The 2023 College Football season is 10 weeks old, and the Coastal Athletic Conference has seen its fair share of nail-biters, blowouts and even upsets.
The top teams are beginning to gear up for the playoffs and the bottom organizations are starting to look forward to 2024.
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 11 of the college football season.
15th Place: Stony Brook (0-9) (-)
Stony Brook fell yet again last weekend to Monmouth. A 56-17 result kept the Seawolves searching for their first win.
Both their offensive and defensive units rank last in the CAA in points per game. They are one of eight teams across the Football Championship Subdivision still searching for their first victory, and they hope to find it this week when they host Albany on Saturday.
14th Place: North Carolina A&T (1-8) (-)
NC A&T, although they kept the contest close, fell in another game last week to Towson. A 42-32 final sent the Aggies’ fans home disappointed.
However, the Aggies were able to put points up on the board. It was their first 30-point performance of the year, which served as a shocking change from a low scoring track record. This output shows signs of progress as they travel to Rhode Island this coming Saturday to try to knock the Rams out of playoff contention.
13th Place: Maine (2-8) (-)
Maine lost another game on Saturday, a 45-33 loss to Villanova, increasing their losing streak to three games.
The Black Bears’ 2023 season has been one riddled with mediocrity. They are not terrible at anything, but they are not good at much either. Maine ranks 11th in the CAA both offensively and defensively. The Black Bears now sit in their bye week and have plenty of time to prepare for their season finale against New Hampshire.
12th Place: Monmouth (4-5) (-)
Monmouth’s 56-17 victory, in theory, should have catapulted the Hawks up the power rankings. However, given that the win came over winless Stony Brook, the triumph was not moving the masses in any sense.
The CAA’s second ranked offense will battle with the sole team above them in the New Hampshire Wildcats on Saturday.
11th Place: Towson (4-5) (-)
Towson’s win over NC A&T was one that was expected of them, given that the Aggies only have one win on the year. However, seeing the Tigers’ 12th ranked defense in the CAA allowing a team’s season high in points was not a surprise either.
Towson now will try to stop the fourth-ranked offense in Villanova and make their path to the playoffs slightly more complicated.
10th Place: New Hampshire (4-5) (-2)
New Hampshire’s efforts at a late season push up the standings have been thwarted for a second straight week, as their hopes for the postseason are now officially over.
The Wildcats lost to Villanova in a contest that favored the latter 45-33. New Hampshire will now begin their first week that means nothing when they travel to Monmouth on Saturday.
9th Place: Campbell (4-5) (-)
Campbell’s 59-7 loss in almost any sense would have dropped the Fighting Camels in the power rankings. However, given that the loss came to #24 North Carolina, Campbell will receive the benefit of the doubt.
The Fighting Camels, although out of reach of the postseason, are continuing the battle through the remainder of the season. They host Delaware on Saturday.
8th Place: Hampton (5-4) (+2)
Hampton’s 42-35 win over Maine was one that fortunately kept their postseason hopes alive, although the chances are still on the far edge of probable.
The Pirates continue their 2023 slate with a matchup against William and Mary, who’s season has seen them slip all the way from #5 nationally to nearly a longshot from playoff consideration.
7th Place: Rhode Island (5-4) (-)
Rhode Island’s bye week gave them plenty of time to reflect on a crucial overtime victory against New Hampshire two weeks ago. Now, the Rams are gearing up for an improbable playoff push to see them in the postseason for the first time this century.
Their two-game slate to finish out the season begins with them hosting NC A&T on Saturday.
6th Place: William and Mary (5-4) (-1)
After starting the season 4-0 and ranking fifth in the country, William and Mary was making a case for a possible undefeated season. However, a subsequent 1-4 stretch, headlined by a 24-8 loss to UAlbany, has made the Tribe’s outlook past week 12 very grim.
William and Mary travels to Hampton on Saturday in hopes to incite a renaissance to save their season.
5th Place: Elon (5-4) (+1)
Elon loves to play the homewrecker and they struck again this past weekend, upsetting the top seed in the CAA, beating Delaware 33-27.
The Phoenix has displayed a marathon of inconsistencies this season, and they will try to spoil yet another season by taking down Richmond this coming weekend.
4th Place: Richmond (6-3) (-2)
Richmond may have dropped two spots in this week’s power rankings, but given that the Spiders were in a bye week, this drop was all due to the performances of other teams.
The Spiders are one of the hottest teams in the CAA, winning six of their last seven games. If they take down Elon, followed by William and Mary, they can almost guarantee a spot in the FCS playoffs.
3rd Place: #13 Villanova (7-2) (-)
With seven wins in the 2023 season, and two games to go, the Wildcats only need to claim one of the two contests to logistically claim a seed in the postseason.
Villanova’s 45-33 win over New Hampshire was the latest step on the stairway to the playoffs, and they look to repeat the result this weekend against Towson.
2nd Place:#18 UAlbany (7-3) (+2)
UAlbany football is poised to make the FCS playoffs for the first time since 2019, as long as they can finish the season strong.
The Great Danes put themselves in a great position with a 24-8 win over William and Mary, and now face Stony Brook on Saturday to potentially move even higher in the top-25 rankings.
1st Place: #8 Delaware (7-2) (-)
Delaware’s shocking 33-27 loss to Elon was not necessarily a season ending blow, but rather a setback of annoyance.
The Fightin’ Blue Hens are in a seeding battle with the top teams in the FCS and dropping a winnable game surely will leave a sour taste in their mouths. They will look to exercise this frustration against Campbell on Saturday.