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FCS CONFERENCE · 2025 SEASON

CAA

#18 overall#7 in FCSRR50 +8.9Upper strength +11.514 teamsTop 25 teams 0

THE LONG WAIT · 2025

The Eastern Standard

The Colonial Athletic Association is the most reliable producer of FCS playoff programs east of the Mississippi. Delaware, James Madison, William & Mary, Villanova, and New Hampshire have combined for 11 FCS playoff appearances in the last five seasons. JMU left for FBS in 2022, which was widely described as a blow to the conference — then the CAA's remaining programs collectively matched their previous bracket share the next year. The pipeline did not depend on one program.

With James Madison gone to FBS and Villanova building, which CAA program steps into the perennial top-seed conversation — and does the conference hold onto its playoff share as the FCS bracket expands to 32 teams for 2026?

FCS14 teamsRace: FCS Playoff

CAA · 2026 Season Preview

Three Things to Watch

The StandardDelaware's Playoff Consistency

Delaware has been in the FCS bracket eight of the last ten seasons. Ryan Carty's program produces NFL-caliber skill players from a mid-sized state school in Newark, Delaware — not a recruiting powerhouse by any definition. The Blue Hens' ability to develop players and win games in December is the CAA's best argument that their conference standard has survived James Madison's departure intact.

The BuilderWilliam and Mary's Cultural Claim

William and Mary's football program operates with one of the tightest academic profiles in FCS — comparable to Ivy programs — while competing for playoff spots. They have won the CAA title five times and reached the FCS semifinals. Their identity is built on developing players who earn degrees and make the bracket, in roughly that order. In 2026, they are one of the CAA's three teams capable of earning a top-4 FCS seed.

Wild Card

The CAA Has More Depth Than the Bracket Reflects

In any given year, the CAA sends 3-4 teams to the FCS bracket. The conference does not have a dominant program that wins the title consistently — instead it has a dozen programs that can beat each other in November and earn at-large bids. With the bracket expanding to 32 teams in 2026, the CAA's depth finally gets the credit it has earned. Multiple programs that previously missed the bracket by one game are now in it.

Conference Standings · CAA · 2025

Standings

# Team Conf Overall Pwr Last 5
1Rhode Island8–011–3+12.9
2Villanova7–112–3+13.8
3Monmouth6–29–3+12.3
4New Hampshire6–28–5+10.1
5William & Mary6–27–5+10.0
6Maine5–36–6+10.0
7Stony Brook4–46–6+10.1
8Elon4–46–6+9.9
9Towson4–46–6+9.3
10Campbell2–62–10+7.5
11North Carolina A&T2–62–10+3.5
12Bryant1–73–9+5.9
13UAlbany1–72–10+6.0
14Hampton0–82–10+3.9

Conference record determines standing. Power = neutral-field pts vs. all-level average. Last 5 = most recent game results.

Projected Standings · CAA · 2025

Win Projection

Odds of winning at least N conference games from current power ratings — full slate played out, not locked to results. AVG = expected wins; W–L = most-likely record.

# Team W–L PWR AVG ≥8≥7≥6≥5≥4≥3≥2≥1
Favorites
1Rhode Island5–3+3.94.92113462859699✓
2Villanova5–3+4.94.92113362849699✓
3Monmouth5–3+3.34.82113260839599✓
Challengers
4William & Mary4–4+1.04.3152046739198✓
5Maine4–4+1.14.3152045729098✓
6Stony Brook4–4+1.14.241640688998✓
7New Hampshire4–4+1.14.041537658797✓
The Field
8Elon4–4+1.04.241741698998✓
9Towson4–4+0.44.141640678897✓
10Campbell4–4-1.53.931233608496✓
11UAlbany3–5-2.93.2151740699098
Rebuilding
12Bryant3–5-3.13.3161943719199
13North Carolina A&T3–5-5.43.031334638798
14Hampton3–5-5.02.931232618698

Conference Power · FCS

Where We Stand

# Conference Avg Power vs Focal Top Team
1MVFC
+10.2
0–3North Dakota State
2Big Sky
+9.6
0–1Montana State
3MEAC
+9.4
5–4South Carolina State
4UAC
+9.3
1–0Tarleton State
5SWAC
+9.1
0–1Alabama State
6Southland
+9.1
—Stephen F. Austin
7CAAYou are here
+8.9
—Villanova
8Patriot
+8.7
7–1Lehigh
9Big South-OVC
+8.6
1–2Tennessee Tech
10Pioneer
+8.5
1–0Presbyterian
11Southern
+8.4
1–4Mercer
12NEC
+8.2
2–2Central Connecticut
13Ivy
+7.7
2–3Yale

Round-robin power = strength of schedule-adjusted conference average, points vs. all-level average team. Record = CAA's record vs. that conference across all games this season.

CAA is outperforming its raw power profile. The league body of work is stronger than the market would expect.

Conference Snapshot

RR50+8.9
Upper Strength+11.5
Median Power+9.7
Resume Pulse56.7
Avg ATS48.6%
Wins vs Market-0.27
Top-to-Middle Gap3.9
Combined Record82-92

`RR50`, `Upper Strength`, and `Median Power` are shown on the same public power scale as the rest of the site: points on a neutral field versus the average all-level NCAA team. Very small affiliations are gently regressed toward their subdivision baseline so a one-team outlier does not hijack the entire conference board.

CAA Team Board

The league stack, sorted by predictive strength. Power is shown as neutral-field points versus the all-level average team, while resume is shown on a 0-100 season score.

Rank Team Record Power Resume ATS Wins vs Market Recent Form
#75 Villanova 12-3 +13.8 96 9-5 +2.37 3-1 over the last 4 (W14 W15 W16 L17)
#88 Rhode Island 11-3 +12.9 92 7-6 +1.33 3-1 over the last 4 (W12 W13 W14 L15)
#101 Monmouth 9-3 +12.3 89 6-6 -0.53 2-2 over the last 4 (W10 L11 W12 L13)
#163 Stony Brook 6-6 +10.1 61 6-5 -0.35 2-2 over the last 4 (L10 W11 L12 W13)
#164 New Hampshire 8-5 +10.1 82 7-6 +1.66 3-1 over the last 4 (W11 W12 W13 L14)
#165 Maine 6-6 +10.0 67 8-4 +0.35 2-2 over the last 4 (W10 W11 L12 L13)
#166 William & Mary 7-5 +10.0 67 5-7 -0.29 3-1 over the last 4 (W10 W11 W12 L13)
#168 Elon 6-6 +9.9 58 5-5 -1.27 2-2 over the last 4 (L9 L11 W12 W13)
#186 Towson 6-6 +9.3 63 4-6 -0.08 3-1 over the last 4 (W10 L11 W12 W13)
#219 Campbell 2-10 +7.5 30 5-7 -2.11 0-4 over the last 4 (L9 L11 L12 L13)
#240 UAlbany 2-10 +6.0 23 5-7 -1.52 1-3 over the last 4 (L10 L11 L12 W13)
#244 Bryant 3-9 +5.9 34 4-7 -1.19 1-3 over the last 4 (L10 W11 L12 L13)
#264 Hampton 2-10 +3.9 11 4-7 -1.77 0-4 over the last 4 (L9 L11 L12 L13)
#267 North Carolina A&T 2-10 +3.5 20 6-6 -0.41 0-4 over the last 4 (L10 L11 L12 L13)