It’s the first weekend where all 16 local D1 teams are in action and we’ve got a ton of regional showdowns. BC is the main event of sorts with The Red Bandanna Game on Saturday night, but with the Ivy’s finally opening and a few teams rolling early, there’s a lot of intrigue heading into the weekend…

Michigan State @ BC (8:00)

It’s Red Bandanna Weekend in Chestnut Hill with the annual game in honor of Welles Crowther taking place in primetime on ACC Network. Not only is it always an emotional night, but this is a critical bounce-back spot for the Eagles. After suffering the firs loss of the Bill O’Brien era in Missouri, BC fell out of the Top 25. BC needs to show an ability to turn the page (they tried their best with a practice on Sunday) and hopefully, knock off an unbeaten Spartans’ team. This game is reportedly sold out, which would make it just the second Red Bandanna Game sellout in the history of the game. Michigan State has only beaten FAU (16-10), Maryland (27-24) and Prairie View (40-0). The Spartans also have Ohio State on the horizon next weekend, so this could end up being a look ahead spot if there ever was one. The Eagles can make a statement in this one and with an impressive enough performance, get back into the Top 25 ahead of next week’s game with Western Kentucky.

CCSU @ UMass (3:30)

This one is a story of two teams heading in opposite directions. CCSU came up with a huge win over perennial NEC title contender St. Francis last weekend, while UMass was embarrassed 34-3 against an average Buffalo team. The Minutemen are 0-3 and while this is homecoming in Amherst, it feels like the ship is sinking already. From a Blue Devils’ perspective, this is a bit of a house money game for Adam Lechtenberg and his squad, where technically they probably shouldn’t win, but as an FCS program knocking off an FBS team (even if it is just UMass) would be another major step forward in getting back to where they were in 2019. It’s an absolute, positively 100% must-win scenario for Don Brown and the Minutemen or the ugly conversation surrounding the program will get much, much louder.

FAU @ UConn (7:00)

Very important stretch for the Huskies coming up here. After getting blown out by Maryland, Jim Mora’s crew hung 63 on Merrimack and then went down to Duke and had a lead in the fourth quarter before ultimately losing. Now, UConn is home for a wild six straight home games, which means they’ll be in the friendly confines of The Rent until November 9th. This game is under the lights and there’s some positive moment around the program again. The next month or so isn’t a hard schedule at all and this is an FAU team UConn can beat if they play their brand of football. Getting this stretch started off on the right foot under the lights is imperative if the Huskies are going to push for a bowl bid again this year.

Yale @ Holy Cross (2:00)

The two-time defending Ivy League champs open the season at Holy Cross for what feels like the 50th year in a row. This rivalry has become a good one and this is a key game for Dan Curran’s Crusaders too. Tony Reno and the Bulldogs have the majority of the starting defense back, but the offense will look almost brand new with the most notable piece missing being star QB Nolan Grooms who graduated. For Holy Cross, they got their first win out of the way last weekend against Bryant and now they’ll look for the first win of 2024 at Fitton Field after losing the home opener to UNH. Replacing star running back Jordan Fuller (out for the year) won’t be easy. This has the chance to sneaky be the best game of the weekend with all the local matchups and could go either way.

Bryant @ UNH (3:00)

The Wildcats are rolling while Bryant is still sort of figuring out who they are. The turnover on the Bulldogs’ roster is hard to overstate as there’s basically an entirely new team taking the field wearing black and gold. Bryant hung tough with Holy Cross last week before the Crusaders pulled away and their only win so far is a squeaker against D2 Franklin Pierce. Meanwhile, UNH took down Holy Cross on the road then smoked Stonehill last week in its home opener. Seth Morgan seems to be getting more and more comfortable by the week with Rick Santos and the staff and that defense very well could be the best in the CAA. This feels like it could be another long day for Bryant, but Chris Merritt’s squad always play hard.

Maine @ Merrimack (1:00)

Very interesting matchup here with two teams trying to find consistency. Maine got a season opening win over Colgate, hung around on the road with a very, very good Montana State team and then got blown out last week by Monmouth, giving up 51 points. Jordan Stevens is the right guy to turn things around in Orono, but the lack of consistency and constant steps forward is worrisome. Meanwhile, Mike Gennetti got his first win as head coach of the Warriors last week against Bucknell following a season opening loss to Air Force that was competitive and then the blowout against UConn. Ayden Pereira has slid into the QB position and looked good so far, it’ll be interesting to see if he and former Stonehill running back Jermaine Corbett can continue to move this offense in an upward trajectory. We wouldn’t be surprised if this one comes down to the final few minutes of the fourth quarter.

URI @ LIU (Noon)

Good road test for the Rams here after two wins over Holy Cross and Campbell with an ugly (but expected) loss on the road to Minnesota. This Rams team has all the talent to make another playoff run and a run at a CAA title, but consistency is always the key. Earlier in the week, Jim Fleming talked about the importance of winning on the road – especially out of conference. AJ Pena might be the best defensive player in the CAA and is going to lead that defense, but Fleming wasn’t all that pleased with the offense against Campbell (only put up 21 points). These are the kinds of games that have costs the Rams a playoff spot late in the season when you look back, it’s not a must-win, but it’s close.

Sacred Heart @ Stonehill (1:00)

The Skyhawks finally get to play at home after blowout road losses to Stony Brook and UNH. During their tenure as an NEC school, Eli Gardner has gotten his guys to play hard and be competitive, but that hasn’t been the case early on this season. Playing at home for the first time in 2024 should give them a boost. On the flip side, Sacred Heart is still in the same boat as CCSU when it comes to rebuilding the culture, but the Pioneers are coming off a massive win over a strong Patriot League team in Georgetown. At 2-1, it feels like it could be another stepping stone game back in the right direction for Mark Nofri’s team. Another game that will probably come down to the fourth quarter.

Stetson @ Harvard (Noon)

The defending Ivy League champs – part of a wild multi-team tie a year ago – open up a brand new era at Harvard Stadium on Saturday afternoon. After 30 years under Tim Murphy, former Princeton Tiger Andrew Aurich begins his head coaching career with the Crimson. This should be a relatively soft opener for Harvard. Scott Larkee is still running the defense and Mickey Fein is still on board with the offense, so we expect to see a similar team to what we’ve seen under Murphy. Tough, fast and physical.

Brown @ Georgetown (Noon)

Brown opens its season with a tough road game against an angry Hoyas team that’s been on the road for two straight weeks. Head coach James Perry and the Bears always seem to play every single opponent tough, but there’s always the element of the unknown when you haven’t stepped on the field yet. The Bears were just 5-5 last season, but it was their best record since 2015. This is also a veteran team with a whopping 31 seniors or fifth-years. The Bears also have seven offensive starters back, most notably QB Jake Wilcox who at one point last year had a case to be the Ivy League’s best player.

Fordham @ Dartmouth (1:00)

Sammy McCorkle deserved more national attention for the job he did last year with Dartmouth. Finding a way to earn a share of the Ivy League title after taking over in a nearly impossible spot following the loss of Buddy Teevens was one of the best stories in all of college football in 2023. Jackson Proctor will lead the way on offense at QB while the sneaky best special teams unit in the Ivy League might be up in New Hampshire. Stud kicker Owen Zalc is back and had a record-breaking rookie year in 2023. Fordham is usually a perennial contender in the Patriot League, but the Rams are 0-3 right now with blowout losses to CCSU and Bowling Green and a close loss to Stony Brook. This is a fantastic chance for McCorkle’s crew to get 2024 started on the right foot.