For the 19th time in the last 23 postseasons, the Muhlenberg football team is headed to the postseason.

The Mules, ranked 22nd in the final D3football.com poll of the regular season, earned a bid to the Centennial-MAC Bowl Series and will end their season with a home game against Lebanon Valley on Saturday, November 18.

Initiated in 2015 by the Centennial Conference and Middle Atlantic Conference, the Centennial-MAC Bowl Series is comprised of the top three teams from each conference that are not selected to the NCAA Division III Championship. The top seed from each conference hosts the second seed from the other, and the two No. 3 seeded teams face each other, with the MAC hosting in even years and the Centennial hosting in odd years.

Muhlenberg earned the Centennial's top seed by finishing in second place behind Johns Hopkins. The other Centennial-MAC Bowl Series games have King's (MAC No. 1) hosting Franklin & Marshall (CC No. 2) and Ursinus (CC No. 3) hosting Stevenson (MAC No. 3).

Muhlenberg ended the regular season with a 45-14 non-conference win at Montclair State on Friday, reaching the nine-win mark for the 12th time in program history. (Junior quarterback Joe Repetti was named CC player of the week for the fifth time this season for his five-touchdown performance in that game.)

With a win against Lebanon Valley, the Mules would reach double digits in victories for the sixth time. The Mules, who have outscored their opponents by an average of 21.0 points per game, are 9-3 in the last five postseasons, winning an ECAC bowl game in 2017, advancing to at least the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament in 2018, 2019 and 2021 and defeating Lebanon Valley in the Centennial-MAC Bowl Series last year.

Lebanon Valley is 6-4 and went 6-3 in the MAC, tying for third place with two teams they beat, Stevenson and Widener. The Dutchmen lost their four games by a total of 29 points, including a four-point season-opening loss to Franklin & Marshall, a team Muhlenberg topped 48-45 in double overtime two weeks ago.

The all-time series between Lebanon Valley is tied, 29-29-2, but the teams did not play between 1984 and 2011. In last year's bowl meeting, hosted by Lebanon Valley, the Mules scored five straight touchdowns to break a 14-all tie and went on to a 48-21 win.

The CC holds a 13-5 advantage in the bowl series after capturing all three games last year. The MAC won the first four games over the first two years of the annual event, but the Centennial Conference has won the 13 of the 14 games since 2017.

Ticket prices for the 2023 Centennial-MAC Bowl Series will be $10 for adults, $3 for students (elementary through high school) and free for college students with a valid school ID and a suggested donation to Special Olympics. Special Olympics athletes and children under the age of 6 are also admitted for free.

The two conferences will continue to support the NCAA Division III Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) partnership with Special Olympics by donating a portion of the proceeds generated during the Bowl Series to the organization. Giving back to local and regional communities not only adds to the comprehensive learning component of Division III, but also provides a venue for passion and service.