Football independents Sacred Heart and Merrimack to play for Yankees Conference champion

The Pac-12 won't be the only two-team conference in Division I football this season — sort of.

Sacred Heart and Merrimack announced Wednesday that they will play for the Yankee Conference title on Nov. 16, reviving the brand of the old New England-based league that eventually stretched down the East Coast before folding in 1996.

Sacred Heart, based in Fairlfield, Connecticut, and Merrimack, based in North Andover, Massachusetts, compete as independents in Division I's second tier, the Championship Subdivision. Both competed in the Northeast Conference through last season, before deciding to join the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.

The MAAC does not sponsor football.

In major college football, Oregon State and Washington State are still operating the Pac-12 as a two-team conference after the league was poached of 10 schools by competitors.

NCAA rules allow for a two-team conference to operate for two years, giving Oregon State and Washington State a chance to rebuild.

The Yankee Conference is being reborn only in name and spirit by Sacred Heart and Merrimack.

“It will be a wonderful experience for our student-athletes to compete for the historic trophy. We have developed a great rivalry with Merrimack College, having several significant and exciting games in recent years," Sacred Heart athletic director Judy Ann Riccio said.

The teams will play their regular-season finales Nov. 16 at Merrimack for The Yankee Conference Championship presented by Leona, a marketing firm.

“We are proud to be able to compete against Sacred Heart University for The Yankee Conference Championship, a brand that carries such strong history and tradition in Division I college football,” Merrimack AD Jeremy Gibson said.

The Yankee Conference began in 1946 with six New England schools, including Maine and UConn. It expanded South in the 1980s and '90s, including the additions of James Madison and William & Mary, before merging with the Colonial Athletic Conference in 1996.

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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football