Four CAA Teams Ranked as Playoff Push Intensifies

By Tiffany Williams –

CAA Football is heading into its final Saturday with chaos hanging over the conference. Rhode Island controls everything. Beat Hampton, and the Rams take the outright title and the automatic FCS playoff bid. Slip even once, and the door swings wide for Villanova.

If Rhode Island and Villanova both finish 7-1, the Wildcats win the bid on the common-opponent tiebreak after going 5-0 to Rhode Island’s 4-1. If Monmouth joins them at 7-1, Villanova still wins the same tiebreak, going 4-0 while Monmouth and Rhode Island sit at 3-1. In both tie scenarios, Rhode Island gets only a share of the title while Villanova walks off with the ticket.

The rankings show a league catching fire at the right time. New Hampshire returned to the Stats Perform Top 25, giving the CAA four ranked teams for the first time since mid-September. It’s also the only conference with three teams in the top 12.

Villanova stayed No. 7 in the AFCA poll and climbed to No. 9 in Stats after rallying past Stony Brook in overtime. Rhode Island smashed Maine and sits at No. 9 in the AFCA and No. 10 in Stats heading into Hampton. Monmouth sits at No. 11 in AFCA and No. 12 in Stats after dropping 63 points on North Carolina A&T. New Hampshire sits at No. 25 in Stats and gets rival Maine next.

Frankie Weaver stole the weekend. The Monmouth freshman tied the school record with six touchdown passes, threw for 428 yards, hit three 50-plus-yard scoring strikes and posted one of the top efficiency ratings in the nation. That earned him both the Stats Perform National Freshman honor and the CAA Offensive Player of the Week award.

Stats Perform also recognized Antwain Littleton, Shane Hartzell, Andrew Brown and Trayjen Llanas-Wilcox. The CAA doubled down: Hartzell took Defensive Player of the Week after his 10 tackles in Villanova’s win. Brown earned Special Teams Player of the Week after becoming the first kicker in league history to hit three field goals of 53-plus yards in one game. Elon’s Landen Clark took Rookie of the Week after a 287-yard, four-touchdown performance capped by a 96-yard game-winner.

All of it sets the stage for a final Saturday loaded with tension. Rhode Island can end the drama. Villanova is ready if they don’t. And Monmouth is waiting to shove the whole thing into a three-way gridlock. It’s not just the end of the regular season. It’s a scramble for a playoff lifeline.