June 22, 2026 · Dead Period · Heritage Window · 2026 Outlook

Alfred State College

5-5 2025 final

Alfred State is the brand-new Division III program that just joined Empire 8 in 2025 and celebrated its inaugural victory with the Alfred Cup rivalry born that same year.

Quiet weeks in Pioneers country.

Record

5-5

win% .500

Conference

3rd of 4

ECFC · 0-0

Index Rating

46.3

D3 #149 of 240

Playoff Path

Win the league

Dead PeriodOffseasonPatientPost-loss — diagnostic

The Long Wait·Offseason

Alfred State is the brand-new Division III program that just joined Empire 8 in 2025 and celebrated its inaugural victory with the Alfred Cup rivalry born that same year.

Title DroughtSince 1995 · 30 yrs

Alfred State won the inaugural Alfred Cup vs Alfred University in 2025 while joining Empire 8 as an affiliate member. Coach Scott Linn is transitioning the program from ECFC success to Division III competition. The 2025 record rem…

low signal

Read the full program story ↓

Offseason

69 days

until kickoff · Sun Aug 30 · 17:00 UTC

Act I

The 2026 Outlook

DIVISION III · THE PATH TO THE STAGG BOWL

Alfred State College sits 2nd in the ECFC and 149th of 240 in the CFB Zeitgeist — outside the at-large picture — the path runs through the conference title.

ECFC · 2025

	Team	Conf	Overall	Index
1	Anna Maria College	1-0	7-3	57.3
2	Alfred State	0-0	5-5	46.3
3	Gallaudet	0-0	1-8	34.0
4	Dean College	0-1	0-10	29.2

46.3 CFB Zeitgeist#149 of 240 D345.0 strength of schedule

Win the ECFC for the automatic berth into the 40-team NCAA Division III bracket. Miss it and the path is an at-large bid, selected by NPI — the metric the CFB Index mirrors. Six wins survive the bracket to the Stagg Bowl.

Source: CFB Zeitgeist — conference records + NPI-style rating from 2025 games · the field is 40 teams, NPI-selected

THE 2025 SEASON · 5-5

Signature win 49-13 over Hilbert College; toughest day 7-49 against Cortland.

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Quiet weeks in Pioneers country.

What moved it — offseason · last 30 days

June Dead-period quiet — official-visit + heritage window —

Camp Fall camp ~40 days out

"Go Alfred State" — Alfred State College fanbase · recurring line

0 mentions · awaiting signal

Winning record—

The baseline for a successful season.

Conference title—

The primary goal and national bracket path.

32-team bracket qualifierLocked—

One of 32 national tournament entries.

Stagg BowlLocked—

The Division III national championship game.

Floor 3-9

Base 5-7

Ceiling 8-4

floor3-9Rebuild year. Below .500.

base5-7Mid-table finish.

ceiling8-4Conference title race. Bracket qualifier in range.

Variance assumed at ±2 wins from last-season record. Replace with the season-path projection once preview data is built.

Act II

Who We Are

Home-Field Advantage · Alfred State College · 2018-present

Elite

71% home win rate vs 25% on the road. margin runs +20.8 better at home.

Home15-6Away5-15

Act III

Last Season Reviewed

2025 season · tap to expand

Recent Form · last 10 games

Cooling

Two of five. Schedule has caught up.

Streak L1Last 5 · 2-3Last 10 · 5-5

Schedule Strength · Alfred State College · 2025

Soft

Average opponent win rate 38% across 10 finalized games. Lighter schedule — the committee weighs wins against strength of field.

Opp Win %0.383

Moment of the Year · Alfred State College · 2025

Won 49-13 at Hilbert College

Week 3 of 2025. A statement margin. Recruiting boards re-rendered overnight.

Decisive Margin

Postseason History

Recent postseason (2023): 0-1

Most recent: 2023 — loss 56-14 (away). Last 5 postseason: 0-1.

2023

From the Archive — Alfred State College

2025: Lost 6-7 at Anderson (IN)

In 2025, the program lost 6-7 at Anderson (IN) — a close road result, 1 points either way.

Go Pioneers.