Bucknell at Holy Cross

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Bucknell
1-6 Lost 4 straight
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Holy Cross
2-5 Lost last game
Sat, Oct 24 · 1:00 PM ET · Fitton FieldAdd to calendar: Google · other

Holy Cross (2‑5) hosts Bucknell (1‑6). The market has Holy Cross favored by 10. The model gives Holy Cross a 82% shot.

How they got here

Last three games

Bucknell · 1-6

Rated 236th in our preseason ratings, 255th now.

Three straight losses.

L 7-20 vs Lafayette No. 231 of 668 teams

lost by 13 as a 4.5-point underdog

Bucknell lost 7-20 vs Lafayette. Chance to win started at 55%, low 3%, high 62%.

L 14-21 @ Georgetown No. 256 of 668 teams

lost by 7 as a 2.5-point underdog

Bucknell lost 14-21 at Georgetown. Chance to win started at 30%, low under 1%, high 62%.

L 0-59 @ PittsburghTop 25 No. 42 of 668 teams

lost by 59 as a 54.5-point underdog

Bucknell lost 0-59 at Pittsburgh. Never had a real chance.

L 7-20 vs Pennsylvania No. 251 of 668 teams

lost by 13 as a 3.5-point underdog

Bucknell lost 7-20 vs Pennsylvania. Chance to win started at 48%, low 1%, high 54%.

W 14-3 @ VMI No. 264 of 668 teams

won by 11 as an 8.5-point favorite

Bucknell won 14-3 at VMI. Chance to win started at 69%, low 37%, high 99%.

L 16-17 vs Villanova No. 146 of 668 teams

lost by 1 as a 22.5-point underdog

Bucknell lost 16-17 vs Villanova. Chance to win started at 9%, low 1%, high 28%.

L 14-35 @ Richmond No. 185 of 668 teams

lost by 21 as a 12.5-point underdog

Bucknell lost 14-35 at Richmond. Chance to win started at 14%, low under 1%, high 14%.

Last three games

Holy Cross · 2-5

Rated 198th in our preseason ratings, 213th now.

2-1 in its last three, including a 27-point win over William & Mary as a 6-point underdog.

L 7-30 @ Harvard No. 148 of 668 teams

lost by 23 as a 15.5-point underdog

Holy Cross lost 7-30 at Harvard. Chance to win started at 12%, low under 1%, high 15%.

W 41-14 @ William & Mary No. 250 of 668 teams

won by 27 as a 6-point underdog

Holy Cross won 41-14 at William & Mary. Chance to win started at 23%, low 22%, high better than 99%.

W 38-30 @ Lafayette No. 226 of 668 teams

won by 8 as a 4-point underdog

Holy Cross won 38-30 at Lafayette. Chance to win started at 31%, low 30%, high 99%.

L 28-38 vs Yale No. 224 of 668 teams

lost by 10 as a 21-point underdog

Holy Cross lost 28-38 vs Yale. Chance to win started at 9%, low under 1%, high 58%.

L 7-45 @ Miami (OH) No. 86 of 668 teams

lost by 38 as a 30.5-point underdog

Holy Cross lost 7-45 at Miami (OH). Chance to win started at 2%, low under 1%, high 3%.

L 10-35 @ Colgate No. 208 of 668 teams

lost by 25 as a 4.5-point underdog

Holy Cross lost 10-35 at Colgate. Chance to win started at 30%, low under 1%, high 31%.

L 10-35 vs Lehigh No. 140 of 668 teams

lost by 25 as a 14-point underdog

Holy Cross lost 10-35 vs Lehigh. Chance to win started at 22%, low under 1%, high 24%.

What’s at stake

Bucknell

  • Bucknell is 4 games back in Patriot with 4 left to make it up.
  • Bucknell football is the Patriot League's most decorated all-sports program — 18 Presidents' Cups and the very first Orange Bowl trophy in college football history (26-0 over Miami, January 1, 1935) — chasing a football identity to match. Only one Patriot League football title in 30 years (1996) and a coaching change entering 2026 define a program still trying to close the gap between institutional excellence and football relevance.

Holy Cross

  • Holy Cross is 2 games back in Patriot with 4 left to make it up.
  • Holy Cross is still shaking off a 23-point loss.

See this week’s biggest postseason implications ›

The series

Holy Cross leads the series 17-6

23 meetings since 1953 · Holy Cross has won the last 6

Holy Cross wonBucknell won1953: Holy Cross by 402003: Bucknell by 222004: Bucknell by 152005: Holy Cross by 182006: Holy Cross by 172007: Holy Cross by 242008: Holy Cross by 172009: Bucknell by 62010: Holy Cross by 252011: Holy Cross by 32012: Holy Cross by 72013: Holy Cross by 242014: Bucknell by 72015: Holy Cross by 162016: Bucknell by 12017: Holy Cross by 202018: Bucknell by 32019: Holy Cross by 72021: Holy Cross by 392022: Holy Cross by 572023: Holy Cross by 282024: Holy Cross by 22025: Holy Cross by 1719532025
  • 2025Holy Cross 37-20
  • 2024Holy Cross 40-38
  • 2023Holy Cross 55-27
  • 2022Holy Cross 57-0
  • 2021Holy Cross 45-6

Face-off

What each fanbase carries into this one.

Bucknell

The chip

No single villain -- the frustration is structural. Bucknell out-performs almost every Patriot League peer institutionally (18 Presidents' Cups, more than any other member school) while the football team has managed one league title since 1996. The gap between the department's reputation and the football team's record is the chip.

What this game touches

One league title in thirty years. Bucknell has won exactly one Patriot League football championship (1996, under Tom Gadd) since the league's 1986 founding as the Colonial League. The program's best recent shot -- a spring-2021 run to the first-ever Patriot League Championship Game, won by beating rivals Lafayette and Lehigh back-to-back -- ended in a 33-10 home loss to Holy Cross. Dave Cecchini was let go in December 2025 after going 24-48 across seven seasons, the third coaching change in the Cecchini/Susan/Behrman era to fail to build lasting momentum.

Holy Cross

The chip

Fans here believe no chip — Holy Cross owns the pride. The program dominated the Patriot League in a way few others have. The chip isn't external; it's the internal drive to maintain an elite standard.

What this game touches

The coaching transition from the dynasty builder. Holy Cross won six consecutive Patriot League championships (2019-2024) — the most in conference history — under a coaching regime. The wound is not failure but succession: new coach Dan Curran took over in 2025, and the program faces the immediate test of whether the dynasty survives the transition. Early returns: 3-9 (3-4 Patriot League) in Curran's first full season.

The betting line, and the fans

Our model and the betting line agree on Holy Cross’s chances here.

50-50Model 82% · Line 79%BucknellHoly Cross

Holy Cross favored by 10 · Total 47.5

Holy Cross by 10: where a favorite like this usually runs

50%90%Q1Q2Q3Q450%90%Q1Q2Q3Q4

Half of games8 in 10 games

Holy Cross’s chance through the game, if this goes like the 388 games since 2025 with a favorite of 7.5 to 14.5 points.

Home field

Home-field advantage: Bottom third of FBS.

0% at home, 20% on the road against FBS opponents (0-0 home, 2-8 away).

Our model gives every stadium the same flat 2.3-point home edge (why); the books use about 3. Against the closing line this stadium reads -5.5 at home vs. away over 55 games — inside the ±6.8 noise, so the flat number is the honest one here.

The visitors travel about 277 miles to get here.

Week by week

Holy Cross

Wk 2: L 7-45 at Miami (OH)▼38M. (OH)Wk 3: L 28-38 vs Yale▼10YaleWk 4: W 38-30 at Lafayette▲8LafayetteWk 5: W 41-14 at William & Mary▲27William…Wk 7: L 7-30 at Harvard▼23Harvard
  • Wk 2Lat Miami (OH)7-45
  • Wk 3Lvs Yale28-38
  • Wk 4Wat Lafayette38-30
  • Wk 5Wat William & Mary41-14
  • Wk 7Lat Harvard7-30

Bucknell

Wk 2: W 14-3 at VMI▲11VMIWk 3: L 7-20 vs Pennsylvania▼13Pennsylv…Wk 4: L 0-59 at Pittsburgh▼59Pittsbur…Wk 6: L 14-21 at Georgetown▼7Georgeto…Wk 7: L 7-20 vs Lafayette▼13Lafayette
  • Wk 2Wat VMI14-3
  • Wk 3Lvs Pennsylvania7-20
  • Wk 4Lat Pittsburgh0-59
  • Wk 6Lat Georgetown14-21
  • Wk 7Lvs Lafayette7-20

Power rating by week

Holy Cross is rated 3.5 points ahead as of week 8. Our power rating by week; higher is better.

-8-11-14Wk 0Wk 4Wk 8Holy CrossBucknell

The market

The books’ cut: 5.3%, the margin built into the odds

Conference standings

Going into this game: place in the conference, then conference record.