By Matthew Purucker · Editor-in-Chief
PAC coaches, sports information directors and media members placed Washington and Jefferson atop the 2026 PAC preseason football poll, with Grove City in second.
It was no surprise that the two-time defending champions are the team to beat in the PAC.
Washington and Jefferson (W&J) defeated every PAC rival by at least two possessions last season, including a blowout win over the Wolverines, the conference runners-up, 34-14.
But it is far from a guarantee that the Presidents will claim their third-straight PAC title.
“Obviously we’re very honored to be picked as the favorite to win the PAC,” W&J coach Mike Sirianni said in a statement. “It shows how our program has been over the years. It means nothing, though, in terms of who is going to win the conference championship in 2026.”
“We know how challenging the PAC is; we respect every team, every team on our schedule, and with the unbalanced scheduling, it’s going to be very interesting how that plays out. So, there is going to be a different component to it this year, but we still know it needs to be won on the field.”
Grove City should be the biggest challenge for the Presidents to overcome. The Wolverines return about eight of their starters on offense, including all five offensive linemen. And the offense must improve if Grove City wants to realize its often-emphasized vision. It can and should get better.
To be a serious threat to W&J and win the PAC, the Wolverine offense will likely need to score more than the 14 points it managed in last year’s game. The same goes for beating Westminster, another conference title contender. In that contest last October, the Wolverine defense bailed out the offense after the latter gained just 141 total yards and six first downs in a 14-7 win over the Titans.
Senior running back Chase Rankin, a 2025 All-PAC honorable mention, may find himself in a rare position for Grove City as an every-down player. Look for him to lead the offense. Sophomore Mike Hollomon is the projected starting quarterback, and he will throw to a senior-heavy receiving corps seeking to improve on last season’s average of 153.91 passing yards per game.
“That’s going to allow us to do a lot of special things, having a clear feature and focal point of our offense,” Grove City coach Andrew DiDonato said about Rankin during PAC Media Day.
Despite the offense struggling against quality opponents last season, it should be better this time around. If paired with a similarly stout defense that fans have seen make game-changing plays time and time again over the past few seasons, the Wolverines could and should win the PAC and maybe a playoff game or two.
Junior cornerback Noah Wheeler, a 2025 AP All-American among several other distinctions, leads a defensive backfield with four returning starters, including graduate safety Ryan Montgomery, an All-PAC honorable mention a year ago.
“This is only the third season where I’ve had an underclassman (Wheeler) being voted captain in my 11 years. … Last year as a sophomore, he was clearly one of the best players on our team,” DiDonato said. “But now, we’re really looking for more of a leadership role for him.”
How well the defense replaces Ben Bladel, Jack Jollie, Caleb Brubaker and other gaps left in the front seven will likely determine if that side of the ball will be the strength of the team as in prior seasons and if the team can go far in its vision for this season.
The bricks should be in place, but will this ‘should win’ become ‘did win?’ The Wolverines will soon answer that question, particularly in season-defining games against top PAC contenders W&J and Westminster. But for now, we’ll see what that answer first appears to be on Saturday when Grove City hosts No. 23 Cortland.
