, we took notice of that. And so when the conversation started up not long ago, we had a different perspective on how the Patriot League was viewing their future."
W&M arrives with a solid football tradition, with nine CAA championships, 12 nationally ranked seasons, and a 29-7-0 all time record versus the seven current PL teams, minus Richmond. Georgetown owns a 2-1-0 record versus the Tribe, but the two schools have not met since the 1934 season.
In a statement from the CAA, its conference commissioner remarked that "Today, I was informed of William & Mary's decision to depart the CAA Football conference at the conclusion of the 2025 season....CAA Football remains committed to competing at the highest level and continuing its long-standing history of success. CAA Football will continue to make decisions that move the conference forward by creating both a competitive and sustainable model." Members for the 2026 season include Albany, Bryant, Campbell, Elon, Hampton, Maine, Monmouth, New Hampshire, North Carolina A&T, Rhode Island, Stony Brook, Towson, and Villanova.
2025 Season Finale At Fenway Park
Officials at Georgetown and Holy Cross announced that the Nov. 22 game between the schools has been moved to Fenway Park in Boston.
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Holy Cross has not played at the park since 1956, while Georgetown last played there in its memorable match with #5 Boston College in 1940 before 35,000 in attendance."Our players, coaches, staff and alumni are extremely excited to compete at one of the country's most iconic stadiums," said head coach Rob Sgarlata. "I am excited to play in front of the Hoya faithful in this incredible environment against Holy Cross."
"We are excited to work with Fenway Park Events to welcome families, fans and friends from both schools to create a once-in-a-lifetime memory," said Holy Cross athletics vice president Kit Hughes. "Fenway Park is synonymous with rich history and tradition, home to one of the best teams and some of the best moments in professional sports history, and we are thrilled for the chance for our student-athletes to play in such a unique environment."
This is Georgetown's first visit to Boston since it defeated Boston State (now UMass-Boston) 7-6 to open the 1973 season. Holy Cross' last game at Fenway took place in a 7-0 season finale over Boston College before the Eagles moved to Alumni Stadium on-campus.
More on the game to follow.
