The 2023 College Football season is seven 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 eight of the college football season.
15th Place: Stony Brook (0-6) (-)
Stony Brook’s struggles in 2023 continued in week seven when they dropped another game to Fordham, 26-7.
The narrative for the Seawolves has simply been poor performance on both sides of the ball. A 14th ranked offense and a 15th ranked defense are the reasons that Stony Brook is the only winless team in the CAA.
14th Place: North Carolina A&T (1-5) (-)
A bye week was exactly what North Carolina A&T needed after losing two straight games to Villanova and Delaware.
The Aggies are back this week when they host Richmond on Saturday.
13th Place: Maine (2-5) (-)
Maine gathered their second win of the season against Long Island University this past weekend. The only problem is that LIU came into the game at 1-4, with their only win coming against Sacred Heart.
Was this a quality win? No. However, with a record three games under .500, the Black Bears took what they could, and are hoping to continue the streak this coming weekend when they visit Campbell.
12th Place: Towson (2-4) (-)
Towson’s bye week came at the perfect time, giving the Tigers more time to prepare for a tough battle at William and Mary this coming Saturday.
Towson as an offense hasn’t been spectacular, ranking 10th in the CAA. So William and Mary’s top-ranked defense should prove to be a challenge, and only time will tell if the Tigers can figure them out with the extra time off.
11th Place: Hampton (3-3) (-1)
Hampton was disheveled by Monmouth this week, losing 61-10, the worst loss of the season for the Pirates.
To follow that tough outing, Hampton now must host Delaware on Saturday, a contest that might cause a drop in the power rankings by more than one spot.
10th Place: Campbell (3-3) (-2)
Campbell’s bye week was much needed after going 1-2 in a three-game stretch. The Fighting Camels now take on Maine on Saturday, and if Campbell plays the game they were executing in the first few weeks of the season, they should have no trouble overcoming the Black Bears.
9th Place: Monmouth (3-3) (-)
Monmouth’s massive 61-10 win over Hampton was proof that the 49-7 win over Lehigh the week before was not a fluke performance.
The Hawks’ offense has been operating at a new level the past two weeks and if they can beat Elon this coming week, they will have a boat load of momentum in the final stretch of the year.
8th Place: Elon (3-4) (-3)
Elon’s 21-0 shutout loss to Villanova was the first time the Phoenix have been blanked in a contest since 2021, where they ironically lost 35-0 to Villanova as well.
Elon has plummeted since their upset win over William and Mary, being outscored by 32 points over two contests. They will need to get back on the horse when they host Monmouth this coming Saturday.
7th Place: Richmond (4-3) (+4)
Richmond played the spoilers for Rhode Island’s homecoming weekend, as the Spiders topped the Rams in front of a near sold out crowd, 24-17.
The Spiders’ defense held the Rams to under 30 points for only the second time this season. Now playing NC A&T, who possesses the worst offense in the CAA, week eight should be no problem for Richmond.
6th Place: Rhode Island (4-3) (-2)
Rhode Island’s offense was derailed by the rain on Saturday afternoon, disappointing a large homecoming crowd for the Rams.
The offensive performance was poor in the second half, completely shutting down as the rain began to fall. The Rams will most likely have to win out now to garner postseason consideration.
5th Place: New Hampshire (3-3) (+2)
New Hampshire’s blockbuster 38-31 win on Saturday was one that was desperately needed after losing in overtime to Towson the week prior.
New Hampshire has been inconsistent this season, but they have shown several glimpses of promise. If they can iron out the kinks down the stretch, they could potentially make a splash in the conference.
4th Place: UAlbany (4-3) (+2)
UAlbany faced the other side of the high scoring affair in which they came up just short. However, their performance was still enough to see them jump some spots up in the power rankings.
The Great Danes have been a team doubted by so many all season and now the pieces are falling together. So despite the loss, the panic button should not be touched yet. Albany hosts Rhode Island this weekend.
3rd Place: #13 William and Mary (4-3) (-1)
The Tribe’s bye week came in to stop the slide for William and Mary as they were riding a two-game losing streak prior to the break.
William and Mary is back this weekend when they host Towson on Saturday.
2nd Place: #22 Villanova (5-2) (+1)
Villanova’s shutout performance against Elon was a statement game in which the Wildcats proved they are a force to be reckoned with and deserve to be ranked in the top 25.
Now entering their bye week, Villanova will have plenty of time to prepare for a matchup against Stony Brook.
1st Place: #7 Delaware (5-1) (-)
Ever since William and Mary fell to Elon a few weeks ago, Delaware has been the consensus number one team in the CAA, and that did not change this past weekend.
Their 21-6 victory over NC A&T displayed the Fightin’ Blue Hens not playing down to their opponent and kept their undefeated FCS record alive. Delaware travels down to Hampton this coming Saturday where they hope to keep their CAA perfection alive.