Montclair State5-5The Red Hawks of Montclair, New Jersey, who won eleven New Jersey Athletic Conference titles and 260 games over the long Rick Giancola era at Sprague Field — a perennial power in one of Division III's toughest conferences.
Montclair State stacked eleven NJAC titles, but in a brutal conference with Rowan and others, the Red Hawks have to defend that legacy every year.
Quiet weeks in Red Hawks country.
Montclair State · Next-Season Outcome Band
Montclair State · Next-Season Outcome BandFloor / Base / Ceiling
Variance assumed at ±2 wins from last-season record. Replace with the season-path projection once preview data is built.
Recent Form · last 10 games
Mixed
Three of five. Trending up, not yet hot.
Opens Sep 3
vs Merchant Marine · at home
Game Week
9 days
until kickoff · vs Merchant Marine · Thu Sep 3 · 21:00 UTC
The Red Hawks of Montclair, New Jersey, who won eleven New Jersey Athletic Conference titles and 260 games over the long Rick Giancola era at Sprague Field — a perennial power in one of Division III's toughest conferences.
Montclair State sits 4th in the New Jersey Conference and 96th of 240 in the CFB Zeitgeist — outside the at-large picture — the path runs through the conference title.
| Team | Conf | Overall | Index | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Christopher Newport | 7-0 | 10-1 | 71.2 |
| 2 | Salisbury | 6-1 | 10-2 | 68.2 |
| 3 | Rowan | 5-2 | 8-2 | 65.4 |
| 4 | Montclair State | 4-3 | 5-5 | 53.6 |
| 5 | The College of New Jersey | 3-4 | 6-4 | 55.5 |
| 6 | Kean | 2-5 | 3-7 | 43.1 |
| 7 | William Paterson | 1-6 | 2-8 | 40.3 |
| 8 | Vermont State Castleton | 0-7 | 2-8 | 39.9 |
Win the New Jersey 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.
Signature win 48-20 over Vermont State Castleton; toughest day 21-56 against Salisbury.
Community pulse
No high-engagement r/cfb discussions tracked for this program in the last year.
The Pulse on Montclair State
What moved it — fall camp · last 14 days
No player stats logged for this program yet — stats appear once the season is underway.
| Wk | Date | Us | Opp | Line | Opponent | Result | Record | Conf |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Sep 5 | — | — | — | @Merchant Marine | L 15–29 | 0-1 | 0-0 |
| 3 | Sep 13 | #563 | #555 | — | Lycoming (N) | W 27–24 | 1-1 | 0-0 |
| 5 | Sep 27 | #593 | #535 | — | Wilkes | L 21–24 | 1-2 | 0-0 |
| 6 | Oct 4 | #590 | #624 | — | @Kean | W 38–28 | 2-2 | 1-0 |
| 7 | Oct 11 | #588 | #530 | — | Rowan | L 26–38 | 2-3 | 1-1 |
| 8 | Oct 18 | #590 | #475 | — | Salisbury | L 21–56 | 2-4 | 1-2 |
| 9 | Oct 25 | #589 | #637 | — | @Vermont State Castleton | W 48–20 | 3-4 | 2-2 |
| 10 | Nov 1 | #580 | #473 | — | @Christopher Newport | L 42–49 | 3-5 | 2-3 |
| 11 | Nov 8 | #566 | #536 | — | The College of New Jersey | W 30–27 | 4-5 | 3-3 |
| 12 | Nov 15 | #564 | #628 | — | @William Paterson | W 24–21 | 5-5 | 4-3 |
Home-Field Advantage · Montclair State · 2018-present
Above-Average
31% home win rate vs 40% on the road. margin runs +3.0 better at home. Sprague Field seats 6,000.
66°F average kickoff temp; 11% of games had measurable precipitation; 5 mph average wind.
Based on 19 home games with weather data.
All-Time Record
18-25
since 2003 · 7 seasons · .418 win rate
Moment of the Year · Montclair State · 2025
Moment of the Year · Montclair State · 2025Won 48-20 at Vermont State Castleton
Week 9 of 2025. A statement margin. Recruiting boards re-rendered overnight.