CAA Week 12 Predictions

[93henfan]

Northeastern @ Rhode Island
Towson @ James Madison
Massachusetts @ Hofstra
Maine @ New Hampshire
Delaware @ Villanova
William & Mary @ Richmond

Extra credit: Old Dominion @ VMI

[uofmman1122]

Northeastern
JMU
UMASS
UNH
Delaware
Richmond
Old Dominion

xthumbsupx

[Pitz]

Rhode Island 31, Northeastern 21
James Madison 28, Towson 14
Massachusetts 27, Hofstra 23
New Hampshire 34, Maine 24
Villanova 35, Delaware 20
Richmond 21, William & Mary 20
VMI 41, Old Dominion 24

[19Duke97]

Northeastern @ Rhode Island Bad GOTW
Towson @ James Madison Should be a blowout for Seniors
Massachusetts @ Hofstra UMASS maybe?
Maine @ New Hampshire UNH needs to win, has reason to play
Delaware @ Villanova VU is the best FCS team I have seen this year
William & Mary @ Richmond Went with the home team, but could easily go the other way

Extra credit: Old Dominion @ VMI VMI seniors play for pride

[93henfan]

Northeastern 14 @ Rhode Island 24
Towson 10 @ James Madison 31
Massachusetts 24 @ Hofstra 21
Maine 17 @ New Hampshire 28
Delaware 31 @ Villanova 28
William & Mary 24 @ Richmond 21

Extra credit: Old Dominion 17 @ VMI 24

[Tribe07]

URI
JMU
UMass
UNH
'Nova
W&M

[jmufan999]

god i love playing towson (note that that's the same thing i always say before playing hofstra, so maybe i shouldn't say that. oh well).

[jlcharles]

Northeastern @ Rhode Island
Towson @ James Madison
Massachusetts @ Hofstra
Maine @ New Hampshire
Delaware @ Villanova
William & Mary @ Richmond

[VT Wildcat Fan53]

Northeastern 14 @ Rhode Island 35 xconfusedx URI preps for next year (again)
Towson 10 @ James Madison 45 xrotatehx JMU preps for next year -- for real!
Massachusetts 14 @ Hofstra 15 xthumbsupx Hofstra preps for next year -- with a big upset win!
Maine 24 @ New Hampshire 28 xeekx Nailbiter, but 'Cats move on.
Delaware 14 @ Villanova 28 xsmhx UDel hungover from last week's valiant effort. Not a good thing vs 'Nova!
William & Mary 24 @ Richmond 21 (OT) xbowx The "Real" best team in FCS stands up!

[soccerguy315]

Rhode Island
JMU
UMass
UNH
Nova
W&M (this one could go either way... and I am leaning towards Richmond now, but I already voted W&M in the poll thread, so I will stick with it)

[WrenFGun]

URI, JMU, UMass, UNH, 'Nova, Richmond.

[UNH Fanboi]

Some interesting matchups this week. JMU-Towson is the only one that doesn't have the potential to be close.

URI 31 - Northeastern 24
JMU 35 - Towson 10
UMass 20 - Hofstra 17
Villanova 28 - Delaware 24
Richmond 21 - W&M 14

Homer pick: UNH 34 - Maine 10

Haven't followed Maine too closely this year, but they have the 2nd worst rushing offense in the CAA after URI. The tough UNH D should be able to shut down their predictable offense, and maybe get a few big INTs. The UNH offense will finally mount a balanced attack on the somewhat weak Maine D with Kackert and Toman both having solid games. The Cats walk away with a comfortable victory and enter the playoffs with confidence and momentum (crosses fingers...)

[Tribe07]

Rhode Island
JMU
UMass
UNH
Nova
W&M (this one could go either way... and I am leaning towards Richmond now, but I already voted W&M in the poll thread, so I will stick with it)

Blasphemy!

[soccerguy315]

Blasphemy!

I know... I think we are going to have to open up the offense to win this game, which I just haven't seen much of (exceptions: UVA, Villanova). I don't think UR will be able to run on us, but I'm not sure if we will have much success running on them either. Home field + senior day + coming off a loss to Nova might be too much fire. Should be a great game.

[BDKJMU]

Maine (8-2/5-2) @ UNH (5-5/4-3) by 1-2 TDs as they bounce back from their tough road loss @ W&M with a road win @ Maine. Saw Maine the 2 weeks prior to last weekend (on TV @ home vs UMass and in person @ JMU). URI just made back to back trips to Durham and Orono, with Maine looking better against the Rams, winning (41-17) than UNH did winning (55-42). After JMU held UMass to 88 yards passing, Maine now has the #1 passing offense in the CAA at 242 yards a game. With Smith being injured that Triester kid was 40 of 46 for 468 yds, 5 Tds, 1 INT against URI xeekx. Yeah, it was URI, but 40-46 ought to be hard to do against a bunch of stiffs- even against just the air. UNH is 6th in the CAA in pass defense, but #1 in pass defense efficiency. UNH should be able to hold Maine under 250 yds passing. Maine doesn't have much of a running game (11th in CAA), and UNH is 4th in the CAA in rushing defense, so the only way Maine will effectively move the ball is through the air. Maine has a below avg statistically CAA defense (9th Total, 9th scoring, 9th rush, 8th pass) and Toman & UNH with their #1 in the CAA Scoring offense and #4 Total Offense should be able to put up enough points to win.

Common opponents:
UMass: UNH lost @ 23-17. Maine won @ home 19-19 (Maine +16)
URI: UNH won @ home 55-42. Maine won @ home 41-17 (Maine +11)
Hofstra: UNH won @ 18-10. Maine won @ 16-14 (UNH +6)
Northeastern: UNH won @ home 48-21. Maine won @ 17-7 (UNH +17)

Northeastern (2-8/2-5)@ URI (1-9/0-7) by less than a TD. If it was @ Parsons I'd go with NU...
Common opponents:
Towson: NU won 27-7, URI lost 36-28 (NU +28)
W&M: NU lost 34-14, URI lost 39-14 (NU +5)
Hofstra: NU won 14-13, URI lost 28-16 (NU +13)
Maine: NU lost 17-7, URI lost @ 41-17 (NU +14)
Nova: NU lost @ 56-7, URI lost @ 36-7 (URI +20)
UNH: NU lost @ 48-21. URI lost @ 55-42 (URI +14)
UMass: NU lost @ 37-7, URI lost @ 30-10 (URI +10)

CAA stats: This looks like a case of suck on suck:
When NU has the ball:
#11 Scoring Offense (13.9) vs the #12 Scoring Defense (37.3) xeekx
#11 Total Offense (261.2) vs the #12 Total Defense (431.5) xeekx
#8 Rushing Offense (123) vs the #11 Rushing Defense (181.3)
#12 Passing Offense (138.2) vs the #12 Pass Defense (250.2) (Something has to give xlolx)

When URI has the ball:
#8 Scoring Offense (20.5) vs the #10 Scoring Defense (34.6)
#10 Total Offense (287.9) vs the #11 Total Defense (393.6)
#12 Rushing Offense (84.2) vs the #12 Rushing Defense (199.0) (Something has to give xlolx).
#6 Passing Offense (203.7) vs the #7 Passing Defense (194.6)

UR (9-1/6-1 @ W&M (9-1/6-1) by less than a TD. Have already put in my $.02 on the UR @ W&M thread.

Hofstra (4-6/2-5) @ UMass (5-5/3-4): UMass by 1-2 TDs, and thats if HU hasn't folded like they appear to have while getting embarrassed in losing @ NU. No need to analyze this one...

Towson @ JMU by 3-4 TDs. The last game before tearing down Bridgeforth. Won't be a sellout, as the students will have started their Thanskgiving break (JMU students now get a week), and their might be 1-2 k no shows. I'm still expecting more than 10k butts in seats). I actually started a Towson @ JMU thread (go ahead and laugh) and put my analysis there.

UD (6-4/4-3) @ Nova (9-1/6-1) by 1-2 TDs. Some might expect Nova to win by more, but this is a big rivalry game, and UD looked pretty good against Navy last week. I'm sure there will be a UD @ Nova thread (don't see it yet), so I'll comment on that.

http://www.nmnathletics.com/fls/8500/Stats/FB/2009/confldrs.htm

[ccd494]

If UNH was at Maine, I would pick the Bears. But I think UNH pulls it out in Durham. Maine still has something to play for, remember, as a win gives them the CAA North title.

This Maine team has made HUUUUUGE strides this year, and I am excited about next season. This is a very young team. After the transition from Brusko at QB to Smith, the passing game really took off. With Jared Turcotte coming back from his medical redshirt this season, the running game should make a big step forward. I fully expect playoff trips the next two seasons.

[kdinva]

Northeastern 27; URI 23
JMU 45; Towson 10
Hofstra 24; UMass 22
New Hampshire 33; Maine 15
Villanova 35; Delaware 26
W&M 23; UR 21

[tribetime10]

Thought I would join the fun, having my first ever post be a prediction. Probably not the best way to start... but it is worth a shot, right?


Rhode Island 42, Northeastern 17
James Madison 21, Towson 13
Massachusetts 30, Hofstra 14
New Hampshire 28, Maine 17
Villanova 31, Delaware 21
Richmond 24, William & Mary 27
VMI 24, Old Dominion 38

[JMUNJ08]

Northeastern 27 @ Rhode Island 13

What better way to end the season than a game that no one wants to see except the die hards. Another rough season for NE and URI will be in the books after Saturday. Can either team turn it around next year? Probably not as the CAA won't be able to let them improve substantially from this season. NE seems to have found a late season grove beating Hofstra last week and URI thought the season ended in October this year.

Towson 14 @ James Madison 30

Another rough season for the Tigers. But things will be looking up with a new coach and new recruits coming in. This year though they just turn the ball over too much and JMU has been capitalizing off them of late. JMU has owned this series and with a couple of breaks early in the season could have been talking playoffs. Still, a four game winning streak to end the season sounds like a nice consolation prize. Bring on the construction crews to Bridgeforth!

Massachusetts 21 @ Hofstra 23

Game looked better a few weeks ago. UMASS lost at home to JMU for only the 2nd time in my lifetime and Hofstra gave NE its 2nd win. This game is for 3rd place most likely in the North. UMass is winless on the road this year and Hofstra has looked good at home. Questions around Hofstra and its coach will be the talk after the game. A win might bring him back for a year.

Maine 17 @ New Hampshire 31

UNH cannot afford another loss going into the playoffs. Being at home against pesky Maine will help. They are IN the playoffs but with a win or loss, will be traveling due to lack of a regional opponent. I doubt Maine will play spoiler this week.

Delaware 17 @ Villanova 28

Tough stretch to end the season for UD. They put up a good fight but the endzone was missing on their side of the field. A TD or 2 makes the Navy game much different. Nova is on a roll. The #1 seed may be possible with another strong win and a seed is definite with a win. Nova is tough at home and UD besides last week hasn't been playing like earlier in the season. Will they put up a fight? Yes. For 60 minutes? No.

William & Mary 20 @ Richmond 19

Game of the week besides the battle of Montana. The winner will be at home in round 1 with a possible #4 seed. The loser may be on the road unless the committee wants another team to come east. W&M beat a tough UNH last week and UR had a bye (G'town). W&M has looked better of late and momentum into the playoffs is everything. Just ask UR last year. UR is a scary team no one wants to face but W&M will win the battle this time.

Extra credit: Old Dominion 21 @ VMI 30

ODU is looking to finish off a stellar season. Being at home 7 times has helped give them an 8-2 record. VMI has played several big teams tough. However, they don't have much to show for it. VMI's battle tested while ODU is testing for the battle. This one will give ODU a measuring stick to see where they are compared to JMU/W&M/UR. Not there yet...

[GoBlueHens83]

Northeastern 17 @ Rhode Island 21
Towson 20 @ James Madison 30
Massachusetts 27 @ Hofstra 17
Maine 24 @ New Hampshire 35
Delaware 21 @ villanova 20
William & Mary 23 @ Richmond 27

Extra credit: Old Dominion 21 @ VMI 31

[Tribe4SF]

Thought I would join the fun, having my first ever post be a prediction. Probably not the best way to start... but it is worth a shot, right?


Rhode Island 42, Northeastern 17
James Madison 21, Towson 13
Massachusetts 30, Hofstra 14
New Hampshire 28, Maine 17
Villanova 31, Delaware 21
Richmond 24, William & Mary 27
VMI 24, Old Dominion 38

Welcome aboard, Tribetime10!

[89Hen]

Northeastern 24 - Rhode Island 13
Towson 14 - James Madison 45
Massachusetts 27 - Hofstra 20
Maine 24 - New Hampshire 34
Delaware 21 - Villanova 31
William & Mary 27 - Richmond 24

Old Dominion 37- VMI 17

[89Hen]

Villanova 31, Delaware 21
Richmond 24, William & Mary 27


Delaware 21 - Villanova 31
William & Mary 27 - Richmond 24

xeekx You're a smart man tribetime xsmiley_wix

[tribetime10]

I'm told great minds think alike...Clearly, this must be the case here.

Oh by the way. Can you make sure UD beats Nova this weekend and prove that these two "great minds" are wrong half the time?

[GannonFan]

Here's my take on rivalry week in the CAA:

Northeastern 21 Rhode Island 28: Ugh. How many non-parents/non-family members will be at this game? What else to say?

Towson 10 James Madison 42: It's Towson. Everybody beats Towson. By a lot.

Massachusetts 10 Hofstra 21: Maybe a saving win for Cohen on Long Island? UMass has always struggled playing this game at Hofstra, and while Hofstra has had some bad moments this year, they also have some talent. Huge underacheivers this year, maybe this is the one spot where they come out and play? UMass comes in with nothing to play for, having just lost their senior day game in the rain. Definitely a team with no incentive other than just get out of town and back home. I think the Minutemen do that with a loss.

Maine 28 New Hampshire 42: UNH has had their problems with this game in the past, but they get to have this one in the safe confines of Durham. Maine's put up a fight against most everyone this year, but have little to show for it in terms of wins. UNH should be able to wear the Black Bears down with the running game and should pull away come the second half. Sets UNH up for an unprecedented (CAA unprecedented that is) 6th straight trip to the playoffs - easily the most successful CAA team over that timeframe. Of course, it will probably all end in bitter fashion in some midwest town in the quarterfinals, but hey, at least they were there. xthumbsupx

Delaware 21 Villanova 20: Still the biggest rivalry game in the conference, at least as measured by intensity (well, among the fans at least). This one's up on the Main Line, where Delaware tailgates have been historically rifled through for valuables during the game and where priests have expressed anger with the results of the game in the past. nova comes in as the better team this year, looking to perhaps grab one of the top 2 seeds in the playoffs and set themselves up for what could be, finally for nova, a long run in the playoffs. UD comes in after a good, but ultimately losing effort at Navy. UD's only really been outmatched once this year, in the W&M game, and has made huge strides considering the mess that was the '08 year. As in this rivalry, these games are typically close. Even last year, against one of the all-time bad UD teams ever, it was only a 2 TD game until deep into the second half. UD's a fairly young team, so this isn't just a game where departing seniors are on their way out - UD actually will return more starters next year than nova, who will return a rather large number of players next year. In a rivalry where the underdog has done well, I'm going with the homer pick and seeing UD kicking the game winning FG as time expires.

William & Mary 21 Richmond 28: The only matchup in the conference where both teams are locks for the playoffs, and the oldest of all the rivalries in this conference. W&M held off a good and stingy UNH team last week at home to come into this one while Richmond had a bye week against Georgetown. Both of these teams' only losses came at the hands of nova - Richmond's when their short game winning field goal sailed wide, and W&M earlier in the year after digging an early hole in that game. Both teams are very similar - good defensive lines, efficient offenses. But in the end, I still like Richmond's uncanny ability to prevail in close games. I think Richmond is hungry after letting the nova game get away, and I think they win here and keep in the race for a playoff seed.

Extra credit: Old Dominion 35 VMI 38: ODU's feasted on the bottom of the barrell in FCS (not anything wrong with that - exactly what you want to do in a start-up year). Where they have lost is when they played still-bad FCS teams, but ones that weren't quite the bottom (Fordham and Monmouth). VMI fits that mode as a bad, but not truly terrible team, and I think ODU gets their 3rd loss of the year in the season ender.

[WrenFGun]

Maine 28 New Hampshire 42: UNH has had their problems with this game in the past, but they get to have this one in the safe confines of Durham. Maine's put up a fight against most everyone this year, but have little to show for it in terms of wins. UNH should be able to wear the Black Bears down with the running game and should pull away come the second half. Sets UNH up for an unprecedented (CAA unprecedented that is) 6th straight trip to the playoffs - easily the most successful CAA team over that timeframe. Of course, it will probably all end in bitter fashion in some midwest town in the quarterfinals, but hey, at least they were there. xthumbsupx

xbawlingx

[GannonFan]

xbawlingx\

Hey, maybe this year you won't even have to go to Cedar Falls again! xlolxxsmhx

[Hoyadestroya85]

I can respect someone who Picks UD to win with a score of 21-20.. but Villanova has yet to give up 30 points all season.

[GannonFan]

I can respect someone who Picks UD to win with a score of 21-20.. but Villanova has yet to give up 30 points all season.

Well, as far as I see, only one guy has picked UD to score more than that (someone picked 31 points) and really, 31 ain't all that different than the 28 UNH scored on nova. Through in a kick return or a defensive touchdown, and a team can score more than expected.

[UNH Fanboi]

Delaware 21 Villanova 20...In a rivalry where the underdog has done well, I'm going with the homer pick and seeing UD kicking the game winning FG as time expires.

7 FGs for UD?

[yorkcountyUNHfan]

\

Hey, maybe this year you won't even have to go to Cedar Falls again! xlolxxsmhx

Now how do you work that ignore feature?

[GannonFan]

7 FGs for UD?

We've got the kicker for it!! Hey, what can you do. We got jobbed on a call in the Navy game that overturned one TD, and on the other one we had a defensive fumble recovery about to be run into the end zone and we ended up tipping our own ball carrier. It happens. xrotatehx

[89Hen]

I can respect someone who Picks UD to win with a score of 21-20.. but Villanova has yet to give up 30 points all season.
xconfusedx Maybe I'm missing the point... isn't 21 less than 30? xeyebrowx

[Hoyadestroya85]

the but was unnecessary.. it should be a because

[smcwildcat]

if we lose at UNI again or somehow play them again ill be very upset unless by some magical way it wa sin durham and we win

[Henwatcher]

Rhode Island 31 Northeastern 28
James Madison 45 Towson 3
Massachusetts 21 Hofstra 17
New Hampshire 24 Maine 21
Villanova 42 Delaware 10
William&Mary 20 Richmond 17

[SpidersSportsEditor]

URI 24 NU 14
JMU 24 Towson 10
UMass 17 Hofstra 7
UNH 31 Maine 13
Villanova 24 Delaware 17
Richmond 21 W&M 17

[GannonFan]

if we lose at UNI again or somehow play them again ill be very upset unless by some magical way it wa sin durham and we win

Aren't you guys 0-1 against UNI in the playoffs at home as well??? xlolxxwhistlex

[JMU Newbill]

Am I the only one that thinks the JMU game is going to be close(ish)?

URI 31 NU 21
JMU 17 Towson 10
UMass 31 Hofstra 14
UNH 28 Maine 27
Villanova 31 Delaware 14
W&M 21 Richmond 20

[JMUNJ08]

Am I the only one that thinks the JMU game is going to be close(ish)?

URI 31 NU 21
JMU 17 Towson 10
UMass 31 Hofstra 14
UNH 28 Maine 27
Villanova 31 Delaware 14
W&M 21 Richmond 20

30-14 JMU
Won't look as good as the score. I think we pull away late. Our O is better but not dominant enough to hang 40 on someone like a few posters believe. That is of course Towson doesn't throw 5 INTs again...

[JMU-MRD-DAD]

My picks are:

URI by 7
UMASS by 14
UNH by 13
Nova by 21
UR by 3
JMU by 24

I really don't see the JMU-Towson game being close.

Go Dukes

[GeeWiz]

URI 37 NU 31 - Rams hold off Huskies to end the horrible seasons for both teams
JMU 38 TU 17 - Dukes roll to an easy win as they fall short of the postseason
UMass 28 HU 24 - Pride shows some pride but too much Tony Nelson for HU
UNH 31 UMaine 27 - Wildcats pull out a close win in the last minute
'Nova 33 UD 24 - GannonFan might think this is the best CAA rivalry but in the end Wildcats will roll into the postseason
UR 35 W&M 27 - A tough one to call and the best game of the day sees the Spidahs experience give them the edge over the Tribe

And in the big one ...

... VMI 41 ODU 31 - Keydets at home slow down a very hot Monarch team

[JMUNJ08]

Northeastern 27 @ Rhode Island 13xthumbsupx

What better way to end the season than a game that no one wants to see except the die hards. Another rough season for NE and URI will be in the books after Saturday. Can either team turn it around next year? Probably not as the CAA won't be able to let them improve substantially from this season. NE seems to have found a late season grove beating Hofstra last week and URI thought the season ended in October this year.

Towson 14 @ James Madison 30xthumbsupx

Another rough season for the Tigers. But things will be looking up with a new coach and new recruits coming in. This year though they just turn the ball over too much and JMU has been capitalizing off them of late. JMU has owned this series and with a couple of breaks early in the season could have been talking playoffs. Still, a four game winning streak to end the season sounds like a nice consolation prize. Bring on the construction crews to Bridgeforth!

Massachusetts 21 @ Hofstra 23xthumbsupx

Game looked better a few weeks ago. UMASS lost at home to JMU for only the 2nd time in my lifetime and Hofstra gave NE its 2nd win. This game is for 3rd place most likely in the North. UMass is winless on the road this year and Hofstra has looked good at home. Questions around Hofstra and its coach will be the talk after the game. A win might bring him back for a year.

Maine 17 @ New Hampshire 31xthumbsupx

UNH cannot afford another loss going into the playoffs. Being at home against pesky Maine will help. They are IN the playoffs but with a win or loss, will be traveling due to lack of a regional opponent. I doubt Maine will play spoiler this week.

Delaware 17 @ Villanova 28xthumbsupx

Tough stretch to end the season for UD. They put up a good fight but the endzone was missing on their side of the field. A TD or 2 makes the Navy game much different. Nova is on a roll. The #1 seed may be possible with another strong win and a seed is definite with a win. Nova is tough at home and UD besides last week hasn't been playing like earlier in the season. Will they put up a fight? Yes. For 60 minutes? No.

William & Mary 20 @ Richmond 19xoopsx

Game of the week besides the battle of Montana. The winner will be at home in round 1 with a possible #4 seed. The loser may be on the road unless the committee wants another team to come east. W&M beat a tough UNH last week and UR had a bye (G'town). W&M has looked better of late and momentum into the playoffs is everything. Just ask UR last year. UR is a scary team no one wants to face but W&M will win the battle this time.

Extra credit: Old Dominion 21 @ VMI 30xoopsx

ODU is looking to finish off a stellar season. Being at home 7 times has helped give them an 8-2 record. VMI has played several big teams tough. However, they don't have much to show for it. VMI's battle tested while ODU is testing for the battle. This one will give ODU a measuring stick to see where they are compared to JMU/W&M/UR. Not there yet...

Great last weekend of football. Don't forget next weekend starts the 13th week for the CAA (or what others call the playoffsxlolx)

[GoBlueHens83]

Northeastern 17 @ Rhode Island 21 xoopsx (33-27)
Towson 20 @ James Madison 30 xnodx (12-43)
Massachusetts 27 @ Hofstra 17 xnutsx (38-52)
Maine 24 @ New Hampshire 35 xthumbsupx (24-27)
Delaware 21 @ villanova 20 xoopsx (12-30)
William & Mary 23 @ Richmond 27 xthumbsupx (10-13)

Extra credit: Old Dominion 21 @ VMI 31 xeyebrowx :p (42-35)

[MacThor]

William & Mary 23 @ Richmond 27 xthumbsupx (13-10)

Not sure it's a xthumbsupx when the total = your losing team's score...but yeah you picked the winner!

[GoBlueHens83]

Not sure it's a xthumbsupx when the total = your losing team's score...but yeah you picked the winner!

It was for Richmond winning. I was pulling for them, that's what the xthumbsupx was about.