JMU Picked to Finish Second at CAA Football Media Day

Another CAA Football Media Day has come and gone. Today’s event took place at M&T Bank Stadium in lovely Baltimore, Maryland and it unofficially kicked off the 2015 CAA Football season. Or preseason. In any case, it’s finally time to start talking football.

The highlight of the event is the release of the CAA Preseason Poll and All CAA Teams. As we expected, Villanova, JMU, and New Hampshire took the top three spots. Nova is a deserving pick. The Wildcats return a wealth of talent including the reigning Walter Payton Award winning and 2014 All CAA First Team QB, John Robertson. The team managed to finish second in the league last year, with a record of 11-3 overall and 7-1 in CAA play. UNH won the CAA last season and earned the #1 overall seed in the FCS playoffs before bowing out in the semifinals. New Hampshire hasn’t missed the playoffs since before JMU won its National Championship.

Our beloved Dukes were picked to finish second in the league. After a slow start last year, JMU rallied behind the play of do everything QB Vad Lee. As great a season as John Robertson had, Lee was right there with him. With a full (record setting) season under his belt, Lee could be even better this year. JMU will be replacing several key players on defense however. Realistically, you could make an argument for picking JMU, UNH, or Nova first and no reasonable person would disagree. Any one of those teams could win the league, as could a W&M or UR if they catch a few breaks.

In only its second year in the league, poor Elon was picked to finish dead last behind the eternally struggling Rhode Island Rams. Elon didn’t win a game last year and is probably the only team in the league that actually wishes Georgia State was around. The full predicted order of finish can be found here.

In addition to the Preseason Poll, the Preseason All CAA Teams were also announced. Villanova picked up both the Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year, which were predicted to go to John Robertson and linebacker Don Cherry respectively. The Dukes were shut out defensively (cough, Taylor Reynolds, cough), but tight end Deane Cheatham and lineman Mitch Kirsch were honored with offensive selections.

Preseason honors are fun, but essentially pointless. JMU will need to earn a spot at the top of the league and a playoff bid that typically goes with it on Saturdays this Fall. Likewise, there are more than a few Dukes who could play their way onto the postseason All CAA teams. John Robertson is a worthy honoree, but he’s by no means a lock for any postseason honors. As we all know, Vad is rad and UNH’s Sean Goldrich have the talent to put up big numbers all year. There is plenty of talent across the board in the CAA this season. And it’s almost time to watch it in action.