2026-27 Big Central Conference Division Alignments

Posted on by Big Central Gridiron

Bernards, Hillside, and Hunterdon Central are three of the teams moving in the latest Big Central Conference realignment for the 2026 and 2027 seasons.

BCC Issues Division Alignments for 2026 and 2027 Seasons

SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ – Earlier this week, Big Central Gridiron received the BCC’s Division Alignments for the 2026 and 2027 football seasons.  There are several changes within the 12 divisions and 59 teams that make up the league.  Below is an overview of the changes for the next two seasons.

Highlights from the last Thanksgiving Game between Roselle and Roselle Park on November 27th. Roselle Park won 41-19.

Summary of Changes

The Big Central Conference’s American Gold Division will stay the same with St. Joseph’s, Westfield, Elizabeth, and Union.

The American Silver will have only four teams for the next two seasons as Hunterdon Central moves down to the BCC’s Liberty Silver Division.

The Freedom Gold Division will still have six teams, but J.P. Stevens will replace Spotswood.

The BCC’s Freedom Silver Division will remain the same with Manville, Bound Brook, Belvidere, Middlesex, South Hunterdon, and Dunellen.

The Liberty Gold Division will be tweaked with Rahway replacing Perth Amboy.

The Big Central Conference’s Liberty Silver Division will still have five teams, but Hunterdon Central replaces Rahway.

The BCC’s National Gold Division and National Silver Division alignments will remain as they are.

The Patriot Gold Division of the BCC will expand to five teams as two teams (Bernards and J.P. Stevens) leave, and three teams (Hillside, North Plainfield, and New Brunswick) are added.

The Patriot Silver Division will grow to six teams as Spotswood and Perth Amboy join New Providence, A.L. Johnson, Roselle, and Metuchen.

The United Gold Division will only have four teams as Hillside leaves to join BCC’s Patriot Gold.

The United Silver Division is also reduced to four teams as Bernards joins from the Patriot Gold while North Plainfield and New Brunswick leave to go to the Patriot Gold.

Watch the 26-minute movie from the action between New Providence and Cedar Grove in the North Jersey Section 2 Group 1 Championship at Lieder Field on November 15th.

BCC Division Alignments for 2026 and 2027

American Gold

  • Elizabeth
  • St. Joseph’s
  • Westfield
  • Union

American Silver

  • Bridgewater-Raritan
  • Hillsborough
  • Phillipsburg
  • Ridge

Freedom Gold

  • David Brearley
  • Highland Park
  • Jonathan Dayton
  • J.P. Stevens
  • Roselle Park
  • South River

Freedom Silver

  • Belvidere
  • Bound Brook
  • Dunellen
  • Manville
  • Middlesex
  • South Hunterdon

Liberty Gold

  • Colonia
  • Linden
  • Plainfield
  • Rahway
  • Woodbridge

Liberty Silver

  • Hunterdon Central
  • Montgomery
  • North Hunterdon
  • Somerville
  • Watchung Hills

National Gold

  • East Brunswick
  • Monroe
  • Old Bridge
  • Piscataway
  • South Brunswick

National Silver

  • Edison
  • Franklin
  • North Brunswick
  • Sayreville
  • St. Thomas Aquinas

Patriot Gold

  • Delaware Valley
  • Hillside
  • New Brunswick
  • North Plainfield
  • Voorhees

Patriot Silver

  • A.L. Johnson
  • Metuchen
  • New Providence
  • Perth Amboy
  • Roselle
  • Spotswood

United Gold

  • Carteret
  • Cranford
  • Scotch Plains-Fanwood
  • Summit

United Silver

  • Bernards
  • Governor Livingston
  • J.F. Kennedy
  • South Plainfield
Watch this 22-minute movie from the action in New Providence’s 38-0 victory over Secaucus in the opening round of the North Jersey Section 2 Group 1 playoffs at Lieder Field on November 1st.

Some Initial Thoughts

Hunterdon Central moving down from the BCC American Silver to the BCC Liberty Silver was likely to happen since the Red Devils have finished at the bottom of the very competitive American Silver in three of the last four years.  In addition, the Red Devils will be playing familiar foes from the Skyland Conference and the old Mid-State Conference.

Rahway joining the Liberty Gold from the Liberty Silver makes for some nice neighborhood rivalries for the Indians.  Rahway borders Linden, Colonia, and Woodbridge.  The Indians’ head coach, Brian Russo, also previously coached at Woodbridge and led the Barrons to a North Jersey Section 2 Group 4 semifinal appearance after starting the season at 0-4 in 2009.

Watch this 23-minute movie from the action in David Brearley’s hard-fought 10-7 win over Jonathan Dayton in Springfield on October 25th.

The Patriot Silver could provide some interesting match-ups with Perth Amboy and Spotswood coming in.  The Chargers and Metuchen were long-time rivals in the old GMC Blue, while the Chargers have played Roselle in six out of the last eight seasons.  Perth Amboy has played A.L. Johnson in each of the past two seasons, while the Panthers playing Roselle would be a fast-paced contest.  Amboy playing Metuchen would bring a more GMC feel.

The Patriot Gold will have a bit more of a Mid-State 38 look with Hillside and North Plainfield joining the likes of Del Val and Voorhees.  The Comets played Voorhees in Glen Gardner this past season, while they have played Delaware Valley several times in the past.  Hillside and North Plainfield also competed with Voorhees and Del Val in the BCC’s Division 2A back in 2021.

Bernards joining Governor Livingston, J.F. Kennedy, and South Plainfield should be interesting.  The Mountaineers dominated the BCC’s Patriot Gold with four consecutive division titles.  Bernards leads all BCC schools with six division titles overall.  Meanwhile, Governor Livingston won its first division title in over 35 years this past season, and South Plainfield finished a close second.  In 2024, GL, JFK, and SPHS all finished in a three-way tie.

Watch this 23-minute movie from the action in Bernards 22-0 win over Carteret at Olcott Field on October 24th.