With every team in the Coastal Athletic Association now playing at least one conference game, the landscape and expectations of each team in the conference is beginning to take shape.
Every week, the Good Five Cent Cigar sports staff will evaluate and provide a ranking for all 16 teams in the CAA. Here is where the University of Rhode Island football team and the rest of the conference stands following week five:
16th Place: Bryant University Bulldogs (1-3, 0-1) (-)
The Bulldogs have struggled all around this year, ranking near the bottom of the conference on both sides of the ball as they are 12th in points scored and 15th in points allowed per game.
Coming off their bye week, they will travel to take on in-state rival, Brown University, this week in hopes to get their first win over Division I competition this year.
15th Place: North Carolina A&T University Aggies (1-4, 0-1) (-)
Things have gone from bad to worse for NC A&T in the opening weeks of their 2024 campaign. They’ve lost three straight games with the latest being a 45-25 blowout against South Carolina State University.
They’re allowing a whopping 43.6 points per game and have no break in sight as they will travel to play the University of Richmond this week, winners of three straight.
14th Place: Elon University Phoenix (1-4, 0-1) (-1)
The offensive struggles continued for Elon this week as they dropped their third straight game in a 27-17 loss to Richmond. This now makes four out of five games this year where the Phoenix have been unable to score more than 17 points.
The Phoenix will hope their upcoming bye week serves as an opportunity to get their offense rolling the rest of the way.
13th Place: Campbell University Fighting Camels (2-3, 0-2) (-1)
After a couple of conference losses, the Camels responded with a thrilling 44-41 win over Delaware State University this week, capped off by a game-winning touchdown with just 42 seconds left.
They will look to ride the momentum of this victory as they finish up non-conference play this week at home against North Carolina Central University.
12th Place: University at Albany Great Danes (1-3, 0-1) (-1)
Considering their expectations coming into the year, this start to the season has been nothing short of disastrous for the Great Danes. Albany returned home hoping the beginning of conference play following their bye week would provide a spark, but were outscored 24-6 in the second half on their way to a 34-20 loss against the University of Maine.
A potential turnaround for the defending CAA champions starts with going on the road to play Cornell University this week as they search for their first win since Aug. 31.
11th Place: University of Maine Black Bears (3-2, 1-0) (+3)
Winning on the road is never an easy feat and that’s why the Black Bears are climbing up our rankings this week after beating Albany 34-20. Maine allowed more than 40 points in both of their losses this year, but it appears they’ve turned a corner as they haven’t allowed more than 20 in either of their back-to-back victories.
The Black Bears will carry the momentum into their bye week and hope to look back at their conference opener win as a potential turning point this season.
10th Place: Towson University Tigers (1-3, 0-1) (-)
The 1-3 record for the Tigers is a little misleading as their three losses have come to two top-10 FCS teams, Villanova University and North Dakota State University, and a Football Bowl Subdivision opponent, the University of Cincinnati.
Unfortunately for Towson, the schedule doesn’t get much easier following the bye week as they will welcome in yet another top-10 FCS team, the College of William and Mary.
9th Place: Hampton University Pirates (3-2, 0-1) (-4)
All of the good feelings from a three-game win streak for Hampton were quickly erased this week as they allowed 49 unanswered points in a dominating 49-7 loss to the College of William and Mary.
The Pirates were just unable to contain the run, letting the Tribe rush for 436 yards as a team. They will look to sure up their defense when they return home to take on Rhode Island this week.
8th Place: University of Richmond Spiders (3-2, 1-0) (+1)
Richmond had a shaky start to their season, losing their first two games, but with three straight wins they are starting to display why they were picked to finish second in this conference. Over the weekend, they jumped out to a 27-7 lead over Elon on the road on their way to a 27-17 win in their conference opener.
The Spiders will seek to stretch their winning streak to four games this week as they return home to face NC A&T.
7th Place: #20 University of Rhode Island Rams (3-1, 1-0) (-)
URI is coming off their bye week with one thing on their mind and that’s improving the production on offense. They’ve cycled between two quarterbacks throughout the year and rank last in the conference in points scored per game.
Despite all of this, they are still undefeated in FCS play and will look to maintain that against Hampton this week.
6th Place: Monmouth University Hawks (3-2, 1-0) (-)
The offense for Monmouth has been the definition of a juggernaut this season, leading the conference in points per game, with their latest display being a 63-21 thrashing over Fordham University.
The Hawks have scored at least 45 points in their past three games, all resulting in wins, and it’s tough to see any team being able to keep up with them if they’re scoring at this rate.
5th Place: Stony Brook University Seawolves (4-1, 1-0) (+3)
Even in their wildest dreams, I’m not sure Stony Brook could’ve envisioned getting this season off to the start they have. After winning two combined games in their previous two seasons including a winless season last year, the Seawolves have won four straight games and continue to defy all expectations.
The biggest reason for this unexpected success has been their impenetrable defense which allowed just three points to Morgan State University over the weekend. Stony Brook will have their biggest test yet this week when they welcome the number six team in the FCS, Villanova University.
4th Place: #21 University of New Hampshire Wildcats (3-1, 1-0) (-)
The only concern for New Hampshire right now is making sure that their bye week doesn’t halt the momentum of their three-game win streak. Ranking in the top half of the conference on both sides of the ball, the Wildcats look like a team that could make some noise for a conference title.
They’ll travel to Harvard University for a matchup under the lights on Friday as they try and extend their win streak to four.
3rd Place: #6 Villanova University Wildcats (4-1, 1-0) (-)
The Wildcats got back to their winning ways this week and handled business against Long Island University in a 24-10 win. Although they’re highly regarded in the FCS top-25, the offense for Villanova has been a little concerning as they rank 10th among the CAA in points per game.
They’ll try to get the offense going on the road this week against the pleasant surprise of the conference to this point, Stony Brook.
2nd Place: #12 College of William and Mary Tribe (4-1, 1-0) (-)
The Tribe made a statement this week with a convincing 49-7 victory over Hampton to get their third straight win. The rushing attack for William and Mary has been relentless so far this year, averaging 281.6 rushing yards per game which is 80 more than second place in the conference held by Richmond.
They’ll continue to try and use that ground-and-pound strategy when they travel to take on Towson this week for their second conference game of the season.
1st Place: University of Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens (4-0, 1-0) (-)
Being the only undefeated team left in the conference, the Blue Hens certainly have the numbers to back up this record, earning them our top spot. They rank only behind Monmouth in points scored per game and have allowed the least amount of points per game.
They’ll travel to play Monmouth this week in a game that’s sure to have plenty of offensive fireworks as the Blue Hens will try and keep their resume without a blemish.