FCS CONFERENCE · 2026 SEASON

CAA

#20 overall#9 in FCSRR50 -3.4Upper strength -1.413 teamsTop 25 teams 0

HOPE-DOPING · 2026

The Eastern Standard

The Colonial Athletic Association is the most reliable producer of FCS playoff programs east of the Mississippi. Delaware, James Madison, William & Mary, Villanova, and New Hampshire have combined for 11 FCS playoff appearances in the last five seasons. JMU left for FBS in 2022, which was widely described as a blow to the conference — then the CAA's remaining programs collectively matched their previous bracket share the next year. The pipeline did not depend on one program.

With James Madison gone to FBS and Villanova building, which CAA program steps into the perennial top-seed conversation — and does the conference hold onto its playoff share as the FCS bracket expands to 32 teams for 2026?

FCS13 teamsRace: FCS Playoff

CAA · Where They Stand · 2026

Power Map

FCS power landscape heading into 2026. Bracket implications begin Week 10.

Favorites
Rhode Island+1.7—Monmouth-1.8—Stony Brook-2.0—
Challengers
New Hampshire-2.3—Towson-2.8—Maine-3.2—
The Field
Sacred Heart-3.7—Bryant-3.7—Elon-4.0—UAlbany-4.3—
Rebuilding
Campbell-5.2—Hampton-7.0—North Carolina A&T-7.2—

CAA · 2026 Season Preview

Three Things to Watch

The StandardDelaware's Playoff Consistency

Delaware has been in the FCS bracket eight of the last ten seasons. Ryan Carty's program produces NFL-caliber skill players from a mid-sized state school in Newark, Delaware — not a recruiting powerhouse by any definition. The Blue Hens' ability to develop players and win games in December is the CAA's best argument that their conference standard has survived James Madison's departure intact.

The BuilderWilliam and Mary's Cultural Claim

William and Mary's football program operates with one of the tightest academic profiles in FCS — comparable to Ivy programs — while competing for playoff spots. They have won the CAA title five times and reached the FCS semifinals. Their identity is built on developing players who earn degrees and make the bracket, in roughly that order. In 2026, they are one of the CAA's three teams capable of earning a top-4 FCS seed.

Wild Card

The CAA Has More Depth Than the Bracket Reflects

In any given year, the CAA sends 3-4 teams to the FCS bracket. The conference does not have a dominant program that wins the title consistently — instead it has a dozen programs that can beat each other in November and earn at-large bids. With the bracket expanding to 32 teams in 2026, the CAA's depth finally gets the credit it has earned. Multiple programs that previously missed the bracket by one game are now in it.

Conference Standings · CAA · 2026

Standings

# Team Conf Overall Pwr Last 5
1Rhode Island0–00–0+1.7—
2Monmouth0–00–0-1.8—
3Stony Brook0–00–0-2.0—
4New Hampshire0–00–0-2.3—
5Towson0–00–0-2.8—
6Maine0–00–0-3.2—
7Sacred Heart0–00–0-3.7—
8Bryant0–00–0-3.7—
9Elon0–00–0-4.0—
10UAlbany0–00–0-4.3—
11Campbell0–00–0-5.2—
12Hampton0–00–0-7.0—
13North Carolina A&T0–00–0-7.2—

Conference record determines standing. Power = neutral-field pts vs. all-level average. Last 5 = most recent game results.

Conference Power · FCS

Where We Stand

# Conference Avg Power vs Focal Top Team
1MVFC
-1.7
—South Dakota State
2UAC
-2.2
—Tarleton State
3Big Sky
-2.2
—Montana State
4SWAC
-2.5
—Prairie View A&M
5Southland
-2.7
—Stephen F. Austin
6Southern
-3.0
—Tennessee Tech
7MEAC
-3.0
—South Carolina State
8Patriot
-3.3
—Villanova
9CAAYou are here
-3.4
—Rhode Island
10Pioneer
-3.4
—San Diego
11Big South-OVC
-3.6
—UT Martin
12NEC
-3.6
—Long Island University

Round-robin power = strength of schedule-adjusted conference average, points vs. all-level average team. Record = CAA's record vs. that conference across all games this season.

The Colonial Athletic Association is the most reliable producer of FCS playoff programs east of the Mississippi. Delaware, James Madison, William & Mary, Villanova, and New Hampshire have combined for 11 FCS playoff appearances in the last five seasons. JMU left for FBS in 2022, which was widely described as a blow to the conference — then the CAA's remaining programs collectively matched their previous bracket share the next year. The pipeline did not depend on one program.

Conference Snapshot

RR50-3.4
Upper Strength-1.4
Median Power-3.6
Resume Pulse30.9
Avg ATS--
Wins vs Market+0.00
Top-to-Middle Gap5.4
Combined Record0-0

`RR50`, `Upper Strength`, and `Median Power` are shown on the same public power scale as the rest of the site: points on a neutral field versus the average all-level NCAA team. Very small affiliations are gently regressed toward their subdivision baseline so a one-team outlier does not hijack the entire conference board.

CAA Team Board

The league stack, sorted by predictive strength. Power is shown as neutral-field points versus the all-level average team, while resume is shown on a 0-100 season score.

Rank Team Record Power Resume ATS Wins vs Market Recent Form
#114 Rhode Island 0-0 +1.7 61 -- +0.00 Upcoming schedule still settling.
#167 Monmouth 0-0 -1.8 43 -- +0.00 Upcoming schedule still settling.
#170 Stony Brook 0-0 -2.0 42 -- +0.00 Upcoming schedule still settling.
#174 New Hampshire 0-0 -2.3 40 -- +0.00 Upcoming schedule still settling.
#189 Towson 0-0 -2.8 35 -- +0.00 Upcoming schedule still settling.
#196 Maine 0-0 -3.2 33 -- +0.00 Upcoming schedule still settling.
#208 Sacred Heart 0-0 -3.7 28 -- +0.00 Upcoming schedule still settling.
#209 Bryant 0-0 -3.7 28 -- +0.00 Upcoming schedule still settling.
#215 Elon 0-0 -4.0 26 -- +0.00 Upcoming schedule still settling.
#224 UAlbany 0-0 -4.3 23 -- +0.00 Upcoming schedule still settling.
#236 Campbell 0-0 -5.2 19 -- +0.00 Upcoming schedule still settling.
#253 Hampton 0-0 -7.0 13 -- +0.00 Upcoming schedule still settling.
#255 North Carolina A&T 0-0 -7.2 12 -- +0.00 Upcoming schedule still settling.