CAA Week Three Predictions

[BlueHenSinfonian]

Here are the 9/18 CAA Games -

UNH @ URI
UMass @ Michigan
Elon @ Richmond
Towson @ Villanova
Duquesne @ Delaware
Maine @ Syracuse
W&M @ Old Dominion

My picks -

UNH 31 - URI 6

New Hampshire is good, and they are hungry. After the loss to Pitt the Wildcats are in no mood to fool around, and Rams get to be their punching bag.

Umass 10 - Michgan 41

After JMU's upset over VT, and their own experience with App State, Michigan knows better than to come into this game thinking it will be a breeze. The Wolvies barely snuck by the Irish last week, so expect them to come in well trained, well focused, and hungry for blood. UMass is good this year, and should manage at least a TD and a FG, but the Minutemen will find themselves in the all too familiar position of being dominated by a team in blue and gold winged helmets.

Elon 17 - Richmond 24

Christening rights for the Spiders' new house are on the line, and Richmond is going to come out with a purpose. This should be one of the better FCS matchups this week, and I might even give an edge to the Phoenix if it weren't for the fact that the Spiders will be playing to make sure their home debut in the new stadium isn't spoiled.

Towson 3 - Villanova 45

Villanova shut out Lehigh, though I think Towson will at least put something on the board. Look for this game to be over by the end of the first quarter.

Duquesne 14 - Delaware 30

With the possible exception of the MEAC, the NEC is the weakest conference in the FCS. Duquesne is coming in 2-0, but shouldn't provide much more of a challenge for UD than Westchester. The only reason I'm predicting a halfway close score is that I expect KC won't keep Devlin in for the entire game, and he is likely to play a bit more reserved than he has to in anticipation of two tough road games after this week.

Maine 6 - Syracuse 42

As much as I love a good FCS over FBS upset, Maine isn't in the position to deal one here against a mid-level Syracuse FBS team.

W&M 24 - Old Dominion 20

Raise your hand if you had never heard of the Jacksonville Dolphins or the Campbell Camels before seeing that ODU played them? Despite the lack of noteworthy opponents, the Tribe is walking into the lion's den, as ODU posts football attendance figures are second only to Delaware in the CAA. The Monarchs are fighting for the respect of their future conference-mates, and if that many people are turning up for games, they can't be that bad.

[bluehenbillk]

UNH 34 URI 10
Michigan 45 UMass 13
Elon 23 Richmond 20
Villanova 45 Towson 3 - sounded good the 1st time
Delaware 37 Duquesne 10
'Cuse 35 Maine 7
W&M 45 ODU 14
JMU 17 Bye 14 (OT)

[GannonFan]

UNH 35 URI 14: A yawner as UNH sleepwalks by a bad URI team. Not much to see here.

UMass 10 Michigan 45: This ain't your Lloyd Carr's Wolverines. Rodriguez knows he's on the hot seat and every in Michigan knows they lost to Appy a few years ago. UMass won't get overlooked and that shoelaces guy is going to put up huge numbers. If UMass had a QB I would give them a shot to stay competitive, but they don't so I won't.

Elon 21 Richmond 22: Tough game to call - both teams aren't as good as they were last year, and I really thought Richmond would completely fall off. If this wasn't the innaugural game in their new stadium I would go with Elon, but I think the intangibles pay off in a game where both teams are full of question marks.

Towson 0 villanova 35 : Won't be the last time that Towson is drilled by a CAA team. Can't imagine paid attendance exceeds 1000 for this yawner.

Dusquesne 3 Delaware 35: Devlin's status makes the score hard to predict, but Delaware's defense looks really legit and they should carry the day. Not a great game to watch unless you're a Hens fan.

Maine 10 Syracuse 42: Maine didn't seem to be much better last week, although they at least managed to score against Monmouth. Might be another year where Cosgrove takes a promising team and completely underperforms.

W&M 42 ODU 10: ODU's just not ready and W&M continues to get the bad taste of that UMass loss out of their system. Could be a heckuva game in 2-3 years, just not this one.

[Fear the Bird]

Umass 10 - Michgan 41

After JMU's upset over VT, and their own experience with App State, Michigan knows better than to come into this game thinking it will be a breeze. The Wolvies barely snuck by the Irish last week, so expect them to come in well trained, well focused, and hungry for blood. UMass is good this year, and should manage at least a TD and a FG, but the Minutemen will find themselves in the all too familiar position of being dominated by a team in blue and gold winged helmets.


xlolxxlolxxlolxxsmileyclapxxbowxxbowx

[Col Hogan]

UNH @ URI - Easy win for the 'Cats...
UMass @ Michigan - UMass will be competitive, nothing more...
Elon @ Richmond- The Spiders lose in the opening of the new house...
Towson @ Villanova - "Nova, but not as easy as some people would have you think...
Duquesne @ Delaware - If the Hens don't look ahead to Richmond, this should be easy...
Maine @ Syracuse - Upset Alert...
W&M @ Old Dominion - Welcome to the CAA, ODU...

[jlcharles]

Towson 0 villanova 35 : Won't be the last time that Towson is drilled by a CAA team. Can't imagine paid attendance exceeds 1000 for this yawner.

Brilliant slam against Villanova. The stadium will be mostly full this weekend for two reasons. Parents' Weekend and they've actually been advertising that they'll be honoring our National Championship team.

UNH @ URI
UMass @ Michigan
Elon @ Richmond
Towson @ Villanova
Duquesne @ Delaware - If Devlin has a broken wrist or arm or whatever, why even bother playing him?
Maine @ Syracuse
W&M @ Old Dominion

[EmeryZach]

New Hampshire 27 - URI 13 - UNH is going to come into this one thinking it will be too easy.

Michigan 28 - UMass 14 - Can we keep it close? I hope so.

Richmond 35 - Elon 31 - Should be a really good game to watch.

Villanova 32 - Towson 17 - Tigers aren't too bad this year. This game could be closer than that.

Delaware 28 - Duquesne 0 - Is Devlin going to play this week?

Syracuse 13 - Maine 10 - Don't know if I would go to this one if someone gave me free tickets and I lived across the street. Ok, yeah I would go, but it's going to be ugly.

William and Mary 27 - ODU 13 - I like what they are doing down at ODU, baby steps.

[401ks]

With the possible exception of the MEAC, the NEC is the weakest conference in the FCS.


Raise your hand if you had never heard of the Jacksonville Dolphins or the Campbell Camels before seeing that ODU played them?

xeyebrowx

Well Mr. BlueHensCOMPLETELACKOFINFOnian, have you ever heard of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) or the Pioneer Football League (PFL)? No? I didn't think so.

"Never heard of the Jacksonville Dolphins or the Campbell Camels"? Did you just start following FCS football last week? Do your homework son, THEN come back and make a much better attempt at making us believe that you have the slightest clue. xnonono2x

[tribefan40]

UNH 34 URI 10
Michigan 45 UMass 13
Elon 23 Richmond 20
Villanova 45 Towson 3 - sounded good the 1st time
Delaware 37 Duquesne 10
'Cuse 35 Maine 7
W&M 45 ODU 14
JMU 17 Bye 14 (OT)

+1

[EmeryZach]

I should raise my hand because I have most certainly heard of the Jacksonville Dolphins and Campbell Camels.

That was a silly comment by the newbie.

[Rob Iola]

Um, Duquesne v Delaware is a classic trap game. With Devlin injured, with UD special teams still being an issue (fumbles, missed kicks, and big returns against), with a rookie RB behind a below-average line (by CAA standards at least), and with big games in VA looming on the horizon - and with Duquesne being 2-0, regardless of the competition (Dayton doesn't suck too bad) - I wouldn't be quite so quick to hand them a 2 to 3 TD win. And UD traditionally gacks on the game following a big win during the regular season.

Albany, er, Duquesne 14 Delaware 10

[BlueHenSinfonian]

xeyebrowx

Well Mr. BlueHensCOMPLETELACKOFINFOnian, have you ever heard of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) or the Pioneer Football League (PFL)? No? I didn't think so.

"Never heard of the Jacksonville Dolphins or the Campbell Camels"? Did you just start following FCS football last week? Do your homework son, THEN come back and make a much better attempt at making us believe that you have the slightest clue. xnonono2x

I've been following FCS football for close to ten years, and Campbell and Jacksonville (FL) never showed up on my radar till yesterday, but why should of they? The fans from either school don't seem to have a presence on this forum, and as far as I can tell, no CAA school has ever played either of them.

As far as the conferences go, the NEC is 58 - 72 against the Pioneer league all time (data ripped from cfbwarehouse, so who knows how old some of it is). Against the SWAC, I'd give the edge to the SWAC, although I can't find any evidence that the two conferences have ever had schools play against each other.

[danefan]

I've been following FCS football for close to ten years, and Campbell and Jacksonville (FL) never showed up on my radar till yesterday, but why should of they? The fans from either school don't seem to have a presence on this forum, and as far as I can tell, no CAA school has ever played either of them.

As far as the conferences go, the NEC is 58 - 72 against the Pioneer league all time (data ripped from cfbwarehouse, so who knows how old some of it is). Against the SWAC, I'd give the edge to the SWAC, although I can't find any evidence that the two conferences have ever had schools play against each other.

You do know that the NEC is quite a bit different than it was just 3-4 years ago right?

And for a Delaware fan to underestimate an NEC foe is interesting.

http://img148.imageshack.us/img148/6281/dscn0304nx4.jpg

[URMite]

You do know that the NEC is quite a bit different than it was just 3-4 years ago right?

And for a Delaware fan to underestimate an NEC foe is interesting.

http://img148.imageshack.us/img148/6281/dscn0304nx4.jpg

Particularly the top 2-3 teams in any given year.

[401ks]

I've been following FCS football for close to ten years, and Campbell and Jacksonville (FL) never showed up on my radar till yesterday, but why should of they? The fans from either school don't seem to have a presence on this forum, and as far as I can tell, no CAA school has ever played either of them.

Wow. I see your point. If a school's fans do not have a presence on AGS and their school has not played a CAA school recently, they must not exist! xrolleyesx


As far as the conferences go, the NEC is 58 - 72 against the Pioneer league all time (data ripped from cfbwarehouse, so who knows how old some of it is). Against the SWAC, I'd give the edge to the SWAC, although I can't find any evidence that the two conferences have ever had schools play against each other.

As a supporter of both an NEC team and a PFL team, I would have a hard time arguing that the NEC has been superior to the PFL in the past. However, if you knew anything about the NEC, you would know that the NEC began offering scholarships a few years ago while the PFL is still a non-scholarship conference. While a scholarship does NOT automatically equate to talent, the fact is that scholarships endow a program with a much greater depth of talent which has a profound affect on the outcome of many (but not all) games.

While many have issues with computer rankings (as do I), I will finish with the most recent Sagarin conference rankings (which look almost exactly like the Sagarin conference rankings of the past few years).

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/sagarin/fbc10.htm?loc=interstitialskip

CONFERENCE CENTRAL MEAN SIMPLE AVERAGE TEAMS WIN50%

1 SOUTHEASTERN (A) = 79.75 79.77 ( 1) 12 79.77 ( 1)
2 PAC-10 (A) = 78.46 77.80 ( 2) 10 78.06 ( 2)
3 BIG 12 (A) = 77.54 77.68 ( 3) 12 77.65 ( 3)
4 BIG TEN (A) = 76.30 75.96 ( 4) 11 76.02 ( 4)
5 ATLANTIC COAST (A) = 75.72 75.53 ( 5) 12 75.55 ( 5)
6 BIG EAST (A) = 71.64 71.98 ( 6) 8 71.95 ( 6)
7 MOUNTAIN WEST (A) = 70.98 71.41 ( 7) 9 71.26 ( 7)
8 WESTERN ATHLETIC (A) = 68.50 69.03 ( 8) 9 68.93 ( 8)
9 I-A INDEPENDENTS (A) = 67.77 67.26 ( 9) 3 67.37 ( 9)
10 CONFERENCE USA (A) = 64.79 64.48 ( 10) 12 64.54 ( 10)
11 COLONIAL (AA)= 63.18 61.91 ( 11) 10 62.58 ( 11)
12 MID-AMERICAN (A) = 60.14 59.53 ( 12) 13 59.67 ( 12)
13 SUN BELT (A) = 58.94 59.52 ( 13) 9 59.42 ( 13)
14 SOUTHERN (AA)= 55.38 55.95 ( 15) 9 55.88 ( 14)
15 MISSOURI VALLEY (AA)= 55.25 55.96 ( 14) 9 55.77 ( 15)
16 BIG SKY (AA)= 55.20 54.54 ( 16) 9 54.61 ( 16)
17 GREAT WEST (AA)= 53.81 54.10 ( 17) 5 53.97 ( 17)
18 IVY LEAGUE (AA)= 49.06 49.28 ( 20) 8 49.25 ( 19)
19 SOUTHLAND (AA)= 49.02 49.65 ( 18) 8 49.49 ( 18)
20 BIG SOUTH (AA)= 48.73 49.37 ( 19) 7 49.20 ( 20)
21 PATRIOT LEAGUE (AA)= 44.71 43.56 ( 22) 7 43.80 ( 22)
22 OHIO VALLEY (AA)= 43.52 44.50 ( 21) 9 43.89 ( 21)
23 MID-EASTERN (AA)= 41.68 41.25 ( 23) 9 41.32 ( 23)
24 NORTHEAST (AA)= 40.58 40.06 ( 24) 9 40.21 ( 24)
25 SOUTHWESTERN (AA)= 37.73 37.69 ( 25) 10 37.79 ( 25)
26 PIONEER (AA)= 33.79 33.34 ( 26) 10 33.48 ( 26)
27 I-AA INDEPENDENTS (AA)= 26.29 25.74 ( 27) 6 25.96 ( 27)

xpeacex

[URMite]

I've been following FCS football for close to ten years, and Campbell and Jacksonville (FL) never showed up on my radar till yesterday, but why should of they? The fans from either school don't seem to have a presence on this forum, and as far as I can tell, no CAA school has ever played either of them.

As far as the conferences go, the NEC is 58 - 72 against the Pioneer league all time (data ripped from cfbwarehouse, so who knows how old some of it is). Against the SWAC, I'd give the edge to the SWAC, although I can't find any evidence that the two conferences have ever had schools play against each other.

I believe this year is at least the 2nd time Jacksonville has shown up on ASU's schedule (you have heard of them?) in the last few years. (Unless I'm falling into the Jackson St, Jacksonville, Jacksonville St fallacy) So that is how I know them, as well as some other less prominent FCS (&DII) teams, by who they play, not how they play.

[URMite]

As a supporter of both an NEC team and a PFL team, I would have a hard time arguing that the NEC has been superior to the PFL in the past. However, if you knew anything about the NEC, you would know that the NEC began offering scholarships a few years ago while the PFL is still a non-scholarship conference. While a scholarship does NOT automatically equate to talent, the fact is that scholarships endow a program with a much greater depth of talent which has a profound affect on the outcome of many (but not all) games.

My personal opinion is that the NEC teams are split into two camps, one that has been improving the last 4 years or so, and one that accepts the past level of play as sufficient. Therefore the top 2 or 3 teams each year are competitive/dangerous, bottom 2 or 3 are the same as they have always been.

[BlueHenSinfonian]

I believe this year is at least the 2nd time Jacksonville has shown up on ASU's schedule (you have heard of them?) in the last few years. (Unless I'm falling into the Jackson St, Jacksonville, Jacksonville St fallacy) So that is how I know them, as well as some other less prominent FCS (&DII) teams, by who they play, not how they play.

It looks like Jacksonville (FL) did play App State twice (losing both times). I might have seen it on a schedule and just assumed it was Jacksonville State, or maybe just glossed over it. I am with you, I am much more familiar with teams that play teams I know and follow.

401KS -

If a team doesn't have a long history, hasn't made a playoff appearance, and doesn't play against any schools I follow, why would I know about them? I'm not saying a school as to play against the CAA to deserve recognition, but I'd guess that for most fans of the top tier FCS schools, teams like Campbell (which apparently just added it's football program in '08) fly under the radar.

[danefan]

My personal opinion is that the NEC teams are split into two camps, one that has been improving the last 4 years or so, and one that accepts the past level of play as sufficient. Therefore the top 2 or 3 teams each year are competitive/dangerous, bottom 2 or 3 are the same as they have always been.

I'd agree with that completely. The top 2 or 3 teams are also generally the same ones (Central Ct., Monmouth and Albany).

All though I will say that Bryant has really improved and will likely be at the top of the NEC in the very near future, if not this year.

[401ks]

BlueHenSinfonian, if I've been a little hard on you, I apologize.

However, this is what turns many people off about the FCS Polls - people who vote who don't have a clue about all the teams in the FCS. So many people only care about their own little, provincial world.

I'm a football fan, a football coach, and a football parent. I care about ALL football teams and the players who bust their butts every day on the practice field, particularly those at the FCS level. I coach High School football and I know the amount of talent it takes to make it onto the roster of even the lowliest of FCS non-scholarship programs.

I can accept the fact that in the BCS world of college football people still say things like, "I didn't know Georgetown even had a football team!" Or, "Where in the heck is Towson or Weber State?" Originally, I didn't know that Jacksonville State was in Alabama, or that Jackson State was in Mississippi but I made it my business to know. If you are going to call yourself an "infonian" and post your opinions of FCS teams on the internet, I might suggest that you make it your business to know as well.

xtwocentsx

[401ks]

I'd agree with that completely. The top 2 or 3 teams are also generally the same ones (Central Ct., Monmouth and Albany).

All though I will say that Bryant has really improved and will likely be at the top of the NEC in the very near future, if not this year.

Don't look back, danefan! Someone else may be gaining on you. xnodx

[danefan]

Don't look back, danefan! Someone else may be gaining on you. xnodx

I'll believe it when I see it. The Dukes made some really good strides two years ago and then fell off the edge of the earth last year. I hope they're back up because its good for the NEC as a whole to have the middle of the pack (Duquesne, Wagner, Bryant and RMU) to step it up.

[URMite]

BlueHenSinfonian, if I've been a little hard on you, I apologize.

However, this is what turns many people off about the FCS Polls - people who vote who don't have a clue about all the teams in the FCS. So many people only care about their own little, provincial world.

I'm a football fan, a football coach, and a football parent. I care about ALL football teams and the players who bust their butts every day on the practice field, particularly those at the FCS level. I coach High School football and I know the amount of talent it takes to make it onto the roster of even the lowliest of FCS non-scholarship programs.

I can accept the fact that in the BCS world of college football people still say things like, "I didn't know Georgetown even had a football team!" Or, "Where in the heck is Towson or Weber State?" Originally, I didn't know that Jacksonville State was in Alabama, or that Jackson State was in Mississippi but I made it my business to know. If you are going to call yourself an "infonian" and post your opinions of FCS teams on the internet, I might suggest that you make it your business to know as well.

xtwocentsx

I usually vote (haven't yet this year because of being in the wilderness) and I don't know a lot about every single team. I care about players but if your team isn't in the top 2/3 of a powerhouse conference or in the top 2 or 3 teams of a less successful conference I may not know much about your team until after that has occurred. I don't feel that I'm being entirely unfair in that regard....

[401ks]

I'll believe it when I see it. The Dukes made some really good strides two years ago and then fell off the edge of the earth last year. I hope they're back up because its good for the NEC as a whole to have the middle of the pack (Duquesne, Wagner, Bryant and RMU) to step it up.

Any team suffering the incredible rash of injuries (many season-ending) that the Dukes suffered last season would fall "off the edge of the earth". Even with that, five of their eight losses were by 7 points or less (a sure result of lack of depth from injuries).

[401ks]

I usually vote (haven't yet this year because of being in the wilderness) and I don't know a lot about every single team. I care about players but if your team isn't in the top 2/3 of a powerhouse conference or in the top 2 or 3 teams of a less successful conference I may not know much about your team until after that has occurred. I don't feel that I'm being entirely unfair in that regard....

Do I know the name of the starting QB for South Alabama off the top of my head? No. Do I know the second-team strong safety for Austin Peay? No.

But I at least know that Jacksonville and Campbell exist! Having detailed knowledge of every team in the FCS is certainly not expected of someone who would like the rest of us to respect their opinions about FCS teams. However, basic knowledge of what FCS teams exist might just be one baseline criterion.

I have absolutely no problem with someone posting their opinions about who might win a particular football game. Opinions are like (noses), everyone has got one and as cable news shows us, everyone is entitled to express it. It was the extra commentary that lacked a certain amount of knowledge that got me on my soapbox. Please forgive me for hijacking this thread. :p

Carry on! :o

[Oldhen]

Um, Duquesne v Delaware is a classic trap game. With Devlin injured, with UD special teams still being an issue (fumbles, missed kicks, and big returns against), with a rookie RB behind a below-average line (by CAA standards at least), and with big games in VA looming on the horizon - and with Duquesne being 2-0, regardless of the competition (Dayton doesn't suck too bad) - I wouldn't be quite so quick to hand them a 2 to 3 TD win. And UD traditionally gacks on the game following a big win during the regular season.

Albany, er, Duquesne 14 Delaware 10

My initial thoughts about this game were moving along similar lines.

After further review... I see it less and less.

Don't get me wrong, if Devlin is sitting it out, or missing significant time, this is a whole different game than it would be otherwise, and it's the absolute classic trap.

That said, I'm getting an entirely different vibe from this year's team - particularly the D - and I'm ascribing that to much better upperclass leadership than we've had in recent years.

I expect Duquesne to pull our all the stops and throw it all over the field. Their QB looks like he can throw some, so they may have some success with it.

I don't see much middle ground in this one... either UD is as good on the ground as they have looked, and will run AP right up the Dukes butt and completely control the ball and the game...

....or they will be very surprised by an unimpressed DU team that gets right after them... and UD has to scramble behind a backup QB to pull out a game that is much closer than the faithful want to think.

I just have a very hard time seeing an upset. Close game, maybe.

[bluehenbillk]

Danefan- Say what you want, this looks like a great UD team.

[Rob Iola]

My initial thoughts about this game were moving along similar lines.

After further review... I see it less and less.

Don't get me wrong, if Devlin is sitting it out, or missing significant time, this is a whole different game than it would be otherwise, and it's the absolute classic trap.

That said, I'm getting an entirely different vibe from this year's team - particularly the D - and I'm ascribing that to much better upperclass leadership than we've had in recent years.

I expect Duquesne to pull our all the stops and throw it all over the field. Their QB looks like he can throw some, so they may have some success with it.

I don't see much middle ground in this one... either UD is as good on the ground as they have looked, and will run AP right up the Dukes butt and completely control the ball and the game...

....or they will be very surprised by an unimpressed DU team that gets right after them... and UD has to scramble behind a backup QB to pull out a game that is much closer than the faithful want to think.

I just have a very hard time seeing an upset. Close game, maybe.

Really it comes down to early turnovers - if daHenz put the rock on the carpet early then that's the classic path to a classic Henz upset. Otherwise I see it exactly as you see it. But after Grant's fumbled KO Saturday and trusting a rookie RB to hang onto the ball (even if he is the 2nd coming of Omar) with Devlin dinged up - the potential's there. And it won't matter how good Delaware's D is if they're down early and the O is struggling...

[danefan]

Danefan- Say what you want, this looks like a great UD team.

Oh believe me, I agree. And I would not in a million year pick Duquesne to win. But at the same time if I were a Delaware fan I also wouldn't be so quick to dismiss this as a guaranteed blowout just because its an NEC team.

[Nebuta]

New Hampshire over URI - Wild Kitties run wild.. 0-3 start for the Rams. Going to be long season.

Michigan over UMASS - Flashbacks of App St win still lingers in the Michigan. Minutemen will not be over looked especially after VT loss.

Richmond over Elon - Spiders continue to improve as they approach confernce play.

Nova over the Tigers - Nova should win by 3 scores.

Delaware over Duquesne - Why pass, with that OL who continues to get great push off the ball regardless. AP has a big day.

Maine over Cuse - Another FBS win for the CAA.

W&M over ODU - Tribe win a squeaker.

[JMUNJ08]

UMass @ Michigan


Just surprised even with the thread high jacked halfway through that no one saw this prediction! You got some big ones charles!

[caribbeanhen]

UNH 35 URI 14: A yawner as UNH sleepwalks by a bad URI team. Not much to see here.

UMass 10 Michigan 45: This ain't your Lloyd Carr's Wolverines. Rodriguez knows he's on the hot seat and every in Michigan knows they lost to Appy a few years ago. UMass won't get overlooked and that shoelaces guy is going to put up huge numbers. If UMass had a QB I would give them a shot to stay competitive, but they don't so I won't.

Elon 21 Richmond 22: Tough game to call - both teams aren't as good as they were last year, and I really thought Richmond would completely fall off. If this wasn't the innaugural game in their new stadium I would go with Elon, but I think the intangibles pay off in a game where both teams are full of question marks.

Towson 0 villanova 35 : Won't be the last time that Towson is drilled by a CAA team. Can't imagine paid attendance exceeds 1000 for this yawner.

Dusquesne 3 Delaware 35: Devlin's status makes the score hard to predict, but Delaware's defense looks really legit and they should carry the day. Not a great game to watch unless you're a Hens fan.

Maine 10 Syracuse 42: Maine didn't seem to be much better last week, although they at least managed to score against Monmouth. Might be another year where Cosgrove takes a promising team and completely underperforms.

W&M 42 ODU 10: ODU's just not ready and W&M continues to get the bad taste of that UMass loss out of their system. Could be a heckuva game in 2-3 years, just not this one.

GF, I think your opinion on the UMASS QB is heavily influenced by the bad game at Newark last year, I ve read he looks like a different player this year...more in synch with the receivers

[jlcharles]

Just surprised even with the thread high jacked halfway through that no one saw this prediction! You got some big ones charles!

I must not have been paying attention, because I definitely don't think that will happen. I'm going to change it.

[GannonFan]

GF, I think your opinion on the UMASS QB is heavily influenced by the bad game at Newark last year, I ve read he looks like a different player this year...more in synch with the receivers

Nah, actually saw quite a few UMass games on TV both last year as well as the W&M one this year. That, coupled with talking with UMass fans, and the consensus is that Havens isn't very good. The new RB gives them something they didn't have last year and that helped enormously against W&M, but when they need to rely on Havens is when things will go poorly. Give it time, the season is still very young. Even after they lose to Michigan we will have only seen one real game, and who knows if that was a fluke or even how good W&M really is. We'll see.

[Old Cat Fan]

All i can say is the football Gods better be with UMASS, because this could get real ugly, like 56-0 ugly. I hope I'm wrong, but after watching the Michigan-ND replay, the laces QB is a one man wrecking crew and is almost unstoppable, here is his stats for the first 2 games. Thats 430 yds rushing in 2 games xrotatehx

2010 Regular Season Game Log Passing Rushing
DATE OPP RESULT CMP ATT YDS CMP% LNG TD INT RAT ATT YDS AVG LNG TD
9/4 Connecticut W 30-10 19 22 186 86.4 43 1 0 172.39 29 197 6.8 32 1
9/11 @Notre Dame W 28-24 24 40 244 60.0 31 1 0 119.49 28 258 9.2 87 2

[EmeryZach]

Hey, you never know, Robinson might break his leg on the first drive. Crazier things have happened.

[caribbeanhen]

All i can say is the football Gods better be with UMASS, because this could get real ugly, like 56-0 ugly. I hope I'm wrong, but after watching the Michigan-ND replay, the laces QB is a one man wrecking crew and is almost unstoppable, here is his stats for the first 2 games. Thats 430 yds rushing in 2 games xrotatehx

2010 Regular Season Game Log Passing Rushing
DATE OPP RESULT CMP ATT YDS CMP% LNG TD INT RAT ATT YDS AVG LNG TD
9/4 Connecticut W 30-10 19 22 186 86.4 43 1 0 172.39 29 197 6.8 32 1
9/11 @Notre Dame W 28-24 24 40 244 60.0 31 1 0 119.49 28 258 9.2 87 2

if DelSt only got beat by 60 or so, i say Umass can make it much closer regardless if lacesin or lacesout

prediciton: Mich 49 UMASS 21

[JaxSinfonian]

Originally, I didn't know that Jacksonville State was in Alabama, or that Jackson State was in Mississippi but I made it my business to know. If you are going to call yourself an "infonian" and post your opinions of FCS teams on the internet, I might suggest that you make it your business to know as well.

For the record, he's calling himself a "Sinfonian." http://www.sinfonia.org

As a humorous aside, I'll mention here that the first two lines of JSU's fight song are: "Fight on, fight on for ol' Jax State / We're proud that we're from Alabama." The "Alabama" in that second line has a slight pause just before it, and is usually shouted, as if to make clear to anyone who might be listening that we're not from Florida or Mississippi.

I knew where both schools were, as the Dolphins and Camels were A-Sun conference mates of Jax State back in the day. I'll offer this defense of my Blue Hen brother, though: his comment had its self-deprecating side, making some sport of his own ignorance. I'd agree, though, that wasn't the main thrust.

There's no doubt he's educated now.

[401ks]

For the record, he's calling himself a "Sinfonian." http://www.sinfonia.org

Wow. Cool! xthumbsupx

I did not know about Sinfonia. Obviously, I thought that his name was Blue Hens infonian (with a play on the word "info.") See, everybody learns something new every day!

My sincerest apologies to BlueHenSinfonian and all the rest of the Sinfonians.


xpeacex

[Dukie95]

Mike Barber's take:

http://www.dnronline.com/blogdetails.php?BID=747&TID=5&back=

[HensRock]

Rob Iola,
I beleive I am more intune with the Hens ergarding upsets than most. I saw the Towson upset in 05 coming. I was not at all surpised that Albany beat us in 06.
This Delaware team is different. If Duquesne wins, I will truly be shocked.
I'm not dismissing DU because they are "an NEC team". I'm dismissing them because Delaware is just that good this year.
My question is, With Devlin hurt, can our offense keep DU off the field enough to allow our defense to pitch a shutout?
I have to give the Dukes some credit and say, no.

DU 3
UD 35

Dukie, Mike Barber didn't go out on much of a limb this week, huh?
I guess a down week will make you more conservative. I think he got the UR game wrong though. I say Elon spoils the Ticks open house. Although I will be rooting for our CAA brothers.

All the others are too obvious.

[Rob Iola]

Rob Iola,
I beleive I am more intune with the Hens ergarding upsets than most. I saw the Towson upset in 05 coming. I was not at all surpised that Albany beat us in 06.
This Delaware team is different. If Duquesne wins, I will truly be shocked.
I'm not dismissing DU because they are "an NEC team". I'm dismissing them because Delaware is just that good this year.
My question is, With Devlin hurt, can our offense keep DU off the field enough to allow our defense to pitch a shutout?
I have to give the Dukes some credit and say, no.

DU 3
UD 35

Dukie, Mike Barber didn't go out on much of a limb this week, huh?
I guess a down week will make you more conservative. I think he got the UR game wrong though. I say Elon spoils the Ticks open house. Although I will be rooting for our CAA brothers.

All the others are too obvious.
I'll gladly defer to your judgement - I've personally attended some mighty painful upsets at the Tub since the late '70s, and this one certainly has that kind of feel to it. But I think/hope you're right - this team seems to be different in a good way...

[JMUNJ08]

Overall 14-4
CAA 0-1

Too lazy and didn't start this week's thread so here are just my predictions:

UNH-41 @ URI-13
UMass-9 @ Michigan-52
Elon-21 @ Richmond-22
Towson-7 @ Villanova-30
Duquesne-12 @ Delaware-24
Maine-17 @ Syracuse-34
W&M-38 @ Old Dominion-24

The only game that should be close is Elon/Richmond. I want to pick Elon but don't they always lose important games against quality opponents?

[BlueHenSinfonian]

Wow. Cool! xthumbsupx

I did not know about Sinfonia. Obviously, I thought that his name was Blue Hens infonian (with a play on the word "info.") See, everybody learns something new every day!

My sincerest apologies to BlueHenSinfonian and all the rest of the Sinfonians.


xpeacex

No worries man, I was trying to be a bit tongue-in-cheek snarky with the comments, but it's hard to get that across through just text.

[VT Wildcat Fan53]

UNH 45 @ URI 14. xsmiley_wix Northern Wildcats are actually pretty good -- better than last year with Fox and Peters and the D
UMass 14 @ Michigan 38. xeyebrowx It is just me or does Maize & Blue QB remind one of former UM vanquisher, Armanti Edwards?
Elon 14 @ Richmond 21. xprayx Close game, but CAA prevails.
Towson 14 @ Villanova 45. xhurrayx Southern Wildcats are the nation's best.
Duquesne 7 @ Delaware 52. xrotatehx Blue Hens warm up for conference schedule with a scrimmage.
Maine 17 @ Syracuse 28. :( Orange pull away late (remember last year?) despite Turcotte's 100+ yards and 2 TD's
W&M 31 @ Old Dominion 17. xrulesx ODU steps up, but not yet ready for CAA prime time.

[Dukie95]

Dukie, Mike Barber didn't go out on much of a limb this week, huh?

Kind of a tough week to go out on a limb when only one of those games will be competitive...I, by the way, am picking Richmond in that one.

[GeeWiz]

UNH 37 URI 14 - The cats from Durham are too much for an overmatched Rams squad
Michigan 49 UMass 14 - UMass hasn't seen anything like Denard Robinson
Richmond 34 Elon 10 - Spiders rebound at home after tough UVA loss
'Nova 31 Towson 14 - Tigers hang tough but Philly cats are too strong
UD 41 Duquesne 17 - Blue Chickens shouldn't have a problem with a mediocre NEC team
'Cuse 28 Maine 10 - Dirty Cubs keep it interesting before Orange pull away
W&M 38 ODU 17 - Monarchs will be a force to be reckoned with ... but not in this matchup

and in the big one ...

Jacksonville St. 35 Georgia St. 10 - Panthers are no match for a JSU team that won at Ole Miss

[bleedblue]

Oh believe me, I agree. And I would not in a million year pick Duquesne to win. But at the same time if I were a Delaware fan I also wouldn't be so quick to dismiss this as a guaranteed blowout just because its an NEC team.

I know I am not dismissing because they are NEC, especially since I don't know much about NEC. I am dismissing them because they are Duquesne playing a top CAA defense. If we score 14 we win, simple. Wont be a blow out because of Pat's wrist, coaches won't give backup QB a chance to help the Dukes and our running game has been the best part of our offense, thus far.

[Henwatcher]

UNH 42 URI 21
Michigan 42 UMass 17
Richmond 21 Elon 17
Villanova 49 Towson 6
Delaware 42 Duquesne 10
Syracuse 41 Maine 14
W&M 49 ODU 10

[caribbeanhen]

Here are the 9/18 CAA Games -




My picks -

UNH 31 - URI 6

New Hampshire is good, and they are hungry. After the loss to Pitt the Wildcats are in no mood to fool around, and Rams get to be their punching bag.



everone gets a mulligan

[JMUNJ08]

Overall 14-4
CAA 0-1

Too lazy and didn't start this week's thread so here are just my predictions:

UNH-41 @ URI-13xbangxxbangxxbangx
UMass-9 @ Michigan-52xthumbsupxxeyebrowx
Elon-21 @ Richmond-22xthumbsupxxhurrayxxhurrayx
Towson-7 @ Villanova-30xthumbsupx
Duquesne-12 @ Delaware-24xthumbsupx
Maine-17 @ Syracuse-34xthumbsupxxthumbsupx
W&M-38 @ Old Dominion-24xthumbsupx

The only game that should be close is Elon/Richmond. I want to pick Elon but don't they always lose important games against quality opponents?

21-5 Overall
1-2 CAA

[BlueHenSinfonian]

everone gets a mulligan

Heh, I actually came pretty close with most of the box scores other than the UMass and the UNH games.

I wouldn't want to be on that UNH team for the first practice after that showing vs URI...

[jlcharles]

UNH @ URI xsmhx
UMass @ Michiganxnodx
Elon @ Richmondxnodx
Towson @ Villanovaxnodx
Duquesne @ Delaware - If Devlin has a broken wrist or arm or whatever, why even bother playing him?xnodx
Maine @ Syracuse xsmhx
W&M @ Old Dominion xnodx

Apparently, not only did I pick UMass originally, but also Maine. I need to pay better attention...

And GannonFan, note that we had a sellout this weekend.

[blukeys]

And GannonFan, note that we had a sellout this weekend.

Wasn't It Parents weekend? And didn't they have a ceremony honoring last year's NC??

At any rate it is Gannonfan's wife that you have to impress. She is a Nova grad and like most Nova grads she isn't aware that the school had a football team.xlolxxlolxxlolxxlolxxlolx

[jlcharles]

Wasn't It Parents weekend? And didn't they have a ceremony honoring last year's NC??

At any rate it is Gannonfan's wife that you have to impress. She is a Nova grad and like most Nova grads she isn't aware that the school had a football team.xlolxxlolxxlolxxlolxxlolx

He predicted 1000 in the stands this weekend. I'll reserve judgement on her lack of knowledge, but most do know we have a football team, they just don't care.

[GannonFan]

He predicted 1000 in the stands this weekend. I'll reserve judgement on her lack of knowledge, but most do know we have a football team, they just don't care.

I must have thrown out the nova football ticket mailer we get without noticing when Parent's Weekend was at nova. My bad.

Interesting story, when my wife was an undergrad at nova, her parents used to come on Parent's Day and go to the football game (odd since they're not even football fans) and then she would meet them after the game. Pretty typical for most students there from most accounts.

[VUCats02]

While it was parents weekend for the towson game, parents weekend last year was not even close to a sell out, and it was very good weather for both this year and last year's games (last year's was against northeastern; both northeastern and towson had virtually no fans in attendence). You have to remember, tailgating wasn't even allowed at nova before last year. I think with a combination of tailgating back at nova, and the increasing popularity of football around the area (with football actually getting [I]some[I] national attention both for the success of the team and its possible jump to FBS), lots of more people are getting excited and are actually going to the games. It will be interesting to see how the attendance of a Big 5, home, night game vs upenn this saturday will compare to the parents weekend's game's attendance. Unfortunately, with a 36-0 score at the half last saturday, about half the people left at the half, but I'm thinking the upenn game will be packed for the whole time. Nova even has a [pathetic excuse for a] jumbotron now that played the game from a screen behind one of the endzones from the comcast feed - it's better than nothing :-P

[jlcharles]

While it was parents weekend for the towson game, parents weekend last year was not even close to a sell out, and it was very good weather for both this year and last year's games (last year's was against northeastern; both northeastern and towson had virtually no fans in attendence). You have to remember, tailgating wasn't even allowed at nova before last year. I think with a combination of tailgating back at nova, and the increasing popularity of football around the area (with football actually getting [I]some[I] national attention both for the success of the team and its possible jump to FBS), lots of more people are getting excited and are actually going to the games. It will be interesting to see how the attendance of a Big 5, home, night game vs upenn this saturday will compare to the parents weekend's game's attendance. Unfortunately, with a 36-0 score at the half last saturday, about half the people left at the half, but I'm thinking the upenn game will be packed for the whole time. Nova even has a [pathetic excuse for a] jumbotron now that played the game from a screen behind one of the endzones from the comcast feed - it's better than nothing :-P

Wrong. There was always tailgating at Nova. The lot behind the stadium has always been designated for tailgating.

[VUCats02]

Well there may have been tailgating, but there wasn't in the main lot. I know lots of nova alum who always complained that there was "no tailgating" for football games which is why they were never very motivated to go.

[JMUNJ08]

Wrong. There was always tailgating at Nova. The lot behind the stadium has always been designated for tailgating.

I always heard they were tough on tailgaters though and has me not thinking of making the trip from NNJ. Is it better this year with the locals?

[UNH_Alum_In_CT]

I always heard they were tough on tailgaters though and has me not thinking of making the trip from NNJ. Is it better this year with the locals?

If it's like last season, then you pay $20 per car and go into the section of the main lot (Eastern end near the High Speed Line station) where they allow tailgating. Should be regs on the Nova web site.