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Playoff format changes graphic displaying four recent PSUAC champions, clockwise from top left: Penn State DuBois softball, Penn Schuylkill women's soccer, Penn State Hazleton volleyball and Penn State Lehigh Valley men's soccer.
Playoff format changes graphic displaying four recent PSUAC champions, clockwise from top left: Penn State DuBois softball, Penn Schuylkill women's soccer, Penn State Hazleton volleyball and Penn State Lehigh Valley men's soccer.
Playoff format changes graphic displaying four recent PSUAC champions, clockwise from top left: Penn State DuBois softball, Penn Schuylkill women's soccer, Penn State Hazleton volleyball and Penn State Lehigh Valley men's soccer.
Posted: Jul 21, 2025

PSUAC Announces Playoff Expansion in All Sports for 2025-26 and 2026-27 Seasons

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State University Athletic Conference (PSUAC) Council of Athletic Directors has approved updates to the postseason formats for all team sports, expanding playoff access to all participating programs as the conference navigates campus closures over the next two years.

Beginning in the 2025-2026 academic year and continuing through 2026-2027, every team participating in a PSUAC sponsored sport will be eligible for postseason play. Teams outside the traditional playoff field will have the option to opt out before the start of the playoffs. Campus athletic directors and coaches will make this decision prior to the conclusion of the regular season. This expansion ensures all student-athletes at PSUAC member campuses have the opportunity to compete for a conference title and a potential automatic bid to the USCAA Small College National Championships. The PSUAC currently receives automatic bids in baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s soccer, softball, and volleyball.

Men’s and women’s soccer will continue to host single-elimination tournaments, with maximum field sizes of nine and five, respectively. Women’s volleyball offers a single-elimination format and will have a maximum field size of 12 teams, with divisional play continuing through the quarterfinal round of the postseason.

Men’s and women’s basketball will also consist of a maximum of 12 teams, with divisional play continuing through the semifinal round of the single-elimination tournament.

Final formats for baseball and softball have not been determined but will be based upon the number of teams electing to participate. For a full tournament field of 12 baseball teams or eight softball teams, the respective committees have recommended the use of a single-elimination tournament until the finals, with a best-of-3 series being played between the final two teams. If fewer teams participate, the format may include both single and double-elimination portions similar to baseball and softball’s most recent formats.

If a team opts out, lower-seeded teams will move up in the bracket, potentially creating byes for higher seeds. Only teams that would not have qualified under previous formats are eligible to opt out, with the prior playoff field size now serving as the conference’s minimum standard.

These changes come in response to recent announcements regarding campus closures as well as Penn State Wilkes-Barre’s decision to discontinue several programs (men’s soccer, men’s and women’s basketball, and baseball) beginning in 2025-2026, reducing the number of active teams in those sports.