Covering All College Sports Since 2012
With two weeks to go, no autobid has been determined for the upcoming FCS Playoffs, and without the FCS Playoff Committee releasing their working list of seeds, FCS fans have been left to the sift through the chaos as to what the heck the FCS Playoff bracket might look like.
This spring, it all came together for the Blue Hens and they went unbeaten in the regular season and won two playoff games before falling in the semifinals to South Dakota State.
Delaware and South Dakota State meet for the the second time ever in this 2021 Spring FCS Semifinal round with the winner moving on to Frisco, Texas and the division’s national title game.
This week, the Gang got together and talked about their big takeaways from the FCS quarterfinal games this past weekend.
Find everything you need to know about this weekend’s FCS Playoff games and the SWAC Championship, including full previews, and our staff’s predictions on how the games are going to go.
This game may be for the birds, but it will certainly not be for the faint of heart and it certainly has all the earmarks of an instant classic.
Find everything you need to know about this weekend’s FCS Playoff games, including full previews, and our staff’s predictions on how the games are going to go.
This first round game features the champions of the NEC, Sacred Heart against the champions of the CAA, Delaware.
After watching and following all spring, here’s my prediction of who’s in and who’s out of the FCS Playoff bracket this spring. The selection special is at 11:30 AM Sunday and will be unveiled on ESPNU.
This week there is only one CAA team playing. The league has four teams vying for most likely two but potentially three playoff spots depending on what happens around the country.
It was pretty calm at the top of the Top 25 last week. Most teams didn’t play. But the middle, throw it in a blender. We have two weeks left before selection Sunday.
Another week, another round of upsets in the FCS. Jacksonville State and Chattanooga were both top 10 teams last week. Both lost. We nearly had a second straight week where our number one team lost, but Weber State got a 50 yard hail mary on the last play of the game to preserve the win. VMI has moved within one win of the Southern Conference title. Our eyes will be on them this weekend.
James Madison returns to action after a two week pause of their own, while a huge clash looms between Delaware and Rhode Island for first place in the CAA North.
Our number one team from last week went down. North Dakota State dominated both sides of the trenches to beat North Dakota. Sam Houston continue to roll in the Southland. VMI and Chattanooga kept their unbeaten starts going by a combined 3 points. And in the CAA Rhode Island is 2-0 with two ranked wins, as everyone predicted (not exactly).
We’re about at about the midpoint of the spring season, and the writers at CSJ get together to take stock of the season so far.
William & Mary at James Madison is postponed this weekend, but there are still five games on the schedule to enjoy.
As we enter the third week of the Spring season, the full CAA will join the fun with five games this weekend.
This Spring, the CAA teams will play six conference games and can schedule up to two non conference games. There will only be 11 of the 12 teams taking the field as Towson has opted out of the Spring season.
How do we organize these programs in a way that is enticing for them, without breaking the proverbial bank while also creating a potentially better G5 product overall as well?
Playing a radically shortened season of six “regular-season” games would allow for most teams to only have a season that is marginally longer than what they would do for spring practices. And from those games, it is possible to come up with an FCS Championship.
Of our preseason poll last year, only 6 of the top 10 teams made the playoffs. 13 of the full 25 played past Thanksgiving. Its 2020, the year of complete chaos.
The CAA has its champion. James Madison handily defeated Richmond and claimed the outright CAA title. Joining the Dukes in the playoffs should be Villanova, Albany and Towson who each have seven division one wins on the season.
We are down to the last two weeks of the regular season. In the CAA, James Madison is a playoff lock and will claim the outright conference championship with another win. The Dukes should also slide into the seeds when the playoff bracket is released on November 24. Villanova is probably also solidly in the field. From there, its anybody’s guess what other CAA teams will be included on Selection Sunday
At this point the CAA could have five teams get into the FCS Playoffs, or they could have two. Its going to be a tense last three weeks.
One of the wildest endings to a game this year happened last week between Stony Brook and Villanova. Villanova held a 35-20 lead with five minutes remaining only to see Stony Brook roar back with 16 points to win on a Nick Courtney field goal as time expired. As a result, the CAA is a huge jumble, as it seems to be every year.
Entering week 9, James Madison is the only CAA school remaining without a conference loss. However, there are five teams with only one conference loss. Of the twelve CAA teams, there are nine teams that could still make a run at a playoff berth.
The showdown between Villanova and James Madison lived up to its billing. The game was back and forth until the Dukes took hold in the fourth quarter to pick up the win. Elsewhere in the league, New Hampshire continued its strong start on the road at Stony Brook. Towson and Maine both faltered at home against Albany and Richmond respectively.
Villanova and James Madison may have been caught looking ahead to their showdown last week, as both had to survive and win late. Take nothing away from Stony Brook and William & Mary, who gave those two teams all they could handle. The CAA title may well be on the line this week in Harrisonburg.
Villanova showed that they are not to be forgotten in the CAA race in 2019. The Wildcats went toe to toe with the best offense in the conference – Towson – and came away victorious. Daniel Smith has been spectacular through four games with 13 touchdowns passing and four more rushing. Most teams in the CAA are getting into conference play from here on out so the path to the playoffs is going to start to clear up.
Without question the top FCS game of the week was the battle of FCS powerhouses in the Fargodome.Returning home after 47-22 victory the week before against Delaware, the heavily-favored Bison had a very tough battle against visiting UC Davis, ultimately winning 27-16 after scoring a late touchdown to finally put the game in the win column for North Dakota State.
Towson showed they aren’t going away in the CAA and FCS race. The Tigers easily beat Maine by 22 points last week. In the only other CAA matchup, Elon picked up its first conference win, cruising by Richmond. In a couple more weeks, conference play will be in full swing. But for this week there are only two conference matchups while James Madison plays an interesting out of conference contest at Chattanooga.
It was a week of high-profile Top 25 clashes in FCS this week, as the marquee games of the week pitted Delaware vs. North Dakota State and Eastern Washington vs. Jacksonville State. One was a Bison display of dominance, the other a thriller that could be the game of the year. Adding to the fun of this week’s games was a shootout in Vermillion, South Dakota and another big FBS upset in Georgia.
Week two brought a mixed bag of results. The highlight of the weekend was the triple OT thriller in Meade Stadium that saw Delaware outlast the host Rhode Island Rams. That game set the stage for what should be an excellent season of conference matchups.
Most years, it’s FCS teams stunning FBS teams, but this week, it was non-scholarship FCS and sub-Division-I teams stunning FCS squads instead. In their home opener, non-scholarship Dayton (1-0) stunned Indiana State (0-2) 42-35. Flyer QB Jack Cook accounted for four touchdowns, two rushing and two passing, while RB Sean Prophit scored on a 13-yard.
The CAA had a solid showing on opening weekend with all its teams combining to go 7-1 against FCS opponents. The lone loss was suffered by Elon to nationally-ranked North Carolina A&T, 24-21, on a 52 yard field goal as time expired. Against an FBS school, James Madison gave West Virginia all they could handle before ultimately falling to the Mountaineers. On to week two where the CAA faces four more FBS teams and a couple of strong non-conference games.
A new season is finally upon us. The Colonial Athletic Association is always among the top conference in the country and 2019 looks to be no different. Villanova already made a statement in week zero against Colgate. Most everyone else gets going this week.
The CAA had an excellent regular season in 2018 culminating with a record 6 playoff berths. However, once they got there, everyone except for Maine fell flat. The Colonial again looks strong with most every team feeling like they have a shot at the playoffs.
Delaware used a strong defense to start the 2018 season 7-2 to put themselves in contention for the CAA title and potential playoff seed. However, the Blue Hens lost their final two regular season games before falling in the first round of the playoffs against fellow CAA member James Madison.
James Madison 20, Delaware 6 Video Highlights Courtesy NCAA.com HARRISONBURG, Va. – James Madison used a suffocating defense and just enough offense to defeat Delaware 20-6. QB Ben DiNucci had an efficient day for the Dukes, going 23 of 31 for 223 yards passing and a touchdown. The early part of the game was a.
Delaware at James Madison When: Saturday, November 24, 3:00 PM Where: Bridgeforth Stadium, Harrisonburg, VA TV/Streaming: ESPN3 Delaware Blue Hens Newark, Delaware Colonial Athletic Association Enrollment: 18,353 FCS Sagarin Rating: 22 Season Recap: Delaware’s season started with a thud, losing to Rhode Island. After four weeks they were 4-4 and had questions after a loss.
Delaware at Stony Brook When: Saturday, November 10, 1:00 PM Where: Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium, Stony Brook, NY TV/Streaming: College Sports Live Delaware Blue Hens Over the last five weeks, Delaware has looked like the best team in the CAA and a solid top ten team in the entire FCS. After two early stumbles that.
Only an Act of God Stands In The the Way of Colgate’s Patriot League Title With Colgate’s 38-0 smothering of Georgetown, the undefeated Raiders have not only gone 4-0 in Patriot League play – they’ve gone five straight games without giving up a touchdown, and have only allowed 3 points during that time frame. The.
Towson at Delaware When: Saturday, October 27, 3:30PM Where: Delaware Stadium, Newark, DE TV/Streaming: Fox College Sports Atlantic/Fox Sports Go (subscription req’d) Towson Tigers The Tigers were projected as the 10th place team in the CAA preseason polls. They have clearly exceeded expectations with the leadership of Coach Rob Ambrose and the play of quarterback.
Elon at Delaware When: Saturday, October 13, 3:30PM Where: Delaware Stadium, Newark, DE TV/Streaming: NBC Sports Philadelphia Plus/SNY/My Delmarva/NBC Sports Live (subscription req’d) Elon Phoenix Elon is coming off of what is arguably the biggest win in school history when they defeated James Madison on a last minute touchdown pass from Davis Cheek to Avery.
Delaware at North Dakota State When: Saturday, September 22, 1:00 PM CDT Where:Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome, Fargo, N.D. TV/Streaming: NBC North Dakota / ESPN+ (subscription required) Delaware Blue Hens (2-1, 0-1 CAA) The Blue Hens are coming off two straight wins over Cornell and Lafayette but lost its opener against CAA rival Rhode Island. The.
