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

Union (NY)

8-3 2025 final

The Garnet Chargers of Union College in Schenectady — a Liberty League program that reached the Division III playoffs in 2023 and plays at historic Frank Bailey Field, meeting RPI for the Dutchman Shoes.

The Dutchmen bide their time.

Record

8-3

win% .727

Conference

1st of 7

Liberty League · 6-0

Index Rating

60.9

D3 #44 of 240

Playoff Path

#4 alternate

Dead PeriodOffseasonPatientPost-loss — reckoning

The Long Wait·Offseason

Standard GapA prestigious old college with recent playoff form, trying to make 2023'…

Make the Division III playoff run of 2023 a habit and win the Liberty League outright — and keep the Dutchman Shoes on the Union side of the RPI rivalry.

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

Union (NY) sits 1st in the Liberty League and 44th of 240 in the CFB Zeitgeist — on the at-large bubble — the conference title is the surer route.

Liberty League · 2025

	Team	Conf	Overall	Index
1	Union (NY)	6-0	8-3	60.9
2	Ithaca College	5-1	8-2	64.4
3	Rensselaer	4-2	8-3	60.0
4	Hobart College	3-3	6-5	52.6
5	St. Lawrence	2-4	4-6	44.1
6	University of Rochester (NY)	1-5	5-5	47.6
7	Buffalo State	0-6	1-9	34.3

60.9 CFB Zeitgeist#44 of 240 D350.5 strength of schedule2 quality wins

Win the Liberty League 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 · 8-3

Signature win 44-12 over St. Lawrence; toughest day 6-30 against Cortland.

—

The Dutchmen bide their time.

What moved it — offseason · last 30 days

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

Camp Fall camp ~40 days out

"Go Union (NY)" — Union (NY) 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 6-6

Base 8-4

Ceiling 11-1

floor6-6Competitive but likely outside bracket contention.

base8-4Conference title contender. Bracket bid realistic.

ceiling11-1Deep playoff run. Program-defining year.

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 · Union (NY) · 2018-present

Elite

84% home win rate vs 43% on the road. margin runs +18.2 better at home.

Home16-3Away10-13

Act III

Last Season Reviewed

2025 season · tap to expand

Recent Form · last 10 games

Warming

Four of five. The board favors this trend.

Streak L1Last 5 · 4-1Last 10 · 8-2

Schedule Strength · Union (NY) · 2025

Balanced

Average opponent win rate 48% across 11 finalized games. Balanced slate across the conference slate.

Opp Win %0.485

Moment of the Year · Union (NY) · 2025

Postseason · Lost 26-34 at Muhlenberg

Week 13 of 2025. The single game that defined the season's arc.

Postseason

Postseason History

Recent postseason (2023-2025): 1-2

Most recent: 2025 — loss 34-26 (away). Last 5 postseason: 1-2.

202520232023

From the Archive — Union (NY)

2025: Won 28-21 vs Rensselaer

In 2025, the program won 28-21 vs Rensselaer — a tight home result that left the 7-point margin on the books.

Go Dutchmen.