CAA Football Predictions: Rhode Island is Favored; Newer Members Seek Breakthrough ...Middle East

With the 2026 FCS football season fast approaching, we’re making predictions for CAA Football. Rhode Island is favored for a title repeat as newer members seek a breakthrough.

With CAA Football looking vastly different this decade, the new members have lagged behind in conference play, but some of them could take a bigger step this season.

Monmouth has done the best with a 16-16 record through its first four CAA seasons. Hampton is 6-26 through the same four seasons, while Campbell is 7-17 and North Carolina A&T 2-22 through three seasons. Bryant is just 1-15 across its first two seasons.

Now it’s Sacred Heart’s turn as the newest member of the 13-program standings this season. It comes after Villanova and William & Mary followed other traditional powers out the CAA door.

Monmouth is expected to challenge defending champion Rhode Island in this year’s title race. Both teams are ranked in the Stats Perform FCS Preseason Top 25 Poll.

Each team capsule below pits FCS senior editor Craig Haley’s predicted order up against the Opta projection model. The supercomputer, if you will, incorporates TRACR (Team Rating Adjusted for Conference and Roster) and other factors while running thousands of simulations to determine an average number of wins and losses per team.

2026 CAA Football Predictions

1. Rhode Island Rams

Want big numbers? CAA Football preseason offensive player of the year Devin Farrell’s 3,745 passing yards ranked second in the FCS and fellow Walter Payton Award nominee Marquis Buchanan was No. 1 with 1,337 receiving yards, while linebackers Moses Meus and Rohan Davy both had over 100 tackles. The Rams also tied the program record with their 11 wins. With renovations occurring at Meade Stadium, URI’s five home games (yes, only five) will be played at Centreville Stadium in Pawtucket.

2. Monmouth Hawks

Following Kevin Callahan’s retirement after 33 seasons, the program has its second head coach, Jeff Gallo, an alum who’s been on staff since 2005. QB Frankie Weaver will target wide receivers Gavin Nelson and Tra Neal, and RB Elijah Jennings is primed for a breakout. The defense needs improvement behind safety Jaeden Jones, the CAA preseason defensive player of the year and named to the Buck Buchanan Award Preseason Watch List.

3. New Hampshire Wildcats

New coach Sean Goldrich is back in Durham, where he was the Wildcats’ quarterback in the 2012-15 seasons. Running back Myles Thomason is an all-purpose threat on carries, catches and returns (94.5 AP yards per game). The defense could become formidable behind the growth of LB Trevor Barry and S Cohen Cook.

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4. Elon Phoenix

The Phoenix return six players who earned 2025 CAA honors, led by LB Brodie Carroll (8.9 tackles per game rank No. 3 among returnees in the conference) and S Tony Hart III. A new starting QB won’t lack for offensive weapons on the perimeter or with RB Jimmyll Williams, and place-kicker Luke Barnes could win a game or two with his right foot.

5. Stony Brook Seawolves

Quarterback Quinn Boyd was a revelation while starting the final five games, averaging 297.6 yards of total offense with 10 total TDs, but he will be working with a number of transfer receivers and running backs. Inside LB Anthony Ferrelli has 225 tackles and 15.5 TFLs in his career.

6. Maine Black Bears

Maine was 5-1 in conference before suffering season-ending losses to Rhode Island and New Hampshire. There’s strength up front with O-linemen Anthony Iliano and Andrew Kocan and D-linemen Chris Bacon and Ta’Kai Chisholm. While the offense is starting over behind center, all-purpose threat Rashawn Marshall will take some of the pressure off.

7. Towson Tigers

In an unusual split last season, the Tigers went 1-4 at home and 5-2 on the road. They’re replacing a lot of key players, although the returnees include sophomore QB Andrew Indorf (2,344 passing yards, 16 TDs to four interceptions) and right tackle KJ Brooks (27 career starts).

8. Campbell Fighting Camels

QB Kamden Sixkiller (2,378 total yards, 15 total TDs) excelled over the final month and top rushers JJ Cowan and Ethan Lawrence also return. It’s a different story on defense as only one of the top eight tacklers – LB Kalen Villanueva (51, third) – is back. The nonconference schedule is stout: at ETSU, Florida and North Carolina Central, and home versus Western Carolina.

9. Bryant Bulldogs

There are a number of candidates to run the offense, but the Bulldogs are replacing most of last year’s offensive weapons, including workhorse RB Elijah Elliott. Veteran DB Olatunde Mkparu (126 tackles, four interceptions in career) is the anchor of a reworked defense, and few kickoff returners in the FCS are more experienced than third-team preseason All-American Keylijah Williams. Like Campbell, Bryant has never had an FCS playoff appearance.

10. Sacred Heart Pioneers

The Pioneers are well positioned for their CAA Football debut. While in NEC Football, they made four FCS playoff appearances under coach Mark Nofri. Among national freshmen last year, Mitchell Summers had the most rushing yards (1,071) and tied for the high in rushing TDs (12). The key returnees also include QB Jack “Poochie” Snyder, OT Tim Suk (listed at 6-foot-8, 311 pounds) and CB Kenny Selby.

11. UAlbany Great Danes

There will be a lot of new starters under new coach Tom Perkovich, who went 83-25 in 10 seasons at Division III Susquehanna, including 62 over his final five campaigns. A healthy season out of QB Van Weber will go a long way for the Great Danes. Linebacker Dillon Dunathan stood out against top opponents while racking up a team-high 71 tackles.

12. Hampton Pirates

New coach Van Malone is a former NFL safety with 23 years of assistant coaching experience. He can look to the trenches for the team strength, where CAA preseason selections Omari Allen (OL) and Korede Sogbesan (DE) reside. Running back Gracen Goldsmith scored seven TDs as a freshman.

13. North Carolina A&T Aggies

The Aggies claimed their first two CAA wins in their third season in the conference, but they’re still trying to end a 16-game road losing streak since 2023. The one for opponents to fear is Elijah Kennedy, an All-America returner who broke out as a receiver (25 catches) last year. After A&T allowed an FCS-high 43.6 points per game, the defense needs an overhaul.

Top photo, from left, via Monmouth, Elon and Rhode Island Athletics. For more FCS football coverage, follow at X, Facebook, Instagram and Bluesky.

CAA Football Predictions: Rhode Island is Favored; Newer Members Seek Breakthrough Opta Analyst.

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