October’s arrival means the intensity of conference play ratchets up for the Coastal Athletic Association. And indeed, the Week 6 docket features five league matchups.

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But Week 6 also includes an unofficial CAA vs. Ivy League challenge that kicks off on Friday with New Hampshire making the short trip to Cambridge to face Harvard.

The Wildcats’ Friday night date is the first of three contests pitting CAA teams against nearby members of the Ancient Week. UAlbany travels to Cornell on Saturday, while Bryant takes part in the first leg of the Rhode Island state rivalry round robin when the Bulldogs visit Brown.

The full docket of conference games, meanwhile, will begin to establish who the playoff contenders are heading into the season's back-half. Delaware, Monmouth, Stony Brook, Villanova and William & Mary all carry winning streaks against FCS competition into Week 6. Four of those five teams face off in the headline contests to kick off October. 

Delaware at Monmouth

Monmouth has caught fire since a disappointing, 0-2 start. The Hawks carry a three-game winning streak into their return to CAA play against an undefeated Delaware bunch. 

The Blue Hens steamrolled Sacred Heart in non-conference play last week, improving to 4-0. With the 49-0 romp, Delaware has only been pushed in one of its four wins, a 29-22 Week 4 defeat of Penn. 

The Penn game was also the only in which Delaware didn't score at least 42 points. The Blue Hens are rolling offensively with Jo'Nathan Silver settling in as the No. 1 ball-carrier since Marcus Yarns missed the last two games. Silver carried for 53 yards on just 11 touches last week and rushed for a touchdown vs. Penn. 

Blue Hens quarterback Ryan O'Connor has thrown for eight touchdowns and just one interception. He's been among the most impressive quarterbacks in the CAA — right there with Monmouth's Derek Robertson. 

Robertson leads FCS in passing yards with 1,676 and touchdowns with 14. Sone Ntoh leads FCS in rushing touchdowns with 12. Add it up, and the Hawks lead the nation in scoring at 44.2 points per game. 

"It's the best offense in the country," Delaware coach Ryan Carty said. "Their quarterback is playing very, very confidently right now. They have a ton of good skilled players and they're balanced. Their running back [Ntoh] one's of the best in the country. And I think it's pretty fun to see that. 

"I love when our league has a ton of offensive firepower," Carty added. "It's so much fun to compete against those kinds of teams, you get a chance to test yourself and see how good you can stack up against the best offense in the nation."

The success of Monmouth's skill-position players is a testament to the fast development of a new-look offensive line. Hawks coach Kevin Callahan praised the "work-in-progress" front five. 

"It's taken us a few weeks to gel," Callahan said. "It's a group that Brian Gabriel does an outstanding job coaching. We're developing some depth there and playing with a strong sense of purpose." 

Monmouth's front needs its most purposeful effort of the season to date against a talented Delaware defense that features some of the most effective pass-rush in the FCS. Ethan Saunders, Keyshawn Hunter and Melkart Abou-Jaoude have combined for 11 tackles for loss in four games. 

PREDICTION: Delaware 38, Monmouth 35

Rhode Island at Hampton

Hampton draws its second Top 25-ranked CAA opponent in as many weeks. The Pirates aim for a better result this time, coming off a 45-7 loss at William & Mary in Week 5.

"Your defense has to play lights out and you've got to play mistake-free football," Hampton coach Trent Boykin said of facing William & Mary. "We weren't able to do any of those things. So [the loss] gave you a chance to kind of say, 'OK, let's go back to the drawing board and and work on us and what we need to do to get better.'" 

As the Pirates look to map out how they will attack a new month, the degree of difficulty doesn't let up with Rhode Island coming to Armstrong Stadium. 

The Rams are 3-1 and fresh from a bye week. Rhody coach Jim Fleming said the time off gave the URI staff an opportunity to evaluate what the Rams need for their second-half push. As for settling on a clear No. 1 quarterback, however, that decision may not come until just before kickoff at Hampton. 

Devin Farrell and Hunter Helms have split snaps, though Farrell has been the more active of the two. Farrell is 44-of-81 for 535 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions — with both picks thrown against Big Ten Conference opponent Minnesota. Helms is 15-of-24 for 134 yards. 

Farrell has also been Rhode Island's second-most productive ball-carrier with 111 yards and a touchdown to supplement Malik Grant's 241 yards and three scores. The URI defense has been excellent against FCS competition, paced by All-America candidate linebacker A.J. Pena. 

PREDICTION: Rhode Island 27, Hampton 17

Villanova at Stony Brook

Stony Brook’s surprising start to the Billy Cosh era faces its biggest test yet. Reigning CAA co-champion and preseason league favorite Villanova comes to Long Island sporting a perfect record against FCS opponents after shutting down LIU in non-conference play last week. 

With their 24-10 win, the Wildcats have yet to allow more than 17 points to any of four FCS opponents. Shane Hartzell put together a seven-tackle performance against the Sharks. With he and Brendan Bell patrolling in the linebacker corps, Villanova packs a stiff one-two punch against opposing rushing offenses. 

Meanwhile, Ty Trinh and Isas Waxter have held it down for the Wildcats against the pass. The Wildcats are allowing just six yards per pass attempt and 9.6 per completion, ttwo of the best yields in the country, and only four passing touchdowns for the season. 

Moving the ball against Villanova's defense is a tall order for Stony Brook, but an opportunity for Seawolves running back Roland Dempster to present his growing Walter Payton Award case. 

Dempster has been electric throughout Stony Brook's surprising start, rushing for 117 yards per game with nine touchdowns. 

While the Seawolves aim to accomplish what no FCS offense has been able to against Villanova's defense, the Wildcats are tasked with a similar challenge. Stony Brook has been lights out on that side of the ball, which first-year Seawolves coach Billy Cosh said starts with the line. 

"Our d-line sets the tone," he said. "Playing through blocks, being physical, getting knock-back [on opposing blockers], that helps our second- and third-level players to make plays." 

Expect a hard-hitting defensive struggle that comes down to which side makes the last stop. 

PREDICTION: Villanova 17, Stony Brook 14 

William & Mary at Towson

A tough first-half schedule doesn’t ease up any for Towson in its return from the bye week. The Tigers draw their third opponent ranked No. 12 or better, following an initial stretch that pit them against Villanova and North Dakota State.

Towson is 1-3, also having faced FBS opponent Cincinnati. While the slate has been an uphill climb, the Tigers have had opportunities to show their potential. 

"We've shown that we can be productive," Tigers coach Pete Shinnick said. "We've shown that we can move the ball. We've shown that we can put together some really nice drives. We have just got to get some point productivity out of that. But I like where we're at." 

Running backs Devin Matthews and Tyrell Greene Jr. are averaging 6.9 and eight yards per carry while splitting the bulk of rushes for Towson. The duo are also producing more than 140 yards per game. 

William & Mary's defense is tasked with slowing an effective and multifaceted run game for a second straight week. Hampton came into last Saturday's matchup ranked second in the CAA in rushing yardage, but the Tribe slowed the Pirates to just 130 yards on 36 attempts, and 214 total yards of offense. 

William & Mary coach Mike London pointed to the Tribe's ability to play better defensively as games go along. 

"[The defensive coach staffers] have all done a really good job of kind of putting the pieces together, and then we played better the second, third, and into the fourth quarter," London said. "Those things are going to be critically important as you get now into the other part of the CAA season playing good CAA teams."

It was at this point in the Tribe's 2023 season that their pursuit of a second straight CAA championship started to unravel, including a loss to Towson. A 34-24 setback against the Tigers was part of a three-game skid from which William & Mary never recovered. 

This is a new year and two different teams, and the Tribe seem to be hitting a groove on both sides of the ball. With Bronson Yoder, Darius Wilson, Malachi Imoh and Tyler Hughes combining to form one of the most potent rushing attacks in the nation, William & Mary can continue its roll as CAA competition unfolds. 

PREDICTION: William & Mary 34, Towson 17 

CAA Week 6 Schedule

Friday, October 4

• UNH at Harvard - 7:00 p.m.

Saturday, October 6

• Bryant at Brown - 12:00 p.m..
• UAlbany at Cornell - 1:00 p.m.
• Delaware at Monmouth - 1:00 p.m.
• Rhode Island at Hampton - 2:00 p.m.
• N.C. AT&T at Richmond - 2:00 p.m.
• Villanova at Stony Brook - 3:30 p.m.
• North Carolina Central at Campbell - 4:00 p.m.
• William and Mary at Towson - 6:00 p.m.

AFCA NCAA FCS Football Rankings In Week 6

1. South Dakota St. (3-1)
2. North Dakota St. (4-1)
3. Montana St. (5-0)
4. South Dakota (3-1)
5. Villanova (4-1)
6. North Dakota (4-1)
7. Central Arkansas (4-1)
8. UC Davis (4-1)
9. Montana (4-1)
10. William & Mary (4-1)
11. Mercer (5-0)
12. Idaho (3-2)
13. Southeast Missouri St. (4-1)
14. Tarleton St. (4-1)
15. UIW (2-2)
16. New Hampshire (3-1)
17. ACU (3-2)
18. Northern Iowa (2-2)
19. Illinois St. (3-2)
20. Sacramento St. (2-3)
21. Richmond (3-2)
22. Florida A&M (2-2)
23. Southern Illinois (2-3)
24. McNeese (4-2)
25. Rhode Island (3-1)

Dropped Out: UAlbany (23t), Lamar (25)

Others Receiving Votes: Stony Brook, 28; Missouri St., 27; Lafayette, 24; East Tennessee St., 22; Northern Arizona, 22; Chattanooga, 21; Monmouth (N.J.), 18; Lamar, 17; North Carolina Central, 13; Duquesne, 12; Butler, 9; Dartmouth, 5; Jackson St., 4; Western Carolina, 4; Brown, 3; Drake, 3; Murray St., 3; Nicholls, 3; Bucknell, 2; Dayton, 2; Weber St., 2; Wofford, 2; Alabama A&M, 1; UAlbany, 1.

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