Undefeated against FCS opponents, boasting both the leading passer and rusher in the subdivision and tied atop the CAA football loss column, Monmouth Football is enjoying its best start since joining the Coastal Athletic Association. The Hawks return to conference action in Week 8 with a tough matchup, however, welcoming a dangerous Stony Brook team to West Long Branch in one of five league showdowns on FloCollege.  

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All 10 CAA football teams playing on Oct. 18 face conference foes, marking the first all-league weekend of the season — and setting the tone on the final, month-long push for the FCS Playoffs. 

Pace-setters Monmouth and Rhode Island, both undefeated in the CAA, are on the docket. So, too, is fellow Top 25-ranked squad Villanova. The recently surging Wildcats take a three-game winning streak for the first in 3-of-4 home games. 

Check out the complete Week 8 schedule around CAA football. 

Stony Brook at Monmouth Football

Derek Robertson's Week 7 performance was his most understated of the season, and the Monmouth quarterback still put up a stat line most passers aspire toward: 27-of-32 for 250 yards, no interceptions, and two touchdowns. 

Robertson, the leading passer in all of college football, is up to 2,272 yards and 24 touchdowns in just six games, but it isn't just the Hawks' aerial assault that has them scoring 44.7 points per game. In Monmouth's 42-31 win last week at Towson, Rodney Nelson continued on his FCS-leading pace with 152 yards rushing while Elijah Jennings carried for three touchdowns. 

"It's a laundry list," Stony Brook coach Billy Cosh said of the areas for concern in defending Monmouth. "[Robertson] is obviously a great passer, we know that. But he's extremely instinctive. ...[Nelson] runs hard. He's a little guy, but he runs through you." 

Cosh's Seawolves have come alive defensively in recent weeks, holding both Merrimack and CAA rival UAlbany to fewer than 13 points. In its blowout wins, Stony Brook limited Merrimack to just 223 total yards of offense and UAlbany to 198. 

Dyshier Clary broke into the Great Danes' backfield last week for three tackles for loss, including a sack, increasing his team-leading output to 6.5 and 3.5 on the season. 

The havoc-wreaking lineman Cleary combines with linebackers AJ Roberts and Anthony Ferrelli to set the foundation in the front seven. Will they be able to contain Monmouth to fewer than 42 points, which no FCS defense has this season? 

Likewise, keeping pace with Monmouth's point production is a requisite. The Hawks have shown repeatedly this season that they won't be completely shut down, which calls on an opposing offense to keep up. Towson did so for three quarters, even rallying from an early two-touchdown deficit, but couldn't overcome surrendering two fourth-quarter touchdowns. 

After scoring 17 combined points the first two weeks — facing a 5-1 San Diego State team quietly inserting itself into the Mountain West Conference championship chase and preseason CAA football favorite Rhode Island — the Stony Brook offense has put up an average of 37.5 points per game. 

Cosh pointed to a multifaceted run game emerging, with quarterback Chris Zellous adding 47.5 yards per contest, and Ikaika Ragsdale's 65 yards against UAlbany adding an additional element. Zellous has also thrown at least one touchdown in each of the last contests. 

Expect a high-scoring affair in New Jersey. 

PREDICTION: Monmouth 48, Stony Brook 35 

Hampton at Villanova Football

Since its 1-2 start, Villanova has run off three straight wins — including two straight on the road. The Wildcats followed up a dominant showing at New Hampshire with a come-from-behind win at last week over a tough Elon team, 29-21. 

The Week 7 win marked the second in Villanova's ongoing winning streak. Ja'briel Mace ran back a kickoff for a touchdown. With his 97-yarder at Elon and a 100-yarder against William & Mary, Mace is the only player in FCS with two returns for scores. 

Wildcats coach Mark Ferrante said Mace is the first Villanova returner with two taken to the house in the same season since Angelo Babbaro in 2010. 

With Mace thriving on special teams, Villanova's offense is producing almost 400 yards per game with a balance of about 233 passing yards and 165 rushing yards per game. The Wildcats' 31:51 average time of possession ranks No. 22 in FCS, and complements the defense. 

All told, Villanova is rounding nicely into form in time for a playoff push — and to remain in the hunt for one last CAA championship. Losing to Monmouth to open their CAA slate puts the Wildcats at a disadvantage, so they need to keep winning to remain in position to capitalize if the Hawks and Rhode Island slip up. 

Hampton's coming into Villanova for Week 8 sitting at the bottom of the CAA standing following its 38-21 loss at home last Saturday to Campbell. The Pirates have surrendered at least 33 points in each of their last five games, going 1-4 over that stretch. 

They could encounter difficult sledding in their first return to Villanova since 2022. 

PREDICTION: Villanova 42, Hampton 17 

New Hampshire at Campbell 

Campbell's overall record of 2-5 may not impress on first glance, but in Week 8 the Camels are heading into one of the more intriguing stretches any CAA football faces. With its win at Hampton, Campbell improved to 2-1 in the conference, and is now looking at three home dates in the next four weeks. 

"We feel very fortunate to be sitting at 2-1," Camels coach Braxton Harris said. "But the only thing we're focused on is how we get to 3-1 this week." 

That means knocking off an always tough but currently struggling New Hampshire bunch. 

New Hampshire is making its inaugural visit to Buie's Creek, and the Wildcats are trying to snap out of a slump with three losses in the past four games. New Hampshire surrendered 21 fourth-quarter points to Rhode Island, in the process losing a 10-point advantage in the 38-27 contest. 

The Wildcats' uncharacteristic challenges stopping the run have resulted in opponents rushing for 5.1 yards per carry and 182.4 yards per game. Campbell, meanwhile, is coming off its most productive game of the season with 301 yards on the ground at Hampton. 

It's no coincidence that in their two wins, the Camels have rushed for more than 500 yards combined. JJ Cowan was a major catalyst last week with 142 yards and three touchdowns, but Campbell has also seen consistent production from Georgetown transfer Naieem Kearney. 

Campbell's ability to establish the run once again will be critical to the Camels kicking off this key stretch with a win to move to 3-1 in the CAA race. 

PREDICTION: Campbell 30, New Hampshire 24 

Rhode Island at UAlbany Football

Rhode Island continued its habit of falling behind in Week 7 vs. New Hampshire, staring down the prospect of a three-game losing streak in the process. But a spirited defensive effort in the fourth quarter, which included a Rams team plagued by turnovers all season coming out on the right end of a takeaway late, helped keep URI undefeated in CAA football. 

"It's kind of the telltale of what we're all about," Rams coach Jim Fleming said. "Finding ways at the end of the game right now to put it away." 

Rohan Davy, who has been excellent for the Rhode Island defense all season, ran back a fumble recovery 45 yards for a touchdown in the final 65 seconds that punctuated earlier touchdown runs from Brendon Barrow and Devin Farrell. 

Rhode Island's 220 rushing yards, gained at a 5.4-per carry clip, was a noteworthy positive development for a Rams offense that came into Week 7 ranked in the lower third for run-game production. 

Look for the Rams to continue charging with as much of the rush as possible, especially early, in an effort to avoid the double-digit-point hole they've had to overcome in each of their first three conference games. 

The UAlbany defense ranks No. 110 in FCS against the run at 207 yards allowed per game.

The Great Deans are coming off a bye, but their last time out gave up 222 yards and five touchdowns on the ground to rival Stony Brook in Week 6. 

While stopping the run has been an issue for UAlbany, perhaps more vexing in interim coach Jared Ambrose's season at the helm has been the Great Danes' lack of offensive production. 

UAlbany has scored more than 17 points only once, and at 14.5 points per game is averaging less than all but about 10 teams in the subdivision. Quarterback Collin Parachek stepped in for the Sept. 27 matchup with New Hampshire and threw a touchdown, but the next week, vs. Stony Brook finished just 5-of-18 with an interception, while Aidan Semo came on to toss a touchdown. 

No matter who's behind center, UAlbany needs to sustain drives and avoid turnovers; the recipe for success against Rhode Island has been winning the takeaway battle, but the Great Danes may find trouble sitting at -5 for the season in turnover margin. 

PREDICTION: Rhode Island 34, UAlbany 10 

Elon at William & Mary Football

One of the most consistently competitive matchups in recent years of CAA football reaches a finale in Week 8. With William & Mary headed to the Patriot League, the future between these two programs is uncertain. That means Saturday's winner will move to 6-5 in series history with the advantage until they next meet. 

The split record is an accurate reflection of the overall tenor between Elon and William & Mary. Last year's 40-36 Phoenix win was the sixth meeting in the last seven determined by a one-possession margin. The lone outlier came during the COVID-shortened spring 2021 campaign. 

But while the scores have been close, the last three have all been Elon wins: last year's shootout at Zable Stadium; a 14-6 defensive clash in 2023; and a 35-31 track meet in 2022. 

Coming off a tough loss last week to Villanova, in which the Phoenix led 14-3 at intermission, Elon needs to finish strong for a shot at returning to the FCS Playoffs. Saturday's visit to Williamsburg begins a challenging stretch with three road games over the next four dates, and the lone home game coming against Rhode Island. 

William & Mary returns from a bye week, having rallied in the second half to take down North Carolina A&T, the Tribe's last time out. The win improved William & Mary to 3-0 at Zable Stadium, a mark that includes both of the Tribe's CAA wins — both by narrow margins. 

The four-point victory over A&T joins a one-point win in Week 2 against Maine. The trend of close calls both for William & Mary at home and in the series with Elon, should continue with a nail-biter on Saturday. 

Both offenses have shown flashes of explosiveness in the run game. Sustaining it will be critical to a Week 8 win. Elon's defense has been stout much of the season. So long as the Phoenix avoid surrendering a big play like the kickoff return for a touchdown given up last week, they can keep their hopes for a playoff push alive. 

PREDICTION: Elon 24, William & Mary 21

2025 AFCA Coaches FCS Preseason Poll

1. North Dakota State

2. South Dakota State

3. Tarleton State

4. Montana 

5. Montana State 

6. UC Davis 

7. Lehigh

8. Tennessee Tech

9. Illinois State  

10. Monmouth 

11. North Dakota

12. Southern Illinois

13. Jackson State 

14. Villanova 

15. Rhode Island 

16. Mercer 

17. Abilene Christian 

18. Lamar 

19. Presbyterian

20. Harvard 

21. Northern Arizona

22. Southeastern Louisiana 

23. West Georgia 

24. Austin Peay 

25. Youngstown State

2025 CAA Football Predicted Finish

(Selected by a vote of Head Coaches)

1. Rhode Island (8 first-place votes)                163
2. Monmouth (4 first-place votes)                    142
3. Villanova (2 first-place votes)                       139
4. Stony Brook                                                  125
5. UNH                                                              119
6. Towson                                                          108
7. William & Mary                                              104
8. Elon                                                                  98
9. Maine                                                             71
10. Campbell                                                        53
11. Hampton                                                         50
12. UAlbany                                                          47
13. Bryant                                                             32
14. North Carolina A&T                                         23

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