FAIRMONT, W.Va. — The Mountain East Conference football championship and the league's automatic qualifier (AQ) for the NCAA Division II Football Championship will be determined on the final day of the regular season, Saturday, Nov. 14.
Charleston and West Liberty are tied for first place at 5-2 in MEC play. Concord has completed its MEC schedule with a 5-3 conference record, while Wheeling stands at 4-3.
Two games Saturday will determine the final conference standings, as West Liberty travels to Wheeling and West Virginia State visits Charleston. No other MEC team can finish with a conference record better than 4-4.
MEC Football Co-Champions & NCAA AQ Selection
The MEC does not use tiebreakers to determine its football champion. If no team finishes alone in first place, all teams tied for the top spot in the final standings will be recognized as MEC co-champions. Only one co-champion can receive the conference’s Automatic Qualification (AQ) to the NCAA Division II Football Championship; when two or more teams finish tied for first place, the MEC utilizes the following tiebreaking procedures to determine which team receives the AQ.
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If two teams are tied: the head-to-head result between them.
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If three or more teams are tied: the best head-to-head record in games among the tied teams. If teams can be eliminated, but a smaller group remains tied at the top of that group, the head-to-head result among those teams decides who receives the AQ.
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If head-to-head does not resolve the tie: the team to receive the AQ will be the highest-ranked team in the NCAA Power Index (NPI) rankings.
MEC Championship & AQ Scenarios for Saturday, Nov. 14
As many as four teams could share the 2026 MEC Football Championship. Charleston earns the AQ in three of the four possible scenarios, including both scenarios that result in a tie. West Liberty can secure the AQ only by winning the championship outright, which requires a victory at Wheeling and a Charleston loss to West Virginia State.
If West Liberty defeats Wheeling and Charleston defeats West Virginia State: Charleston and West Liberty will share the MEC championship with matching 6-2 conference records. Charleston will receive the MEC AQ based on its 41-35 head-to-head victory over West Liberty on Nov. 7.
If West Liberty defeats Wheeling and West Virginia State defeats Charleston: West Liberty will win the MEC championship outright with a 6-2 conference record and receive the MEC AQ.
If Wheeling defeats West Liberty and Charleston defeats West Virginia State: Charleston will win the MEC championship outright with a 6-2 conference record and receive the MEC’s AQ.
If Wheeling defeats West Liberty and West Virginia State defeats Charleston: Charleston, Concord, West Liberty and Wheeling will share the MEC championship with matching 5-3 conference records. Charleston will receive the MEC AQ after posting a 3-0 record against the other teams in the tied group. Charleston defeated Concord, 41-38, on Sept. 17; Wheeling, 42-35, on Oct. 10; and West Liberty, 41-35, on Nov. 7.