College Sports Journal Patriot League Previews And Streaming Links: Week of 10/12/2019
It’s a week with two Patriot League/Ivy League matchups and two Patriot conference matchups, as Fordham and Georgetown face off against one another in a battle to who can join Lehigh and Holy Cross atop the league standings.
BYE: Lehigh
Fearless Predictions
Lafayette (0-5) at Princeton (3-0), Friday October 11th, 7:00 PM, Powers Field at Princeton Stadium, Princeton, NJ, ESPNU, Watch ESPN App (subscription req’d)
The good news is, this is the first time a national television audience will get to see the depth and breadth of Princeton’s football team, which is a no-doubt-about-it Top 10 team in FCS. The bad news is that the starters might start to be pulled at halftime, as Lafayette, while a better team than last season, won’t be able to show their progress. Princeton 51, Lafayette 6
Holy Cross (2-3) at Brown (1-2), Saturday October 12th, 12:30 PM, Brown Stadium, Providence, RI, NESN+, ESPN+ (subscription req’d)
The Crusaders, though somewhat closer to home, ride into Providence on their fourth straight road game of the year against a Brown team that game Rhode Island a mighty scare in the “Governor’s Cup” last week. On paper, this looks like a Holy Cross win, but the Bears are showing signs that they are getting things together. Perhaps an upset might be in the works. If Holy Cross still has trouble putting points on the board, look out. Brown 31, Holy Cross 17
Bucknell (0-5, 0-1) at Colgate (0-6, 0-1), Saturday October 12th, 1:00 PM, Andy Kerr Stadium, Hamilton, NY, Patriot League Network
There’s little doubt that this battle against winless teams is a battle of disappointment, however, when you look at the Bison and Raiders schedules, with losses to nationally-ranked Villanova, CAA title contender Maine, a pair of FBS teams (Air Force and Temple), and losses to a pair of undefeated Ivy League teams (Princeton and Dartmouth), it’s hard to imagine that many of those games were going to be wins in retrospect, despite Colgate’s preseason national ranking. Bucknell is further along their rebuild than folks realize, but Colgate is also better than their 0-6 record might indicate, and still have hopes of running the table and getting into the Patriot League title conversation. At home, Colgate rights the ship. Colgate 28, Bucknell 13
Fordham (2-4, 0-0) at Georgetown (4-1, 0-0), Saturday October 12th, 2:00 PM, Cooper Field, Georgetown, DC, Patriot League Network
What to make of the Hoyas? In the early going, Georgetown has carried the flag of the Patriot League, with a 4-1 record and underrated wins on the road at Cornell and Columbia. What to make of the Rams? They are in possession of one of the best out-of-conference wins for the league (23-16 over Richmond) but also gave up more than 40 points to both Stony Brook and Yale, though the Seawolves are in the FCS Playoff discussion and Yale is undefeated. Fordham’s weakness would seem to be facing high-octane offensive teams, but Georgetown has won their last two games with a stifling defense, not a powerful offense. The feeling here is that the Hoyas go to 5-1 and get to the brink of locking down a winning record in 2019 with another solid defensive effort. Georgetown 24, Fordham 18
Chuck has been writing about Lehigh football since the dawn of the internet, or perhaps it only seems like it. He’s executive editor of the College Sports Journal and has also written a book, The Rivalry: How Two Schools Started the Most Played College Football Series.
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