Presidents' Athletic Conference part of 2-game bowl series planned for Canton, Ohio, next season

Two more bowl games are coming to college football in 2024, but this time it’s Division III schools with the opportunity to extend their seasons.

Four Division III conferences — the Presidents’ Athletic Conference, Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference, North Coast Athletic Conference and Ohio Athletic Conference — announced Tuesday the inaugural Opendorse Bowl Series. PAC membership includes Grove City, Carnegie Mellon, Washington & Jefferson College, Westminster, Bethany, Geneva, Allegheny, Saint Vincent, Thiel, Waynesburg and Case Western Reserve.

Each conference will be represented by their highest-ranked team, excluding those that reached the NCAA Tournament, in a one-day, two-game series Nov. 23 at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium at Hall of Fame Village in Canton, Ohio.

The leading sponsor of the event is Opendorse, an NIL company and marketplace for athletes. Opendorse also will provide year-round NIL services, and student-athletes will have opportunities to benefit from NIL, plus receive education about the new way of life in college athletics.

“I think I speak for all four conferences in expressing my excitement for this event,” OAC Commissioner Sarah Otey said in a statement. “The four leagues had been considering bowl options for several years, but wanted to make sure we were able to deliver a special student-athlete experience and do so in a way that invests in our local communities.

“The opportunity to host an event like this at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium — and provide Division III student-athletes a chance to play in such an incredible venue — will be great for our conferences, the sport and all of Division III.

“While student-athletes have been able to benefit from the use of their name, image and likeness for several years, Division III student-athletes are underrepresented in the NIL marketplace. Opendorse’s commitment to this bowl series and their support of these four conferences will help us begin to change that landscape.”

The event adds a third postseason opportunity for PAC football. In addition to the conference champion advancing to the NCAA Playoffs and the runner-up being eligible for the Opendorse Bowl Series, PAC teams also can compete in Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) bowl games.

PAC teams are 9-4 in ECAC Bowl games since 2018, including a 4-0 mark the past two seasons. That includes Carnegie Mellon University’s 37-7 victory againstg SUNY-Brockport in the Asa S. Bushnell Bowl and Washington & Jefferson College’s 46-21 victory over the United States Merchant Marine Academy in the James Lynah Bowl in 2023.