Last month, the Yankee Conference announced its return (sort of). Merrimack and Sacred Heart announced they would play for the trophy awarded to the dormant conference’s championship trophy when they meet on November 16th. This gives the two schools, currently floating in FCS independent purgatory after their move from the Northeast Conference to the MAAC, an opportunity to play for a meaningful trophy. Surprisingly, another school should join the Yankee Conference fun.
Virginia University-Lynchburg is a non-NCAA school that appears on several FCS schools’ schedules. They look to be a fixture on Merrimack and Sacred Heart's future independent schedules.
Although Sacred Heart has never played Virginia-Lynchburg, Merrimack is no stranger to the Dragons. The Warriors hosted Virginia-Lynchburg in 2019 and 2023, defeating the Dragons 45-14 in the first meeting and 45-0 in the second. To increase the legitimacy of this Yankee Conference revival, the two schools should add Virginia-Lynchburg to the fold.
Adding another team makes the series feel more like a conference than a gimmick. Virginia-Lynchburg is a natural fit for the revived Yankee Conference. The original Yankee Conference had Richmond, William & Mary, and James Madison as Commonwealth State outposts. Instead of only one game having Yankee Conference stakes, adding the Dragons makes three games impactful to the "conference" race. This increase in games adds substantial drama that would bring publicity to all three schools.
Additionally, adding the Dragons to the Yankee Conference alliance gives future games involving them more meaning for Sacred Heart and Merrimack fans. Virginia-Lynchburg games are easy to overlook due to the Dragons’ lack of NCAA affiliation and success on the field. These games have more meaning once the Yankee Conference title is in the mix.
Finally, adding the Dragons helps the Dragons’ recruiting efforts. To say it is difficult to recruit at Virginia-Lynchburg is an understatement. The Dragons do not play home games, get blown out in most games against FCS competition, and are unaffiliated with the NCAA. Adding them to the Yankee Conference gives the players something to play for and rivals, something the school has never had.
If the revived Yankee Conference wants to be more than a gimmick, adding Virginia-Lynchburg is imperative. Merrimack and Sacred Heart would gain rivals and have more impactful games on their schedules. Furthermore, expansion into Virginia brings the Yankee Conference back to its roots. Merrimack and Sacred Heart should keep an open mind and add the perennially overlooked VUL Dragons to their small "conference."
