Week 10 in the Colonial Athletic Association saves the best — based on standings and national polls — for last. 

The latest kickoff of a full Saturday pits New Hampshire, undefeated in CAA play and ranked No. 17 in the FCS STATS Top 25, against No. 14-ranked Richmond. This late afternoon showdown caps the first November weekend of the season and promises huge significance to the conference championship race. 

UNH can move one game closer to its first CAA championship since 2014, and effectively bounce one of the two remaining, one-loss teams trailing the Wildcats from contention. 

William & Mary, the Colonial's other one-loss team, travels to Hampton in one of the weekend's potential trap games. Much has been made all season of the CAA's parity and depth, and the Week 10 slate just might be the most reflective Saturday of the potential pitfalls that emerge as a result. 

No. 8 William & Mary at Hampton 

A dramatic, come-from-behind win sealed on a game-deciding, two-point conversion attempt helped vault William & Mary into the national top 10. At 7-1 — the Colonial's best overall record — the Tribe can build perhaps the league's most compelling case for a top four overall seed in the FCS Playoffs. 

That's predicated on them continuing to win games, however. And in this week's short trip from Williamsburg to Hampton, coach Mike London knows to anticipate a test. 

"Coach [Robert] Prunty's done a really good job there; has a really good, athletic, talented football team," London said. "The only way...you can keep talking about postseason and conference championships is to keep winning."

Saturday marks the first matchup between London and Prunty, but the William & Mary coach is no stranger to Hampton or the potential trap that comes with visiting Armstrong Stadium. London previously coached the Pirates' longtime rival Howard, and in 2017, led the Bison into Hampton still in the hunt for a share of the MEAC championship. The Pirates burst the Bison's bubble, 20-17. 

Caylin Newton quarterbacked Howard on that day. Saturday, he'll done Green-and-Gold as a wide receiver in one of the CAA's most explosive offenses. The Tribe come into Armstrong Stadium having scored at least 27 points in each contest on the season. 

Newton and his fellow pass-catchers, including tight end Lachlan Pitts, have contributed, but the multifaceted rushing attack has been particularly combustible in recent weeks. William & Mary ranks fourth in the nation, accruing more than 260 yards per game on the ground. 

For its part, the Hampton rushing defense is holding opponents to fewer than 4 yards per game. 

Monmouth at No. 18 Delaware 

Heartbreaking losses doomed Monmouth's playoff aspirations in its first year as a CAA member. A fourth-quarter lead slipping away Week 1 at New Hampshire set the tone for defeats of three points to Fordham, two points in a historic seven overtimes against Rhode Island, and last week's four-point loss to Towson. 

Knocked from the playoff race, the Hawks can still play the role of postseason spoilers in the final month.

And while the team's recent losses have presumably dealt a blow to running back Jaden Shirden's Walter Payton Award candidacy, the nation's leading ball-carrier is still producing at an eye-popping pace — so eye-popping, in fact, that Delaware coach Ryan Carty compared Shirden to "another No. 20," legendary Oklahoma State and Detroit Lions back Barry Sanders. 

While drawing a parallel to a player responsible for what's widely considered the single-greatest individual season in college football history might seem far-fetched, Shirden does have Sanders' 1988 campaign beat so far in one notable category: Shirden is averaging 8.7 yards per carry, 1.1 YPC more than Sanders in his mythical Heisman Trophy season. 

.@shirden_20 gets ball runs for long touchdown send tweet pic.twitter.com/LDva2llOp3

— Monmouth Football (@MUHawksFB) October 29, 2022

Opponents have largely struggled to contain not only Shirden, but the Monmouth offense in general. Even with Tony Muskett sidelined last week, the Hawks continued to score in bunches with Enzo Arjona at quarterback. 

"He proved the stage wasn't too big for him," Hawks coach Kevin Callahan said of Arjona in his first college appearance. "So we were very happy about that." 

Delaware faced his own quarterback questions coming out of Week 9. Nolan Henderson played in the Blue Hens' 27-7 loss at Elon, but the two-way playmaker was limited — which, in turn, limited the Blue Hens' usually productive offense. 

Carty said Henderson "seemed to take it OK" getting physical on Saturday, and that the quarterback was feeling better on Monday of this week compared to the Monday prior. Delaware's defense has been among the most consistent in the CAA throughout the season, thanks in part to heat-seeking linebacker Johnny Buchanan. The nation's leading tackler will do his part to contain Shirden and Hawks power-back Owen Wright. 

However, opponents beating Monmouth have typically had to do so in track meets. Henderson's return to form will be a major sub-plot this week as a result. 

UAlbany at No. 19 Elon 

Elon remained perfect at Rhodes Stadium this season, improving to 5-0 with last week's emphatic, 27-7 rout of Delaware. The Phoenix's best defensive showing of the season — given the quality of opponent and context of the game, with Elon looking to avoid a three-game losing streak  — was exactly the kind of effort necessary to keep their playoff hopes alive. 

Elon also remains in the hunt for the CAA title. Securing even a share of the program's first conference championship since 1981 will take considerable help, but the aspect still in the team's control — winning out — almost certainly guarantees the Phoenix a spot in the Playoffs. 

However, a November loss can evaporate a team's postseason dreams. Elon experienced the opposite side of it a year ago, beginning its ongoing Rhodes Stadium winning streak of six games with a regular-season finale win over Rhode Island that effectively denied the Rams a spot in the field of 24. 

UAlbany comes to town with all the makings of a potential bubble-buster. After dropping one gut-wrenching decision after another — the Great Danes have lost five games by a combined 16 points, otherwise Greg Gattuso's squad would be in the playoff conversation in its own right — UAlbany left no doubt in its first CAA win. 

Last week's 59-14 romp over in-state rival Stony Brook saw the Great Danes exorcise their frustrations from all those nail-biting losses. Reese Poffenbarger comes in playing arguably the best ball of any quarterback in the conference, and right now looks like a sure thing for the Jerry Rice Award, given to the nation's top freshman. 

An Elon defense that's generated 16 takeaways, including two interceptions of Nolan Henderson last week, will try to do what no opponent has this season: pick off Poffenbarger. 

Villanova at Towson 

Reigning CAA champion Villanova has resuscitated its reaching a third straight, autumn-season playoff with a last-second field goal beat UAlbany on Oct. 22, and a defensive grinder last week at Hampton. 

The Wildcats likely need to run the table to reach the Playoffs, but can't get caught looking ahead to marquee matchups with William & Mary and Delaware in the weeks to come. Visiting Towson comes in with some pep after scoring its first CAA win of the year in a 52-48 shootout at Monmouth. 

The Tigers offense was sputtering prior to last week's road trip, but dual-threat quarterback Tyrrell Pigrome and running back Devin Matthews came alive to ignite a 263-yard, five-touchdown-producing rushing attack. 

Villanova's defense has improved dramatically against the run over the course of the season. Since getting gashed in early-season matchups with Army West Point's triple option and giving up almost 300 yards to Jaden Shirden, the Wildcats were serviceable stopping the run against Richmond and UAlbany. 

No. 17 New Hampshire at No. 14 Richmond 

The highest-profile CAA game of the week sets a fitting tone for the home stretch. A Richmond win puts the Spiders in control of their own path to the CAA's automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs with no worse than a share of their first league championship since 2015. 

A New Hampshire win eliminates both Richmond and Elon from the auto-bid conversation, and moves the Wildcats one win away from no worse than a guaranteed share of the CAA title. 

UNH went into its bye week last Saturday fresh off what could be considered its most impressive win of the season. The Wildcats rolled past a Top 25-ranked Elon, 40-22, behind monster offensive performances from quarterback Max Brosmer and all-purpose dynamo Dylan Laube. 

Watch Dylan Laube's longest rushing touchdown of the season! In our seven games played this year, Laube has three games with >100 rushing yards and seven games with >100 total, both rushing and receiving yards!

Game Day Central ➡️ https://t.co/OZ2dSbG8xd#CatJui23 😼🧃 pic.twitter.com/EqvK99zZPL

— New Hampshire Football (@UNH_Football) October 22, 2022

"You look for some mismatches, where are they not as good," Huesman said of studying opponents in general when dissecting game film. "And [the Wildcats] really don't have any position group on their team that's not up to par. They're good all the way across the board. Their quarterback's playing really well. I think they've probably got one of the two best backs in the league [Laube], no question about that." 

Huesman added that because of the lack of weaknesses to be readily exploited, Saturday's matchup comes down to "execution." 

Richmond executed effectively out of the gate in its win at Maine last week, in particular quarterback Reece Udinski. The Walter Payton Award-contending quarterback is up to 19 touchdowns on the season against just three interceptions, has completed a staggering 77 percent of his pass attempts en route to almost 2300 yards, and has rushed for another four scores. 

In less than one season, Udinski's putting together one of the all-time great campaigns for a CAA quarterback — so much so, he's impressed someone in that pantheon in former UNH quarterback Rick Santos. 

Santos, in his first season as the full-time Wildcats head coach, called Udinski, "tremendous." 

"I think he's as good as anyone there is in the country," Santos said. "We've got our hands full, for sure." 

.@Spiders_FB on 🔝

Reece Udinski passed for 368 yards and two touchdowns, and also ran for two scores, as No. 17 Richmond held off Maine, 31-21 #CAAFB pic.twitter.com/WpulOK0C2h

— CAA Football (@CAAFootball) October 30, 2022

Since surrendering 45 points to North Carolina Central in Week 3, New Hampshire's defense has held every FCS opponent to 22 points or fewer. Prior to the NCCU loss, the Wildcats limited both Monmouth and UAlbany to their CAA scoring lows (in Monmouth's case, the 21 points the Hawks scored Week 1 at UNH were their fewest all season, regardless of opponent). 

Perhaps ironically, the Wildcats have not needed to generate many takeaways in order to flourish defensively. Yes, Randall Harris and Joe Eichman have combined for five interceptions, but New Hampshire ranks 97th nationally in total turnovers gained. Credit effective third-down defense at around 38 percent and a top 20 rushing defense. 

Richmond has been at its best offensively this season when it's balanced, but Udinski's passing efficiency may have to carry the Spiders in Week 10. UNH is giving up about 228 passing yards per game and more than eight yards per attempt.