William Paterson2-8The Pioneers of William Paterson University in Wayne, a charter member of the New Jersey Athletic Conference since 1957, playing public-school Division III football at Wightman Stadium.
William Paterson has been an NJAC charter member since 1957 — a real New Jersey public-school football program that gets overlooked next to its flashier in-state rivals.
Quiet weeks in Pioneers country.
William Paterson · Next-Season Outcome Band
William Paterson · 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
Hibernating
Zero of five. Reset territory.
Opens Sep 5
vs Western Connecticut State · at home
Game Week
11 days
until kickoff · vs Western Connecticut State · Sat Sep 5 · 17:00 UTC
The Pioneers of William Paterson University in Wayne, a charter member of the New Jersey Athletic Conference since 1957, playing public-school Division III football at Wightman Stadium.
William Paterson sits 7th in the New Jersey Conference and 188th 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 32-7 over Vermont State Castleton; toughest day 7-52 against Christopher Newport.
Community pulse
No high-engagement r/cfb discussions tracked for this program in the last year.
The Pulse on William Paterson
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 6 | — | — | — | @Western Connecticut State | L 20–21 | 0-1 | 0-0 |
| 4 | Sep 20 | #590 | #512 | — | Salve Regina | L 12–24 | 0-2 | 0-0 |
| 5 | Sep 27 | #615 | #589 | — | @Moravian | W 38–14 | 1-2 | 0-0 |
| 6 | Oct 4 | #595 | #625 | — | Vermont State Castleton | W 32–7 | 2-2 | 1-0 |
| 7 | Oct 11 | #578 | #551 | — | @The College of New Jersey | L 0–42 | 2-3 | 1-1 |
| 8 | Oct 18 | #597 | #523 | — | @Rowan | L 16–45 | 2-4 | 1-2 |
| 9 | Oct 25 | #610 | #476 | — | Christopher Newport | L 7–52 | 2-5 | 1-3 |
| 10 | Nov 1 | #621 | #470 | — | @Salisbury | L 7–51 | 2-6 | 1-4 |
| 11 | Nov 8 | #618 | #632 | — | Kean | L 7–17 | 2-7 | 1-5 |
| 12 | Nov 15 | #628 | #564 | — | Montclair State | L 21–24 | 2-8 | 1-6 |
Home-Field Advantage · William Paterson · 2018-present
Average
25% home win rate vs 25% on the road. margin runs +1.3 better at home. Wightman Stadium seats 1,909.
69°F average kickoff temp; 0% of games had measurable precipitation; 8 mph average wind.
Based on 20 home games with weather data.
All-Time Record
10-30
since 2022 · 4 seasons · .250 win rate
Moment of the Year · William Paterson · 2025
Moment of the Year · William Paterson · 2025Won 38-14 at Moravian
Week 5 of 2025. A statement margin. Recruiting boards re-rendered overnight.