{"id":6102,"date":"2013-10-21T09:40:20","date_gmt":"2013-10-21T13:40:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/?p=6102"},"modified":"2013-10-21T09:40:20","modified_gmt":"2013-10-21T13:40:20","slug":"spin-around-caa-football-before-stretch-run","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/?p=6102","title":{"rendered":"Spin Around CAA Football Before Stretch Run"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Dukes had a bye this week so we&#8217;d thought we&#8217;d take a quick run around the CAA landscape as the football season heads for home and teams really start jockeying for playoff position. \u00a0Although many of the early national predictions have the CAA as a three-bid league, our guess is 8-4 overall with a winning CAA record will do it if the fourth place team can achieve those marks. \u00a0That means the Dukes need to go at least 3-2 in their last five. \u00a0With games against Villanova and Towson on the schedule and a trip to UNH that&#8217;s never fun also out there, it shows just how critical this weekend&#8217;s game at struggling-but-dangerous William &amp; Mary is.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/jmusportsblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/LQHOFXTAKTLOTFA-1.20130405195602.jpg\"><img data-attachment-id=\"5469\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/?attachment_id=5469\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/jmusportsblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/LQHOFXTAKTLOTFA-1.20130405195602.jpg?fit=640%2C360&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"640,360\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"LQHOFXTAKTLOTFA-1.20130405195602\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/jmusportsblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/LQHOFXTAKTLOTFA-1.20130405195602.jpg?fit=300%2C168&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/jmusportsblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/LQHOFXTAKTLOTFA-1.20130405195602.jpg?fit=640%2C360&amp;ssl=1\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-5469\" alt=\"LQHOFXTAKTLOTFA-1.20130405195602\" src=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/jmusportsblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/LQHOFXTAKTLOTFA-1.20130405195602.jpg?resize=300%2C168\" width=\"300\" height=\"168\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/jmusportsblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/LQHOFXTAKTLOTFA-1.20130405195602.jpg?resize=300%2C168&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/jmusportsblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/LQHOFXTAKTLOTFA-1.20130405195602.jpg?w=640&amp;ssl=1 640w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a>Maine (6-1, 3-0)\u00a0<\/strong>The Black Bears are the only team squarely in control of their fate as the only undefeated team in conference play. \u00a0Their trip to Villanova this week may be the most crucial game left on the CAA schedule.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Towson (7-1, 3-1)\u00a0<\/strong>At 7-1 overall, Towson is still in great shape with a bye and only four games remaining, including their home finale against the Dukes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Villanova (4-3, 3-1)\u00a0<\/strong>Nova is a strange team. \u00a0Their comeback turned come-from-ahead upset loss at UNH really put them in a tough spot. \u00a0The team that shredded a formidable Towson team is now in real danger. \u00a0The &#8216;Cats host Maine this weekend and then travel to the &#8216;Burg for JMU homecoming. \u00a0They probably need a least a split to keep their hopes alive, though the Fordham loss early doesn&#8217;t look so bad.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Delaware (5-2, 2-1)\u00a0<\/strong>We&#8217;re reallllly not sure the Hens are any good, but that win over a shitshow Dukes squad that week may continue to serve them well in the race for 3rd\/4th all season. \u00a0They still have trips to Towson and Nova upcoming so 8-4 seems a likely result, and JMU may still need to finish ahead of that mark to earn 4th place and a playoff shot. \u00a0Of course, Delaware could easily vomit against an odd URI team or W&amp;M since they barely escaped Albany a couple weeks back.<\/p>\n<p><strong>JMU (5-2, 2-1)\u00a0<\/strong>@ W&amp;M, Nova, @UNH, Stony Brook, @ Towson. \u00a0Very tough stretch and read Delaware&#8217;s section to understand why 8-4, 5-3 still may not be enough. \u00a0But like Villanova and UD, any finish between 4-1 and 1-4 wouldn&#8217;t be a complete shocker.<\/p>\n<p><strong>New Hampshire\u00a0<\/strong><strong>(3-3, 2-2)\u00a0<\/strong>The bold decision to go for two in the last minute and complete the 29-28 upset of Nova this week did two things: Save UNH&#8217;s season for the moment and remind Dukes fans how completely unfun trips to Durham can be like the one JMU has in three weeks. \u00a0UNH has a manageable schedule the rest of the way but will still need to at least split two home games against JMU and Maine to get to avoid a fifth loss.<\/p>\n<p><strong><\/strong><strong>Rhode Island (3-5, 2-3)\u00a0<\/strong>Probably out of it already, but they&#8217;ve been oddly competitive at times and the win over UR this weekend was a stunning result. \u00a0Not sure whether UR just quit after the trip to JMU or injuries caught up with them, but that&#8217;s not pretty.<\/p>\n<p><strong>William &amp; Mary (4-3, 1-2)\u00a0<\/strong>Very much still alive despite inconsistent play. \u00a0Needless to say, Homecoming against the Dukes means as much or more to them. \u00a0Brutal schedule with JMU, UNH, UD, Towson, and UR to close though and it&#8217;s tough to see them avoiding a fourth CAA loss which would also mean a fifth loss overall.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Stony Brook (3-3, 1-2)<\/strong> Stony Brook&#8217;s losses have been to FBS Buffalo, Nova, and Towson, so not much to go on to know what they&#8217;re about but JMU fans certainly shouldn&#8217;t dismiss them yet based on the deceiving 3-3 overall record. \u00a0Tough trips to JMU, Maine and UNH still remain.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Richmond (2-5, 0-3)\u00a0<\/strong>Ewwwww. \u00a0Just awful and that &#8220;big&#8221; win for the Dukes last week may not mean squat when the Ticks finish bottoming out.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Albany (1-7, 0-4)\u00a0<\/strong>Nothing to see here. \u00a0Tough first go-round in the CAA for Bob Ford&#8217;s group.<\/p>\n<iframe src=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/plugins\/like.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fjmusportsblog.com%2F%3Fp%3D6102&amp;layout=standard&amp;show_faces=true&amp;width=450&amp;action=like&amp;colorscheme=light&amp;height=80\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"border:none; overflow:hidden; width:450px; height:80px;\" allowTransparency=\"true\"><\/iframe>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Dukes had a bye this week so we&#8217;d thought we&#8217;d take a quick run around the CAA landscape as the football season heads for home and teams really start jockeying for playoff position. \u00a0Although many of the early national predictions have the CAA as a three-bid league, our guess is 8-4 overall with a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2786,"url":"https:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/?p=2786","url_meta":{"origin":6102,"position":0},"title":"UMass Minutemen: 2011 JMUSB CAA Football Preview #8","date":"August 11, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"UMass' announced defection to the FBS' MAC in 2012 is one of the major storylines in the conference and will have both good and bad ramifications for the 2011 Dukes and their CAA brethren.\u00a0 The Good UMass should be extremely strong this year, but they are ineligible for both the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"2011 CAA Football Previews\"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":8165,"url":"https:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/?p=8165","url_meta":{"origin":6102,"position":1},"title":"Everything That Happened While JMU Football Had a Bye","date":"November 9, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Everett Withers and the Dukes didn't play on Saturday, but the weekend was far from uneventful. In fact, it was a pretty big weekend for some of the ladies of JMU. The Field Hockey team capped a 6-0 regular season record in CAA play, by advancing to the conference finals.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;JMU Sports&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"passthru_imagecredit_2015JMUWSoccerCAAChamps","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/jmusportsblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/passthru_imagecredit_2015JMUWSoccerCAAChamps-1024x542.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":8257,"url":"https:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/?p=8257","url_meta":{"origin":6102,"position":2},"title":"CAA Fans Are United&#8230;Against Richmond","date":"December 9, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"One team remains. One #CAAFB stands united! pic.twitter.com\/XKDSqlRRbN \u2014 CAA Football (@CAAFootball) December 8, 2015 The powers that be at CAA Football Twitter seem to be implying that all of us are rooting for Richmond. Um, no. There's no way we're rooting for Richmond. And we doubt the overwhelming majority\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;JMU Football&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1732,"url":"https:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/?p=1732","url_meta":{"origin":6102,"position":3},"title":"Stephon Robertson Is CAA Defensive Rookie of the Year","date":"November 22, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"The CAA announced its awards for the 2010 football season today and JMU's Stephon Robertson was selected as the Defensive Rookie of the Year. The redshirt freshman linebacker was JMU's second leading tackler and the twelth leading tackler in the CAA.\u00a0Stephon graduated from Edison High School in Alexandria and had\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;JMU Football&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":9105,"url":"https:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/?p=9105","url_meta":{"origin":6102,"position":4},"title":"JMU Just Dominated the All CAA Teams &#038; Postseason Awards","date":"November 23, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Purple and gold might as well be the official colors of the 2016 All-CAA Football Teams. The league announced it's postseason awards yesterday and boy did the Dukes represent. A ridiculous 14 JMU players earned all league honors, including a program record 10 on the first team. The haul continued\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;JMU Football&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"reynolds high 5","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/jmusportsblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/55f041bb06c3e.image_.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":9983,"url":"https:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/?p=9983","url_meta":{"origin":6102,"position":5},"title":"Chuck Piore Has No Idea How Standings Work","date":"November 26, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Stony Brook football coach just called out JMU. Chuck Priore says he had to bite his tongue this past week as everyone talked up JMU winning the CAA title. Says he is winning the title next week in Harrisonburg. Bring it on. \u2014 Paul Hietanen (@bearseneca) November 25, 2017 Chuck\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;JMU Football&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6102"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6102"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6102\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6103,"href":"https:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6102\/revisions\/6103"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6102"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6102"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6102"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}