Two Friday night games this weekend and two teams on a bye. Hard to believe there’s just three weeks left in the FCS season and four in the FBS season. The Ivy League race is going to come down to the final day and a couple CAA teams are fighting for their playoff lives. Bryant still has a shot at the Big South title and can BC make a stunning run to the ACC championship game? All of these questions start to get answers this weekend…
WEEK 10 (November 2nd-4th)
BYE WEEKS -URI, Stonehill
BC @ Syracuse (7:30 PM) (11/3)
Winners of four straight and one win away from being bowl eligible for the third time under Jeff Hafley, BC has its sights set on seven, eight, maybe even nine wins. The path to the ACC title game could continue to open up, but for any of it to matter the Eagles need to win out. BC is currently a three point favorite against the Orange and assuming Thomas Castellanos is healthy and ready to go, there’s little reason to believe BC won’t take care of business and get win No. 5 in a row. The Dome is a tough place to play, but as a team, the Eagles haven’t played with this much confidence in like a decade.
Princeton @ Dartmouth (7:00 PM) (11/3)
The other huge game on Friday night will go a long way in determining who comes out with the Ivy League title. Princeton is tied with Harvard atop the standings with a 3-1 Ivy record while Dartmouth is 2-2 in league play along with four other teams. The Big Green struggled to score against Harvard and may have an even tougher time against one of the best defenses in all of FCS. If Dartmouth can pull the upset then we truly will have chaos heading down the stretch.
Merrimack @ UMass (3:30 PM) (11/4)
Two weeks ago it looked like Merrimack had a real shot to beat UMass. Now, after the Minutemen took down Army for an all important second win on the season, UMass’ atmosphere should be electric on Saturday with it being homecoming. The Warriors have been hit hard by injuries this year and are most likely out of the NEC race, but Dan Curran’s squad will unquestionably still show up and play hard. Tyvon Edmonds is also one of the best backs in all of FCS and could give UMass problems, but the Minutemen are riding high and have a legitimate shot not go get to three, four, maybe even five wins this season.
UConn @ Tennessee (Noon) (11/4)
After hanging tough but ultimately losing to BC, Jim Mora’s crew is now 1-6 and have a nearly impossible task ahead of them traveling to Tennessee to take on the 19th-ranked team in the country. This one could get ugly, but if nothing else, Mora’s team has shown impressive fight despite an ugly season. The Huskies might stay in it for a quarter or so, but this one should be over by halftime.
Holy Cross @ Lehigh (Noon) (11/4)
Joe Pesansky saved the season last week in his first career start. A loss to Fordham would have probably ended the Crusaders’ playoff hopes, but they’re very much still alive now and should be able to handle a 2-6 Lehigh team. Holy Cross does still have to play Army, but if they can get through these next two games and take care of business, the league title could come down to that final showdown against Georgetown, although Lafayette would still need to lose a game somewhere too. It’s a fascinating spot for Holy Cross as the hunters now, not the hunted.
CCSU @ Sacred Heart (Noon) (11/4)
A Connecticut matchup of two teams struggling again this year, although CCSU is in a much better spot than Sacred Heart. This one could be a shootout, but ultimately the Blue Devils are probably the better team at this point and should come out with a win.
Grander-Webb @ Bryant (1 PM) (11/4)
After the brutal loss to Eastern Illinois, Bryant had a huge statement, bounce-back win last weekend to keep hope for a Big South title alive. If the Bulldogs can get this one – which won’t be easy – then Lindenwood and SEMO are all that stand between them and the automatic qualifier for the FCS postseason. It’s a tough road, but Chris Merritt’s team might be finding its stride at the perfect time. This is another must-win game, but being at home we’d be surprised if the Bulldogs let this opportunity slip by.
Harvard @ Columbia (12:30 PM) (11/4)
Trap game for Harvard. After earning an emotional win over Dartmouth that made Tim Murphy the all-time wins leader in the Ivy League, the Crimson travel to Columbia to face a 2-5 Lions team that has no business beating Harvard. Tied atop the standings with Princeton, this is a ‘get out of there by any means necessary with a win’ kind of game for Murphy and Co.
Yale @ Brown (Noon) (11/4)
Yet another huge Ivy League matchup on the docket. Both the Bulldogs and Bears ate 2-2 in the league, which makes this an elimination game of sorts for all intents and purposes. Yale’s offense found its stride last week against Columbia, while Brown’s offense continues to put up 30 points per game seemingly every week. This has a chance to be one of those all-time classics and most likely will be a shootout.
Villanova @ UNH (1:00 PM) (11/4)
After a heartbreaking OT loss to URI last week that ended UNH’s brief two-game winning streak after their bye, the Wildcats need to quickly refocus to a matchup against a Top 25 Villanova team that will take no pity on them. UNH’s playoff hopes are hanging on by a thread as they were knocked from the Top 25 this week and basically need to win out to have a shot, and even then hopes are slim. Max Brosmer and the offense has done its job consistently, but it’s the defense that’s let UNH down this year.
Hampton @ Maine (1:00 PM) (11/4)
Another test for Maine to see where they are in the development stages. The Black Bears continue to play hard every week and have shown flashes of what could be in the future, the lack of consistency on defense has hurt them though. This will be an interesting matchup to see just how far along Jordan Stevens’ team is.