The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference has announced its 2008 and 2009 football schedules, highlighted by the return of the PSAC Championship Game for the first time since 1987. 

The move comes one year after the league made history when it expanded its membership for the first time since the conference's inception in 1951.  Gannon University and Mercyhurst College, both located in Erie, Pa., accepted full-time membership while C.W. Post Long Island University will participate as associate members in football and field hockey. 

The new format features a 10-game mandated schedule, with seven divisional contests and three contests in which teams will "crossover" to play the opposite division.  The first two weeks of the schedule are crossover contests, followed by divisional play over the next seven weeks. 

The last week of the schedule is the final crossover contest.  Unless originally scheduled to face one another, the top in each division will be removed from the schedule and will face one another in the championship game.  In that event, the teams' original opponents will fill their schedule void by squaring off against one another.  The other six crossovers will be played as scheduled.   

"The 2008 football season is going to be monumental for more than one reason," noted PSAC Commissioner Steve Murray.  "First and foremost, our league is excited about the new competition and the rivalries that will be initiated through expansion.  But just as exciting is the ability to provide an additional championship opportunity for our student-athletes - particularly in a sport that has a championship tradition dating back to the 1930s."

Denny Douds, head football coach at East Stroudsburg since 1974 and a 1963 graduate of Slippery Rock, played and coached in numerous PSAC Championship Games.  He echoed Murray's comments.  "This is just a great moment for PSAC football and the people of Pennsylvania," he said.  "For as long as I can remember, it has always been an honor and big rallying point for colleges to host and the surrounding communities to be able to take part in a championship of this magnitude."       

The 2008 championship game will be played at the site of the Western Division winner while the 2009 championship game will be played at the site of the Eastern Division champion.  To balance the number of home games each institution is awarded, the hosting division of the state championship game will play its first crossover on the road.

Notes:  A variety of methods have been used to determine PSAC football champions.  Sportswriters crowned champions from 1934-49 and a points systems was employed from 1950-59.  The championship game, known as the "State Game" pitted the top team from the Eastern and Western Divisions from 1960-87.  Following the 1987 season, administrators voted to eliminate the State Game in an effort to qualify more teams for NCAA postseason play, and since that time, only divisional champions have been crowned.  Indiana (Pa.) won the last two championship games, defeating West Chester on both occasions.   

In 2006, league teams played the first 10-game mandated schedule, which featured teams from the Eastern and Western Divisions squaring off against the opposite division for the first three weeks of the season with one more crossover spread out among the final seven weeks of the season.

Gannon and Mercyhurst will participate in the conference's Western Division while C.W. Post will participate in the Eastern Division.  Shippensburg, a long-standing member of the West, will shift to the Eastern Division. 

2008 PSAC Composite Football Schedule

Wednesday, August 27
West Chester at California

Saturday, September 6
California at Bloomsburg
Mercyhurst at Cheyney
Gannon at East Stroudsburg
Clarion at Kutztown
Slippery Rock at Millersville
IUP at C. W. Post
Edinboro at Shippensburg
Lock Haven at West Chester

Saturday, September 13
Mercyhurst at Bloomsburg
Gannon at Cheyney
East Stroudsburg at Clarion
Kutztown at Slippery Rock
IUP at Millersville
Edinboro at C.W. Post
Shippensburg at Lock Haven

Saturday, September 20
*Kutztown at Bloomsburg
*C.W. Post at Cheyney
*Shippensburg at East Stroudsburg
*Millersville at West Chester
*California at Edinboro
*Clarion at Mercyhurst
*Gannon at Slippery Rock
*Lock Haven at IUP

Saturday, September 27
*Bloomsburg at C.W. Post
*Cheyney at East Stroudsburg
*West Chester at Kutztown
*Millersville at Shippensburg
*Clarion at Gannon
*Edinboro at Lock Haven
*IUP at California
*Slippery Rock at Mercyhurst

Saturday, October 4
*Bloomsburg at Millersville
*Kutztown at Cheyney
*West Chester at East Stroudsburg
*C.W. Post at Shippensburg
*California at Clarion
*Gannon at Edinboro
*Lock Haven at Mercyhurst
*Slippery Rock at IUP

Saturday, October 11
*East Stroudsburg at Bloomsburg
*Cheyney at Millersville
*Shippensburg at Kutztown
*C.W. Post at West Chester
*IUP at Edinboro
*Lock Haven at California
*Mercyhurst at Gannon
*Slippery Rock at Clarion

Saturday, October 18
*Bloomsburg at Cheyney
*Kutztown at East Stroudsburg
*Millersville at C.W. Post
*Shippensburg at West Chester
*California at Gannon
*Clarion at Lock Haven
*Edinboro at Slippery Rock
*Mercyhurst at IUP

Saturday, October 25
*Bloomsburg at Shippensburg
*Cheyney at West Chester
*East Stroudsburg at C.W. Post
*Millersville at Kutztown
*Mercyhurst at Edinboro
*Slippery Rock at California
*Clarion at IUP
*Gannon at Lock Haven

Saturday, November 1
*West Chester at Bloomsburg
*Cheyney at Shippensburg
*East Stroudsburg at Millersville
*C.W. Post at Kutztown
*California at Mercyhurst
*Edinboro at Clarion
*IUP at Gannon
*Lock Haven at Slippery Rock

Saturday, November 8
*Bloomsburg at Gannon
*Cheyney at Clarion
*East Stroudsburg at Slippery Rock
*Kutztown at IUP
*Millersville at Edinboro
*C.W. Post at Lock Haven
*Shippensburg at California
*West Chester at Mercyhurst

2009 PSAC Football Schedule

Saturday, September 5
Bloomsburg at California
Cheyney at Mercyhurst
East Stroudsburg at Gannon
Kutztown at Clarion
Millersville at Slippery Rock
C.W. Post at IUP
Shippensburg at Edinboro
West Chester at Lock Haven

Saturday, September 12
Bloomsburg at Mercyhurst
Cheyney at Gannon
Clarion at East Stroudsburg
Slippery Rock at Kutztown
Millersville at IUP
C.W. Post at Edinboro
Lock Haven at Shippensburg
California at West Chester

Saturday, September 19
*Bloomsburg at Kutztown
*Cheyney at C.W. Post
*East Stroudsburg at Shippensburg
*West Chester at Millersville
*Gannon at California
*Lock Haven at Clarion
*Slippery Rock at Edinboro
*IUP at Mercyhurst

Saturday, September 26
*C.W. Post at Bloomsburg
*East Stroudsburg at Cheyney
*Kutztown at West Chester
*Shippensburg at Millersville
*Clarion at California
*Edinboro at Gannon
*IUP at Slippery Rock
*Mercyhurst at Lock Haven

Saturday, October 3
*Millersville at Bloomsburg
*Cheyney at Kutztown
*East Stroudsburg at West Chester
*Shippensburg at C.W. Post
*California at IUP
*Gannon at Clarion
*Lock Haven at Edinboro
*Mercyhurst at Slippery Rock

Saturday, October 10
*Bloomsburg at East Stroudsburg
*Kutztown at Shippensburg
*Millersville at Cheyney
*West Chester at C.W. Post
*California at Lock Haven
*Clarion at Slippery Rock
*Edinboro at IUP
*Gannon at Mercyhurst

Saturday, October 17
*Cheyney at Bloomsburg
*East Stroudsburg at Kutztown
*C.W. Post at Millersville
*West Chester at Shippensburg
*Edinboro at California
*IUP at Lock Haven
*Mercyhurst at Clarion
*Slippery Rock at Gannon

Saturday, October 24
*Kutztown at Millersville
*C.W. Post at East Stroudsburg
*Shippensburg at Bloomsburg
*West Chester at Cheyney
*California at Slippery Rock
*Edinboro at Mercyhurst
*IUP at Clarion
*Lock Haven at Gannon

Saturday, October 31
*Bloomsburg at West Chester
*Kutztown at C.W. Post
*Millersville at East Stroudsburg
*Shippensburg at Cheyney
*Clarion at Edinboro
*Gannon at IUP
*Mercyhurst at California
*Slippery Rock at Lock Haven

Saturday, November 7
*Gannon at Bloomsburg
*Clarion at Cheyney
*Slippery Rock at East Stroudsburg
*IUP at Kutztown
*Edinboro at Millersville
*Lock Haven at C.W. Post
*California at Shippensburg
*Mercyhurst at West Chester