Georgetown Football

The Georgetown Football Puzzle

  Update 6/2/25

Entering its 25th season of Patriot League football this fall, upcoming changes to Patriot League football figure to test a competitive model at Georgetown University that has largely been unchanged in decades.

With an alchemy of philosophical, institutional, and financial constraints, Georgetown is one of just two Division I schools in the East playing nonscholarship football outside of the Ivy League, and is the only nonscholarship program in all of Division I competing in a scholarship conference. That the Hoyas have been able to compete in the Patriot has been due in no small part to the resolve of its coaches and players, but the league is poised for a significant upgrade in the years to come.

The arrival of two, perhaps three new member schools is one part of the change, but revisions to the league bylaws put additional scrutiny on how the Georgetown model, once dubbed as "football for fun", will compete going forward in recruiting, admissions, and ultimately for wins.

A multi-part series has debuted to discuss how Georgetown football, in the midst of the uncertainty of NIL and pressure on men's basketball to support the budget at-large, can best address these changes. Priorities that once relegated football within a narrow definition of the "ethos and culture" of Georgetown require a second look to see what can be retained, and what must be realigned for the future.

Report: Villanova Considering PL Football

 5/9/25

A report in the Richmond Times-Dispatch suggests interest for a 10th member for Patriot League football.

The article, located behind is paywall, reports that "sources said Villanova is seriously exploring the possibility of following UR and W&M from CAA Football to the Patriot League. The addition of Villanova would give the Patriot League 10 football members."

Villanova joined Division I-AA in 1985 and has been a member of the CAA and its predecessor conferences since 1988. Much like Richmond and William & Mary, it is suggested Villanova also has concerns with the viability of CAA football (having lost Delaware and James Madison in recent years) and may be attracted to the synergies of a scholarship Patriot League, now to include the Spiders and Tribe within two seasons.

"Scholarship" football whistles past the one PL school which does not offer them.

When asked by the Times-Dispatch about Georgetown, PL commissioner Jennifer Heppel remarked that the Hoyas "provide a lot of institutional aid support, but not designated as athletics-specific aid." Georgetown has never publicly disclosed the degree of equivalent scholarships (equivalencies) it awards, but it is presumed to be well under the number required for FCS teams to be sought for games against major college opponents. All other PL schools play such opponents.

Villanova was #9 in the nation last season with a 10-4 record. It opens its 2025 season at home versus Colgate before a trip to Penn State on September 13.

William & Mary's Move

 4/28/25

It was not a year ago that news of the arrival of the University of Richmond to the Patriot League foretold a tectonic shift in the regional football landscape. If so, Friday's announcement of a ninth PL school is the first of two earthquakes to reshape the landscape of Eastern football.

But this took years. The move by William & Mary was, by contrast, mere weeks. What happened? And what does this mean for Georgetown?

"Once upon a time, Patriot League members did not offer athletics-based financial aid and had little hope of competing nationally," wrote columnist David Teel. "[In 2012] the dinosaurs realized that athletic scholarships do not equate to academic decline, and their pivot to modern times enhanced Patriot League football, witness its subsequent playoff encounters with CAA programs.

"In the last 10 postseasons, Patriot teams are 5-5 versus the CAA. In 2015, Patriot champ Colgate defeated the CAA's New Hampshire and JMU en route to the quarterfinals, and last year Lehigh rallied for a playoff victory at Richmond. This one week after the Spiders had routed W&M 27-0 to finish 8-0 in the CAA."

The word "Richmond" is at the center of this move.

More at the Third Rail blog.

2025 Season Finale At Fenway Park

 4/10/25

Officials at Georgetown and Holy Cross announced that the Nov. 22 game between the schools has been moved to Fenway Park in Boston.

Holy Cross has not played at the park since 1956, while Georgetown last played there in its memorable match with #5 Boston College in 1940 before 35,000 in attendance.

"Our players, coaches, staff and alumni are extremely excited to compete at one of the country's most iconic stadiums," said head coach Rob Sgarlata. "I am excited to play in front of the Hoya faithful in this incredible environment against Holy Cross."

"We are excited to work with Fenway Park Events to welcome families, fans and friends from both schools to create a once-in-a-lifetime memory," said Holy Cross athletics vice president Kit Hughes. "Fenway Park is synonymous with rich history and tradition, home to one of the best teams and some of the best moments in professional sports history, and we are thrilled for the chance for our student-athletes to play in such a unique environment."

This is Georgetown's first visit to Boston since it defeated Boston State (now UMass-Boston) 7-6 to open the 1973 season. Holy Cross' last game at Fenway took place in a 7-0 season finale over Boston College before the Eagles moved to Alumni Stadium on-campus.