NEC

Eight current members, seven former. Our membership records under this name start in 1996. 2025 champion: Central Connecticut.

2025 standings

TeamConf.OverallPollEloLast 5
Central Connecticut6–⁠18–⁠51330WWLWL
Duquesne6–⁠27–⁠51315WLLWW
Long Island University5–⁠36–⁠61292WLWWW
Mercyhurst5–⁠35–⁠71164LLWWL
Wagner4–⁠35–⁠71185WWWWL
Stonehill3–⁠44–⁠81132WLLLW
Robert Morris2–⁠53–⁠91145WWLLL
New Haven0–⁠35–⁠51216WWLLW
Saint Francis0–⁠70–⁠111059LLLLL

Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied. Poll: the FCS coaches’ poll, final (else the final AP rank). Elo is our own rating, a measure of strength, not a prediction.

Against other conferences, 2025

NEC teams are 12–⁠32 outside the conference.

The bar is the share of those games won. Games against teams from the FBS count together.

Champions

Most titles

Central Connecticut8last 2025
Duquesne7last 2024
Sacred Heart6last 2021
UAlbany6last 2012
Robert Morris6last 2010
Monmouth5last 2006
Wagner2last 2014
Stony Brook1last 2005

By year

2025Central Connecticut
2024Central Connecticut, Duquesne (shared)
2023Duquesne
2021Sacred Heart
2020Sacred Heart
2019Central Connecticut
2018Duquesne, Sacred Heart (shared)
2017Central Connecticut
2016Duquesne
2015Duquesne
2014Sacred Heart, Wagner (shared)
2013Duquesne, Sacred Heart (shared)
17 earlier seasons, back to 1996
2012UAlbany, Wagner (shared)
2011Duquesne, UAlbany (shared)
2010Central Connecticut, Robert Morris (shared)
2009Central Connecticut
2008UAlbany
2007UAlbany
2006Monmouth
2005Central Connecticut, Stony Brook (shared)
2004Central Connecticut, Monmouth (shared)
2003Monmouth, UAlbany (shared)
2002UAlbany
2001Sacred Heart
2000Robert Morris
1999Robert Morris
1998Monmouth, Robert Morris (shared)
1997Robert Morris
1996Monmouth, Robert Morris (shared)

Conference titles as each program’s Wikipedia infobox lists them (CC BY-SA), shared titles counted for every co-champion; the conference’s earlier names count as the same conference.

Members

  1. Central Connecticut1996–⁠20192021 on
  2. Monmouth1996–⁠2012
  3. Robert Morris1996–⁠20192024 on
  4. Wagner1996 on
  5. Sacred Heart1998–⁠2023
  6. Stony Brook1999–⁠2006
  7. UAlbany1999–⁠2012
  8. Saint Francis2003–⁠2025
  9. Bryant2008–⁠2021
  10. Duquesne2008 on
  11. Long Island University2019 on
  12. Merrimack2019–⁠2023
  13. Stonehill2022 on
  14. Mercyhurst2024 on
  15. New Haven2025 on
Every school and its years (15)

Members now

Former members

Football membership as CollegeFootballData.com records it under this conference’s name, from 1996; a school’s separate stays are listed apart.

Who came and went

SeasonSchoolMoveAnnounced
2025New HavenJoined from NE-10 (NCAA D-II)May 6, 2025
2024MercyhurstJoined from Pennsylvania State Athletic ConferenceApril 4, 2024
2024MerrimackLeft to play as an independent (football only)Source
2024Robert MorrisJoined from Big South-OVC (football only)November 28, 2023
2024Sacred HeartLeft to play as an independent (football only)Source
2022BryantLeft for Big South (football only)March 29, 2022
2022StonehillJoined from NE-10 (NCAA D-II)April 5, 2022
2020Robert MorrisLeft for Big South (football only)June 15, 2020
2019Long Island UniversityJoined from NE10 (Division II) (football only)October 3, 2018
2019MerrimackJoined from NE10 (Division II)September 10, 2018
2013MonmouthLeft to play as an independent (football only)February 14, 2013
2013UAlbanyLeft for CAA (football only)August 7, 2012
2008BryantJoined (independent before)Source
2008DuquesneJoined from Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (football only)Source
2002 †Saint John’s (MN)Left to play as an independent (football only)Source
1 earlier moves
2000 †Saint John’s (MN)Joined (independent before) (football only)Source

Full members that play football elsewhere: Chicago State (independent).

Football moves from Wikipedia’s lists of NCAA Division I conference changes; the season is the first one played in the new conference, and the date the one the lists or their sources give for the announcement. † Our membership records (CollegeFootballData.com) date the move to another season, or don’t show it. Full members from the member tables in the conference’s Wikipedia article. SportsDataverse’s football memberships agree with ours in 232 of 233 team-seasons from 1996. the member tables in the conference’s Wikipedia article agree with ours in 44 of 47 team-seasons from 1999. Conference realignment: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA); memberships: SportsDataverse.

The money

The Northeast Conference is a nonprofit. Its IRS Form 990 for the year to June 2025 reports $13.5 million in revenue, $2.9 million of it from NCAA basketball revenues, and $13.2 million in expenses; it ended the year with $8.5 million in assets. Its best-paid, commissioner/secretary/treas. Noreen Morris, was paid $489,000.

By year

YearRevenueExpensesAssetsTop pay
2024-25$13.5M$13.2M$8.5M$489K
2023-24$10.6M$10.1M$9.3M$486K
2022-23$8.7M$8.5M$8.0M$431K
2021-22$10.6M$8.4M$7.1M$387K
2020-21$7.9M$7.1M$4.4M$346K
2019-20$6.7M$5.8M$3.5M$360K
2018-19$3.8M$3.4M$2.5M$314K
2017-18$3.4M$3.5M$5.4M$357K
2016-17$2.9M$3.4M$4.0M
2015-16$3.0M$3.2M$2.8M
2014-15$2.8M$3.3M$3.0M
2013-14$3.0M$3.0M$3.4M
2012-13$3.5M$3.3M$3.4M
2011-12$2.8M$2.8M$3.1M
2010-11$2.8M$2.3M$3.2M

Best paid, 2024-25

Noreen Morris, commissioner/secretary/treas.$489,000
Ron Ratner, associate commissioner$156,000
Andrew Alia, associate commissioner$126,000
Lisa Archbald, associate commissioner$114,000
Ben Shove, associate commissioner$111,000

Grants it lists, 2024-25

Long Island Universitysports sponsorship grant$3.0 million
Wagnersports sponsorship grant$1.7 million
Saint Francis Universitysports sponsorship grant$1.2 million
Central Connecticutsports sponsorship grant$841,000
Fairleigh Dickinson Universitysports sponsorship grant$802,000
Chicago State Universitysports sponsorship grant$469,000
Sacred Heartsports sponsorship grant$73,000
Robert Morrissports sponsorship grant$50,000
3 more
Merrimacksports sponsorship grant$43,000
Duquesnesports sponsorship grant$43,000
Le Moyne Collegesports sponsorship grant$30,000

From the organization’s IRS Form 990, via ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer and the IRS’s e-file data. Fiscal years end in June; top pay is the best-paid person’s total compensation on the return, listed for e-filed years (2018 on). Grants are the ones the conference lists on Schedule I; bowl payments are the ones bowls list on theirs. See every filing at ProPublica (EIN 22-2954605).