It hasn’t taken many games into the conference schedule for three FCS football title races to feel so different from the preseason forecast. Here’s what’s changed in CAA Football, the Patriot League and the Southern Conference.
The college football season is only four weeks deep, with conference schedules even less than that, and already the FCS is living up to its annual wild and wacky ways.
The nationally ranked preseason favorites in CAA Football, the Patriot League and the Southern Conference will attest as early results have changed those races.
CAA Football
Preseason Favorite: Rhode Island
What’s Different Now: It’s been bad enough for defending CAA champion URI that quarterback Devin Farrell, the CAA’s preseason offensive player of the year, has yet to play this season following offseason foot surgery, but Stony Brook’s 56-24 win over the Rams (2-2, 1-1) on Saturday was jolting. They’re now looking up in the standings, and not just to Stony Brook (2-2, 1-0) but particularly to Monmouth (2-2, 2-0), a nine-win team last year which doesn’t play either of those two teams in an easier version of the 13-team conference’s unbalanced schedule.
Patriot League
Preseason Favorite: Villanova
What’s Different Now: Bucknell last had a winning season in 2014 and LIU has yet to enjoy one since becoming an FCS program in 2019. They’re also a combined 1-7 this season, but Villanova (2-2, 0-1) beat them by a combined five points. Even more damaging, the Wildcats had a last-minute meltdown against William & Mary to drop its PL opener. Their seven turnovers through four games already match last season’s total when the national semifinalists played 15 games. Lehigh (4-0, 3-0), a winner of 21 straight regular-season games, has jumped to first place while seeking a championship three-peat. Colgate and Richmond are both right behind at 3-1 overall and 2-0 in the league. Colgate is particularly surprising, having allowed just 44 points on the season.
Southern Conference
Preseason Favorite: Mercer
What’s Different Now: Mercer was selected atop the SoCon’s preseason poll, but that was likely due to the Bears coming off back-to-back outright titles. They have a particularly new roster and the SoCon was always going to be a deep race, with many teams able to beat each other. That was evident when Furman won 20-13 at Mercer. ETSU and Western Carolina are likely title contenders and Chattanooga and Wofford could pull some upsets, but the team that appears to be the one to beat is newcomer Tennessee Tech (3-0, 1-0), which won an outright OVC-Big South title last season and has won its last 18 regular-season games against FCS teams.
Top photo, from left, from Colgate, Stony Brook and Tennessee Tech Athletics. For more FCS football coverage, follow at X, Facebook, Instagram and Bluesky.
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