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

Utica University

8-3 2025 final

Utica is the mid-Major program in its 25th-anniversary season, led by long-tenured coach Blaise Faggiano in his 18th consecutive year, competing consistently in Empire 8.

Quiet weeks in Pioneers country.

Record

8-3

win% .727

Conference

2nd of 8

Empire 8 · 5-1

Index Rating

60.8

D3 #45 of 240

Playoff Path

#5 alternate

Dead PeriodOffseasonPatientPost-loss — reckoning

The Long Wait·Offseason

Utica is the mid-Major program in its 25th-anniversary season, led by long-tenured coach Blaise Faggiano in his 18th consecutive year, competing consistently in Empire 8.

Standard GapA small university with a long-standing football program built on coachi…

Utica compiled an 8–3 record in 2025 (6–1 Empire 8), marking the university's 25th-anniversary season. Coach Blaise Faggiano led the team to its second consecutive postseason appearance, though the Pioneers lost the Asa S. Bushnel…

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

Utica University sits 2nd in the Empire 8 Conference and 45th of 240 in the CFB Zeitgeist — on the at-large bubble — the conference title is the surer route.

Empire 8 · 2025

	Team	Conf	Overall	Index
1	Cortland	6-0	8-3	61.5
2	Utica	5-1	8-3	60.8
3	St John Fisher University	4-2	7-4	54.0
4	Brockport	3-3	7-4	54.1
5	Alfred University	2-4	4-6	46.2
6	Hartwick	2-5	4-6	42.3
7	SUNY Morrisville	0-6	0-10	31.1
8	Hilbert College	0-1	0-10	29.5

60.8 CFB Zeitgeist#45 of 240 D352.2 strength of schedule3 quality wins

Win the Empire 8 Conference 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 64-7 over Hartwick; toughest day 13-28 against Cortland.

—

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 Pioneers." — Utica University 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 · Utica University · 2018-present

Strong

77% home win rate vs 65% on the road. margin runs +13.9 better at home.

Home17-5Away13-7

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 · 7-3

Schedule Strength · Utica University · 2025

Hard

Average opponent win rate 55% across 11 finalized games. Strong conference slate — wins here carry full weight in Super Region selection.

Opp Win %0.555

Moment of the Year · Utica University · 2025

Won 49-31 at Washington & Jefferson

Week 2 of 2025. The single game that defined the season's arc.

Decisive Margin

From the Archive — Utica University

2025: Won 28-20 at Brockport

In 2025, the program won 28-20 at Brockport — a tight road result that left the 8-point margin on the books.

Go Pioneers.