The 2023 College Football season is five weeks old, and the Coastal Athletic Conference has seen its fair share of nail-biters, blowouts, and even some upsets.
The heavy favorites are beginning to be more apparent, and teams that are towards the bottom of the standings are running out of time to make a comeback.
The Good Five Cent Cigar Sports Staff will judge all 15 CAA teams every week to find these frontrunners and provide a power ranking list to show which teams could be featured in December and even in January.
Here are the results going into week six of the season for The University of Rhode Island’s football team and the rest of the CAA.
15th Place: Stony Brook (0-5) (-)
Stony Brook is now the only winless team in the CAA, which is why they reside solely in last place and that will not change until they enter the win column. A 56-28 loss to Maine on Saturday was the most points given up by the Seawolves all year and the most given up to a Football Championship Subdivision team all season across the CAA.
A last place defense and a second-to-last offense are just a few of the measurable struggles that Stony Brook has endured this season.
14th Place: North Carolina A&T (1-3) (-)
North Carolina finally figured it out on Saturday when they topped Norfolk State 28-26. Their offense, finally crossing the 20 point threshold, ended up being the difference in a close final, which is both good and bad news for the Aggies.
Showing some success is great, but this cannot become a one-hit-wonder of a performance. The defense has consistently allowed over 25 points, and until their defense can make big stops on a regular basis, the offense will have to reach this mark on a consistent basis.
13th Place: Maine (1-4) (-)
Maine bombarded Stony Brook, unleashing 56 points, their most since 2013. However, the weight of their first victory is skewed, given that it was against the worst defense in the conference. They also allowed the Seawolves to score their most points all year, breaking the previous record by nine points.
Until the win in a more dominant fashion, or against a better opponent, the Black Bears will remain in the shallow end of the CAA pool.
12th Place: Richmond (2-3) (-1)
After only a 20-19 win over Stony Brook in week four, smoke was visibly leaving Richmond’s kitchen; Now after a 31-14 beating from Hampton on Saturday, the Spider’s smoke alarm is resoundingly clear.
With a matchup with Maine on the horizon, a rebound game is necessary to ensure Richmond’s chances at a playoff berth.
11th Place: Towson (2-3) (+1)
Towson’s 54-51 upset win over New Hampshire was a game that college football fans dream of. Zero defense, lots of touchdowns, and an overtime finish in which the road team stunned the home crowd. However, a win to follow this one up on Saturday against UAlbany is needed to make sure the high of an upset victory is not wasted.
10th Place: Campbell (2-3) (-4)
For the second week in a row, Campbell’s mediocre defense could not buoy their tremendous offense. A 49-48 overtime loss to North Carolina Central, displayed Campbell’s number one issue this season, keeping their opponents off the board.
Their defense ranks 12th in the Atlantic 10, allowing 29.8 points per game. Until the defense tightens up, Campbell will remain a .500 at best team.
9th Place: New Hampshire (2-3) (-4)
A shocking overtime loss to Towson was enough to knock the wind out of the Wildcats and bounce them out of the Stats Perform Top 25. New Hampshire allowed the Tigers to compile 54 total points, 31 more than their next highest result.
A result like that is detrimental to a team’s confidence, and New Hampshire cannot turn this into a habit if they want to see postseason action.
8th Place: Monmouth (2-3) (+1)
Monmouth’s 49-7 victory over Lehigh on Saturday was their largest of the season and the perfect way to snap a two game skid. Their top-five offense in the CAA has been consistent, scoring 20 or more points in all of their contests. However, their defense has resided more so on the other side of the spectrum, ranking 9th in the CAA.
If they can improve their defense to the status in which their offense currently stands, they will be a force down the stretch of this season.
7th Place: Hampton (3-1) (+3)
A dominating performance for Hampton on Saturday led to a 31-14 victory against Richmond, a statement game to show that the 35-34 win last week against Howard was not a fluke.
The Pirates are the lowest team on the power rankings over .500, and if they can string some more victories together they can surely climb into the top-five.
6th Place: UAlbany (3-2) (+2)
Albany’s 31-10 upset against Villanova was exactly what the Great Danes needed to prove they were a team better than their record. Albany is the only team to play two FBS opponents and for them to still be over .500 after that shows they are one of the top programs in the CAA.
The Great Danes are three spots off the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 list and with another result like this past weekend, we could see Albany potentially crack that list.
5th Place: Villanova (3-2) (-3)
Despite a poor 31-10 loss against Albany, it still needs to be recognized that Villanova held an explosive Rhode Island offense to nine points in week four, hence why the Wildcats are still residing in the top-five.
The defense is still the fourth best in the CAA which is their backbone, and they have posted three 35 point performances in the FCS. If they can prove in the next few weeks that Albany was a fluke, they will be just fine.
4th Place: Rhode Island (3-2) (-)
Rhode Island’s last matchup with in-state opponent Bryant before the Bulldogs join the CAA next season was all in favor of the players in Keaney Blue, a 49-26 final for the Rams.
Rhode Island was excellent on both sides of the ball, with seven total touchdowns on offense. The Rams did not allow a point in both the second and third quarters. With a repeat effort against Brown in the Governor’s Cup this coming Saturday, Rhode Island could find their way back into the top 25.
3rd Place: #25 Elon (3-2) (+4)
Elon did what nobody thought was possible on Saturday… They beat William and Mary. The 14-6 final spoiled what many experts were saying could have been a perfect season for the Tribe.
Now the Phoenix are not a perfect team, their offense is only 10th in the CAA. However, they have produced several single digit outputs from opponents this year and if they can use the momentum of this upset towards the future, they could have a very successful second half of the season.
2nd Place: #10 William and Mary (4-1) (-1)
When looking at the Tribe’s remaining schedule, most saw William and Mary dropping their first game to Virginia this coming week. Everyone overlooked Elon, and that just might have been the reason for dropping a contest in which the Tribe wins nine out of ten tries.
This is not the end of their season however, despite the overreaction from some college football pundits. They have a struggling 0-5 Virginia team in their sights, and if they can upend an FBS team, they can move right back into the first place seat they assumed they were glued into.
1st Place: #9 Delaware (3-1) (+2)
Delaware’s path to first place was the easiest one of all, given the fact they were on a bye and didn’t play this past weekend. However, with the losses from William and Mary and Villanova, Delaware skips the line and has their first stint in first place on the season.
If they can play well against Duquesne on Saturday, they just might be able to keep it.