OTHER CONFERENCES WEEK 10 PREVIEW
We aren’t quite to the end of the season, but this is a showdown weekend for several of the FCS conferences. All six of these games feature teams going directly for the conference championship or teams in the hunt for their league crowns. Some of these leagues will look a little different after this weekend. Most conferences have anywhere from two to three weeks remaining in their schedule, so time is running out.
Jacksonville at Butler, Saturday, 12:00
The Pioneer League title hunt could see some movement this weekend. Four teams are within one loss of the top spot, but Drake (Dayton) and San Diego (Marist) both play second-level teams this weekend. This leaves Jacksonville (6-2, 4-1) to face Butler (7-2, 6-0) in what could be an interesting game. On paper it looks like Butler has a shot to stay unbeaten in league play, but Jacksonville has beaten Butler all seven times the teams have faced each other. Jacksonville beat Butler 34-24 in last year’s meeting. Keep an eye on Jacksonville’s quarterback situation. Kade Bell left the last game due to injury, but Trevius Folston threw for 186 yards in Bell’s absence. Butler running back Trae Heeter had 231 yards on 27 carries in a 31-20 win over Davidson. My prediction: The streak continues and the Dolphins rise.
Projected score: Jacksonville 28, Butler 24
Penn at Princeton, Saturday, 1:00
There is a three-way tie in the Ivy League for first place between Harvard and these two clubs. The winner of this game will have sole possession of first place if Columbia beats Harvard. Yes, that is not a likely bet, so expect the Penn-Princeton winner to share first place with Harvard. Penn placekicker Connor Loftus won Ivy League Special Teams Player of the Week honors when he connected on two field goals in the final minutes to give Penn a 20-17 win over Brown last week. Cornell upset Princeton 37-35 on a 23-yard field goal by John Wells with 50 seconds to go, spoiling a 165-yard, two-touchdown performance from Princeton running back Roman Wilson. Penn is 3-4 and Princeton is 4-3, and based on the close records and close games of a week ago there could be a nailbiter in New Jersey.
Projected score: Penn 23, Princeton 20 (OT)
Wagner at #19 Albany, Saturday, 1:00
Here it is, the big battle of the Northeast Conference season. Albany (7-1, 5-0) carries a high national ranking into the big NEC showdown, but the team nearly fell from grace last week when Sacred Heart lost 23-20 to Albany. Is that any way for a conference leader to protect the top of the standings? Meanwhile, Wagner knocked off Robert Morris 23-13. Albany finishes with Duquesne and Central Connecticut State, so if it wins this week it effectively takes the NEC championship barring a huge upset. Wagner has won five straight games following an 0-3 start. Something has to give, and this might have upset written all over it.
Projected score: Wagner 17, Albany 14
Lafayette at Colgate, Saturday, 1:00
This Patriot League matchup, also known as the teams that aren’t Lehigh, takes place in New York. Lehigh faces 1-3 Holy Cross and is likely to win, so this game is an important one for Colgate (5-3, 3-0). If Colgate wins this game then the big Lehigh-Colgate showdown takes place next weekend with the Patriot title on the line. Lafayette’s two-game winning streak came to an end when it lost to Georgetown, 20-17, to give Georgetown its first league victory of the season. Colgate blasted Bucknell, 47-33, in a high-scoring game that missed one thing – defense. Colgate’s defense has been quite unimpressive, having given up close to 35 points per game in the last three games. All three games were victories. This winning streak might come to an end.
Projected score: Lafayette 28, Colgate 21
North Carolina Central at Delaware State, Saturday, 2:00
With Bethune-Cookman atop the Mideastern Athletic Conference at 5-0 (6-2 overall), this game is an important one for these two teams because the winner will keep pace in the MEAC. Bethune-Cookman faces Morgan State (3-5, 2-3) and is not likely to lose, but you never know what might happen. This same Morgan State team nearly took out Delaware State last week. Delaware State (5-3, 4-1) shares an identical league record with North Carolina Central (5-3, 4-1), which lost 42-17 to Bethune-Cookman last week. Delaware State does not play Bethune-Cookman this season, so Delaware State has to hope for a victory and a Bethune-Cookman loss to keep pace in the MEAC standings.
Projected score: Delaware State 30, North Carolina Central 17
Charleston Southern at Liberty, Saturday, 3:30
Yes, Stony Brook is seemingly locked in a meaningless game with VMI and likely to go to 5-0 in the Big South Conference, but this game is still important for whichever team wins it. With the two teams and Coastal Carolina all tied at 2-1 in the Big South, the winner stays on the track to fight Stony Brook for the league crown. Charleston Southern has a three-game winning streak following a 42-7 victory over non-conference opponent Edward Waters, while Liberty lost 36-12 last week to Coastal Carolina. A special note: if Liberty loses and Coastal Carolina also falls, then Stony Brook will win the Big South outright. Otherwise, Stony Brook has a share of the title with a win over VMI and the team that wins this game stays on course.
Projected score: Charleston Southern 20, Liberty 10
See All FCS Games of the Week Breakdowns
