November 12th, 2026 7:00am
By Chuck Bitner, D2football.com
This Saturday, Pace will play what is arguably the most significant football game in program history. The Setters (6-3, 5-1) host Assumption (7-2, 6-0) in the regular-season finale with the Northeast-10 championship and a berth in the NCAA Division II playoffs at stake.
Assumption enters the weekend atop the NE10 standings and can secure the outright conference title with a victory. Doing so would also earn the conference's automatic qualifying bid to the Division II playoffs. A Pace win would create a first-place tie, but the Setters would claim the automatic bid via the head-to-head tiebreaker. In short, everything is on the line for both teams.
Program context
For Assumption, this isn't new. The Greyhounds have been competing at the top of the NE10 for the past decade and are pursuing their third playoff appearance in the last five seasons.
For Pace, this is unfamiliar territory. Over the past 25 years, the program has produced just four winning seasons, including this one. The Setters endured 18 consecutive losing campaigns from the early 2000s through much of the 2010s before finishing 7-3 in 2018. Back-to-back winning seasons in 2018 and 2019 appeared to signal a breakthrough, but the program soon regressed. From 2023 through 2025, Pace won only five games combined.
The historical context underscores how remarkable this season has been. The Setters went 0-11 a year ago, failing to win a single game and rarely threatening to do so. Their turnaround over the last 12 months is among the best in college football this year.
Early signs
Although I didn't fully appreciate it at the time, signs that this could be a different Pace team were there from the beginning. In the season opener, Pace went toe-to-toe with an East Stroudsburg team that went on to win nine games and capture the PSAC East title. The Setters led at halftime and remained competitive throughout. In fact, only Slippery Rock scored more points against the Warriors than Pace managed.
Season progression
Pace earned its first victory the following week against Monroe. After dropping a non-conference matchup to Assumption in Week 3 (more on that later), the Setters responded by winning five of their next six games, including four straight.
The highlight of that stretch came in a dramatic 20-19 victory over Franklin Pierce. Pace scored a touchdown on the final play of the game to complete a stunning comeback. The Setters' only conference loss came the following week against Bentley.
Assumption enters Saturday riding a seven-game winning streak after opening the season 0-2. The Greyhounds fell to Kutztown, 56-35 in the opener before dropping a 24-19 decision at Frostburg State.
Bentley provided Assumption's toughest challenge in conference play. The Greyhounds needed a fourth-quarter comeback to escape with a 29-27 victory, but otherwise controlled the rest of their schedule. Their wins over AIC, Southern Connecticut, Saint Anselm, Post, and Franklin Pierce came by an average score of 42-12.
Previous meeting
To understand this matchup, it helps to revisit Sept. 19, when Assumption defeated Pace 34-27 in a non-conference meeting.
The NE10 has only eight football-playing members, so each team plays one opponent twice during the season to help alleviate scheduling challenges. The first meeting does not count toward the conference standings. As a result, Assumption owns a head-to-head victory over Pace, but that result will not factor into any tiebreaking scenario.
For the first three quarters, neither team led by more than seven points. Assumption stretched its advantage to 14 early in the fourth quarter and maintained that cushion until Pace scored in the closing seconds Assumption was the better team that day, but Pace did enough to make me believe they can win this weekend if they play their best football.
Matchup analysis
I expect this game to remain competitive deep into the fourth quarter. Both teams possess two qualities that often decide championship games: strong defense and dependable quarterback play.
Statistically, these are the top two defenses in the NE10. Pace owns a slight edge in scoring defense, allowing 20.1 points per game compared to Assumption's 21.2. Both surrender fewer than 300 total yards per contest. Assumption's average of 260 yards allowed per game ranks eighth nationally in Division II.
The foundation of the Greyhounds' defense is its linebacker corps. Owen Fitzgerald leads the NE10 with 10.4 tackles per game, a rare feat for a player on the conference's top defense. He is complemented by Nick Smith, while defensive linemen Manny Cox and Donovan Munroe have combined for 11 sacks.
Pace counters with an active secondary that consistently gets to the football. Linebacker Travis Osterhour leads the team in tackles, while Nathan Choute, Ali Seidou, and John Eubanks have been standout performers in the defensive backfield. Seidou leads the group with three interceptions.
Offensively, much of the responsibility falls on the quarterbacks. Pace's Trey Mauney has been both a playmaker and a stabilizing presence for the Setters. His leadership has been every bit as valuable as his production, though Pace may need more than his season average of 197 passing yards per game to prevail.
The same could be said for Assumption quarterback Dom Santiago. Santiago has guided the Greyhounds effectively, but no NE10 quarterback has thrown more interceptions this season. If the game unfolds as tightly as expected, turnovers could prove decisive.
Assumption and Pace kick off at noon ET on Saturday from Northwell Stadium in Pleasantville, New York. I'll be on site for the matchup, and live coverage will be available on FloSports.
Chuck Bitner is the long-time national columnist for D2Football.com and host of Inside D2Football. Questions and comments for Chuck can be sent to [email protected]