TRAFFORD, Pa. – Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) commissioner Joe Onderko announced Monday the conference is granting a release to Carnegie Mellon from its multi-year football affiliate contract following a request from the University. With this announcement, the 2024 season will serve as the final year of Carnegie Mellon’s affiliate membership in the PAC. CMU joined the League in 1968, then withdrew from the conference following the 1989-1990 academic year, citing a desire to “go in a different direction.” The Tartans returned to the PAC as an affiliate member for football, along with Case-Western Reserve University, beginning with the 2014 season.
As a result of this decision, the PAC will be unable to move forward with its planned divisional format and PAC Championship Game, which was set to begin in 2025. The conference is now putting together an eight-game, unbalanced schedule for the 2025 and 2026 seasons, which will be released as soon as it is finalized.