With eight different programs claiming at least a share of conference championships since 2018, the Coastal Athletic Association has established itself as the most competitive league in the nation. Expect more of the same in 2024.

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Last year, UAlbany emerged as the top dog of the three to split the CAA championship. The Great Danes' historic run to the national semifinals included head-to-head wins over co-champions Villanova and Richmond. 

UAlbany faces significant roster turnover after its remarkable 2023, however. How Greg Gattuso and his staff have regrouped for 2024 ranks among the most intriguing preseason storylines. We get our first glimpse at the new-look Great Danes on Sept. 28 when they host Maine. 

Fellow 2023 co-champion Villanova jumps into conference competition two weeks earlier in a matchup that will test the Wildcats' likely positioning as preseason favorites in the 2024 CAA title race. 

And that's where we start with five games in the 2024 CAA football season to have saved on your calendar, focusing on the first few weeks of conference play before the championship race takes form. 

Towson at Villanova, Sept. 14

In coach Pete Shinnick's first year at the helm, Towson faced four of the five teams to claim shares of the 2022 and 2023 CAA championships. The Tigers went a respectable 2-2 in those matchups, knocking off New Hampshire in one of the wildest games of the season, and grinding down William & Mary in an impressive second-half rally. 

One of the two losses came late in the season at Villanova in a matchup that wasn't without its positives. Defensive lineman Dion Crews-Harris played perhaps his best game of the season, setting him up to be a star for the Tigers in 2024. 

His presence on the Towson defense and returning offensive standouts Nathan Kent at quarterback and All-America-caliber tight end Carter Runyon make the Tigers potential CAA title contenders. Their prospects face an early measuring stick with Villanova, which welcomes back quarterback Connor Watkins and a host of Buck Buchanan Award-contending talents on defense. 

After opening with a pair of quality non-conference opponents, including a season-opening rematch of Villanova's playoff-opening romp against Youngstown State, the verdict on Wildcats' status as likely preseason front-runners should be a little more clear through Week 3. 

Richmond at Elon, Sept. 28 

A late-season loss at Richmond spoiled Elon's push for a share of the 2023 CAA championship. Meanwhile, it helped solidify the Spiders' midseason turnaround to claim a portion of the Coastal crown and advance to the FCS Playoffs for a second consecutive year. 

The Phoenix get a chance to avenge the loss in the conference opener for both teams. Richmond begins its quest for both a CAA repeat and to exit the league on top before moving to the Patriot League in 2025. 

Elon is after its first CAA championship, and coach Tony Trisciani has the lineup to reach that milestone. A Phoenix offense that began to click down the stretch returns Matthew Downing and Chandler Brayboy, and All-America defensive back Caleb Curtain leads a stout defense. 

Richmond reloads in its own right with Kyle Wickersham and Nick DeGennaro on offense, and an imposing pass rush that features Wayne Galloway, Jeremiah Grant and Matei Fitz. 

Expect this one to be an important tone-setter for two conference-title caliber teams.  

Campbell at William & Mary, Oct. 19 

Since seeing each other to open the 2023 season, Campbell and William & Mary encountered plenty of their own ups and downs that send them into 2024 hungry to rebound. 

Beginning with William & Mary's visit to Buies Creek, Campbell dropped 3-of-5 by 15 combined points. Those narrow defeats, which also included Elon and North Carolina, made the difference in the Camels competing for their first-ever playoff berth and finishing below .500. 

 Campbell welcomes a new head coach in Braxton Harris, but maintains an impressive roster constructed with some of the most nationally active recruiting of any FCS program. The 2024 Camels will have had a month-and-a-half to forge their identity under the new coaching staff by the time they visit Williamsburg. 

Likewise, William & Mary aims to be in the hunt at this near-midpoint matchup. The Tribe replace some of the best pass-rushers in college football between new Detroit Lion Nate Lynn and Wisconsin transfer John Pius, but coach Mike London's roster is stacked with plenty of other proven playmakers ready to guide the new starters. 

Rhode Island at New Hampshire, Oct. 19

Jim Fleming has had Rhode Island knocking on the door of the FCS Playoffs for the last few seasons running. However, the Rams' postseason drought will turn 40 in 2025 if they do not break through this season. 

Getting over the hump in its high-profile conference matchups will be critical to Rhody contending for a playoff berth. A New England showdown with New Hampshire near the midway point of CAA play could prove pivotal — for the Rams and for the Wildcats. 

Coming off its 2022 CAA co-championship, New Hampshire reloaded for 2023 with new Las Vegas Raider Dylan Laube, quarterback Max Brosmer and a talented defense including All-American ends Josiah Silver and Dylan Ruiz. Losing three one-score games in conference play denied the Wildcats a return to the Playoffs, however — one of which came at Rhode Island. 

Coach Rick Santos and his staff will have new key skill-position players guiding the offense. By this juncture in the season when the New England foilage turns red, orange and brown, the new-look Wildcats offense should be rounded into form. 

UAlbany at Delaware, Oct. 26 

Two of the CAA's 2023 playoff representatives come into 2024 offering two of the most intriguing storylines in the FCS. 

For UAlbany, the primary plot for the Great Danes is how a program coming off a historic season rebuilds with a variety of leaders gone. Reese Poffenbarger transferred to Miami, Anton Juncaj headed to Arkansas, and Aamir Hall joins the reigning FBS national champion Michigan Wolverines. UAlbany will also be playing with the memory of graduated standout A.J. Simon, who passed away in April before the NFL draft. 

Great Danes teams in 2019 and 2023, when they qualified for the Playoffs, and 2022 in a foreshadowing stretch of their 2023 breakout, played their best ball in the final month of the regular season. We should know more about UAlbany's make-up come this final contest of October, facing off against a Delaware team in its own state of change. 

For the Blue Hens, 2024 marks their farewell to the subdivision where they gained a reputation as one of the standard-bearers for several decades. Delaware leaves for Conference USA in 2025 and, as part of their FBS transition, is ineligible for the CAA championship. 

However, coach Ryan Carty has a championship-caliber roster. The Blue Hens' response to this unusual season offers one of the subdivision's more fascinating subplots. 

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