HAMILTON – By the Fall of 2026, Patriot League Football will look very different – but for coaches, players and fans nationwide, the future is brighter.

With the confirmed entry of Villanova in 2026, the Patriot League will expand to its largest football membership ever—10 teams including charter members Colgate, Bucknell, Holy Cross, Lafayette, Lehigh, and associate members Fordham, Georgetown, Richmond, and William & Mary. 

Villanova’s addition marks the final piece in a multi-year expansion plan: Richmond joined in 2025, William & Mary confirmed for 2026, and now Villanova is rounding out the group.

"We are proud to welcome Villanova to the Patriot League as a football member," Colgate University President and former Chair of the Patriot League Council of Presidents Brian W. Casey said. "Villanova brings a tradition of athletic excellence that aligns perfectly with the League's core values. This is a momentous step forward—one that brings new energy, deepens our competitive landscape, and reaffirms our shared commitment to academic and athletic distinction."

Academic Excellence

The league’s academic prestige also stands out: in December 2024, Patriot League football programs posted the highest Federal Graduation Rate (91), best Graduation Success Rate (96) and leading Academic Progress Rate across all NCAA Division I FCS conferences. 

“At Colgate, we aspire to attract talented and motivated students who will excel in all facets of their Colgate life –  academically, socially, and athletically,” said Colgate University Vice President and Director of Athletics Yariv Amir ’01. “Patriot League student-athletes, in football, and all sports, continue to do just that, and find success in all that they do.”

“As we have discussed expansion as a league over the years, we have certainly aspired to strengthen and solidify an already strong conference and brand of football, but we wanted to do it with partners that also believe in the student-athlete model, with an emphasis on developing well-rounded students that contribute to their campuses in many ways. In this round of expansion, we have done that with the addition of Richmond, William & Mary, and Villanova to the Patriot League.”

National Success on the Field

In addition to academic excellence, Patriot League Football will soon be recognized as one of the deeper, most successful and competitive conferences in all of FCS. By 2026, eight of the 10 Patriot League football programs will have ended a season ranked in the Stats Perform or AFCA FCS Coaches Poll since 2015. Those 10 teams have collectively recorded 17 FCS Playoff wins, including quarterfinal runs by Colgate, Richmond, Villanova (two each), and postseason trips by Holy Cross and William & Mary. 

“When you look at the grand scheme nationally in the FCS, these teams fit in the Patriot League from a University profile – academically and athletically – in how they balance athletics and academics,” Fred ’50 and Marilyn Dunlap Head Football Coach Curt Fitzpatrick said. “Adding great teams to an already great league will only help the Patriot League on the national landscape of FCS Football. For Colgate specifically, it’s going to continue to help us recruit the best and the brightest.”

Jake Stearney ‘27, a quarterback for the Raiders, showed excitement for the conference realignment while reinforcing Colgate’s mindset – to prepare the same way no matter the opponent. “It'll be great to compete against teams of their pedigrees with postseason experience on a regular basis,” he said. “No matter who we play or who joins the league, our team is input driven and worried only about approaching each day with consistent and relentless focus to prepare for each challenge ahead.”

Adam DeSantis ’28, a junior lineman, echoed that sentiment. “This expansion is adding to the established reputation of tough football with elite academics league-wide,” he said. “The teams joining the Patriot League are proven programs, but we don’t plan on changing anything on our end. We are going to keep doing what we have been doing, staying focused on our inputs and pushing our program.”

Competitive Balance

Starting in fall 2026, the Patriot League will move to a full nine-game conference schedule, where each member plays every other team. That format ensures competitive balance, fosters historic rivalries, and elevates the stakes of conference play—all while awarding a clear league champion and an automatic FCS Tournament bid.

William & Mary and Richmond bring one of FCS’s most historic rivalries—the Capital Cup, played annually since 1898—into the fold. Though it will be a non-conference game in 2025, their matchup will remain a fixture through 2030 and beyond. Geographically, all three incoming schools nest comfortably within the Northeast–Mid-Atlantic footprint, reinforcing regional rivalries and fan familiarity.

Conference Realignment

Villanova lauded the conference as a perfect geographic fit: all road games are within manageable ground-travel distances (about 175 miles on average), erasing the need for air travel—a welcome shift from Villanova’s CAA schedule. 

Before adding Richmond, William & Mary and Villanova, Georgetown was the last football program to join the Patriot League, arriving for the 2001 season. The Patriot League never had more than eight football-playing institutions (2001-03) before the recent additions of the Wildcats and the Tribe.

These shifts aren’t happening in isolation—CAA Football is contracting rapidly. After losing Delaware (to FBS), then Richmond, William & Mary, and Villanova, the conference shrinks from 16 teams in 2023 to just 12 by 2026, altering the FCS landscape significantly. Within this climate, Patriot League emerges as a stable home for competitive, academically-focused football programs amid broader upheaval.

Sustained Competitive Excellence

By Fall 2026: