LANCASTER, Pa. – Coming off an 8-3 season which featured yet another victory in the Centennial-MAC Bowl Series, the Franklin & Marshall football team has announced its 2024 schedule. The Diplomats will play the same 10 regular season opponents as last year, including Lebanon Valley to start the year, three Centennial-NJAC contests, and six Centennial Conference games.
The 2024 opener is set for Friday, September 6 under the lights of Shadek Stadium against a Lebanon Valley squad who the Diplomats have defeated during each of the past two seasons. This contest has served as F&M's opener every season since 2014.
Centennial Conference and New Jersey Athletic Conference officials are now in the second year of a scheduling agreement between the two conferences that will see the Diplomats play The College of New Jersey (Sept. 14), Montclair State (Sept. 21), and Kean (Nov. 2). F&M played both TCNJ and Montclair State for the first time in program history last fall, with the Diplomats emerging a 31-25 winner in overtime against the Red Hawks. Montclair State comes to Shadek Stadium in week three, while the Diplomats will make trips to both TCNJ and Kean after going 3-0 against the NJAC last year.
Home Centennial Conference games will be played against Dickinson (Oct. 5), McDaniel (Oct. 26), and Muhlenberg (Nov. 9). Franklin & Marshall has won 19 straight against McDaniel, but the Diplomats will have revenge on their minds in front of the home crowd as they dropped a 19-17 battle to the rival Red Devils on the final play of regulation in Carlisle a season ago. That game will also be a part of the College's TrueBlue Weekend celebration as the teams meet for the 115th time in program history. Muhlenberg was able to escape with a 48-45 overtime win in Allentown last fall, but will now make the trip to Shadek Stadium for what will be Senior Day on the 2024 schedule.
Trips to Ursinus (Oct. 12), Johns Hopkins (Oct. 19), and Gettysburg (Nov. 16) will round out the Centennial Conference schedule. In a 2023 season full of thrilling finishes, Ty Tremba connected with Jack Sutton with one second to play in regulation to give the Diplomats a 20-16 win against the Bears last fall. Just one week later, F&M and defending Centennial Conference Champion Johns Hopkins will meet with the all-time series tied at 36-36-2. The regular season closes at Gettysburg where F&M has won seven straight against the Bullets to take a 53-48-7 advantage in the all-time series.
The postseason gets underway in the week immediately following the conclusion of the regular season with the Centennial Conference's automatic qualifier and any at-large teams from the conference advancing to the NCAA Tournament. The next three teams in the Centennial Conference standings who are not in the NCAA Tournament will take part in the Centennial-MAC Bowl Series which is set for Saturday, November 23. The Diplomats have made 16 bowl game appearances in program history, featuring six Centennial-MAC Bowl Series appearances during the last seven seasons. F&M has won five straight bowl game appearances, including last year's 30-7 win versus King's (Pa.). Franklin & Marshall earned its way to a bowl bid last season after finishing in a tie for third place in the Centennial Conference standings.
