SLIPPERY ROCK — Message to PSAC football teams: Welcome to an unbalanced world.

The presidents of the 16 conference schools have voted to have every league game on the schedule — including West Division vs. East Division match-ups — count in the division standings.

That rule takes effect this season.

Each PSAC team plays three opponents from the other division. One of those games will be played on the final weekend of the regular season and will not count in the division standings. That's because the state title game is played that weekend.

“That leaves each team playing only two of the eight teams in the other division in games that count,” Slippery Rock University coach George Mihalik said. “I'm not in favor of that. There's too much variation ... definitely an unbalanced schedule that can happen.

“Conceivably, a team could go undefeated in the West, lose those two cross-over games and not win the West Division title. That's not right.”

While PSAC Commissioner Steve Murray admitted the new rule “will certainly make things interesting,” he's not in favor of it.

“If it was my choice, we wouldn't do it,” Murray said. “It does create imbalance. But I didn't have a vote in it. The presidents of these schools want all of the league games to count.

“We've been doing it that way for basketball, baseball, softball, but we have to be consistent with it. If all league games are going to count, they have to count for all sports.”

Discrepancies are already evident on this year's football schedule. Clarion plays Millersville and Cheyney, the bottom two teams on the East Division's coaches poll. Mercyhurst plays West Chester and Bloomsburg, ranked first and third, respectively.

Clarion and Mercyhurst are among the teams hopeful of contention in the PSAC West.

“Could this impact us? Sure, it could,” Mercyhurst coach Marty Schaetzle said. “I would have voted it down, but things like that are out of my hands.

“Right, wrong or indifferent, we have our schedule and we have to go play it.”

Clarion coach Jay Foster wonders why the league doesn't go all in if it wants to count cross-over games in the division standings.

“I don't know why any team in the league should have to schedule an opening game now,” Foster said. “The league could just hand everybody an 11-team schedule that includes four cross-over games.

“Playing four out of eight would be better than two out of eight. The potential imbalance wouldn't be as great.”

Murray said the PSAC football coaches as a whole are against counting the cross-over games, but the players actually favor it.

“The athletes like playing games that 'count,' the more, the better,” he said.

Indiana coach Curt Cignetti favors the idea as well.

“It's a good idea,” he said. “All of us are PSAC schools. Why shouldn't they count?”

California coach Mike Kellar is indifferent.

“In the long run, everrything will even itself out,” Kellar said. “The deserving teams are still going to win in the end.”

Here are the PSAC East “cross-over” opponents for PSAC West teams this season. By vote of league presidents, these games will count in the division standings. Predicted Eastern Division finishes are in parentheses:• California: at Bloomsburg (3rd), at Shippensburg (4th)• Clarion: at Millersville (7th), at Cheyney (8th)• Edinboro: at Shippensburg (4th), East Stroudsburg (2nd)• Gannon: at Cheyney (8th), Kutztown (5th)• Indiana: at Kutztown (5th), at Lock Haven (6th)• Mercyhurst: at West Chester (1st), Bloomsburg (3rd)• Seton Hill: at Lock Haven (6th), West Chester (1st)• Slippery Rock: at East Stroudsburg (2nd), at Millersville (7th)