The SUNY Cortland football team has announced that it will open its 2023 season at home versus perennial Division III power Delaware Valley University on Saturday, Sept. 2 at noon.
 
The first-ever meeting between the schools will take place during Cortland's C-Club Hall of Fame Weekend. The matchup is for one season only; the teams will not play in 2024.
 
Delaware Valley has a combined record of 55-7 with five straight NCAA Division III tournament appearances, including three national quarterfinals, and five consecutive Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) titles since 2017. The Aggies finished 12-1 last season and advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals, and they will bring a 28-game regular-season winning streak into the contest. Delaware Valley's last regular-season loss was a 24-18 double overtime setback to Wesley on Sept. 14, 2019.
 
Cortland is the two-time defending Empire 8 champion. The Red Dragons finished 9-2 last season and went 11-1 in 2021 in head coach Curt Fitzpatrick's first two seasons.
 
"I am excited for Team 118 to open the 2023 season with an opponent the caliber of Delaware Valley," said Fitzpatrick. "It will certainly be a challenge, but one that we think will help make us a better team in the long run, which is our number-one priority. Over the past two decades, few programs have earned success at the level that Del Val has. This game will be a great battle and I'm looking forward to Cortland Football being in a big game in Week 1."
 
Delaware Valley, located in Doylestown, Pa., will be one of four Cortland opponents this fall that participated in the NCAA playoffs, along with a Sept. 16 non-league home game versus Susquehanna University (Pa.), an Oct. 7 Empire 8 home game against Utica University, and the Nov. 11 Cortaca Jug rivalry game at Ithaca College.
 
Ithaca won the Liberty League title and advanced to the national quarterfinals last fall. Utica earned an NCAA at-large berth and advanced to the NCAA second round. Susquehanna won the Centennial Conference title as an affiliate member last year and will be competing this season in the Landmark Conference, which is sponsoring football for the first time. The Empire 8 and Landmark Conference announced a crossover football scheduling agreement for the 2023 and 2024 seasons, leading to Cortland's home game versus Susquehanna and Sept. 9 game at Lycoming College in Williamsport, Pa.