Pairings are set for the two-year PAC-MAC Football Challenge Series beginning next fall between members of the Presidents’ Athletic Conference and the Middle Atlantic Conference.

The pairings for the series, first announced by the league in August 2008, were determined by matching the top teams based on this year’s final standings, then the leagues’ No. 2 teams and so on.

However, the league said that Thomas More, which won the PAC title this year, will not participate because of geographic considerations. Thomas More is located in northern Kentucky, while other participants are in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

As a result, this year’s PAC runner-up, Washington & Jefferson, will play a home-and-home series over the next two years with MAC champion Delaware Valley. The participating MAC teams will host the 2010 games, and PAC teams will host the 2011 contests unless the participating schools mutually agree otherwise.

“We are very excited to see our plans for the PAC-MAC Football Challenge Series come to fruition after several years of planning,” said Joe Onderko, PAC executive director. “Our schools know that the MAC is an excellent football conference and will provide our programs with very stiff competition, while also giving our schools the opportunity to become more visible in eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey. We look forward to the challenge on the field next fall.”

Both Washington & Jefferson and Delaware Valley were selected for this year Division III Football Championship field, as was MAC member Albright, which will be paired against Geneva.

“Although most of the MAC and PAC schools are in Pennsylvania, we have had very few opportunities to compete against each other in football,” said Ken Andrews, MAC executive director. “Each conference has had significant success at the national level so this ‘challenge’ should have a bearing on the regional rankings – the PAC in the South and the MAC in the East. Our schools look forward to hosting the first round of games next year.”

Other pairings for the games, to be played next year on September 11 and in 2011 on September 10, are Grove City vs. Lebanon Valley, Waynesburg vs. Wilkes, Westminster (Pennsylvania) vs. Lycoming, Bethany (West Virginia) vs. King’s (Pennsylvania), Thiel vs. Widener, and Saint Vincent vs. FDU-Florham.