It was a stormy start for everyone in the Patriot League not named Colgate (2-0) through the first two games of the season. Then Hurricane Florence picked up steam early this week and decided to bear down on The Carolinas. With Florence’s impending wrath expected to cause major headaches in the Greenville, SC area the Colgate-Furman game was wisely cancelled on Wednesday.
The Picks
With this week’s schedule still in a bit of limbo due to Hurricane Florence and the league facing another year of non-league (1-6 last week) struggles we’re going to keep things simple and to the point.
Yale (0-0) at Holy Cross (0-2, 0-1) 1 P.M. Fitton Field Worcester, MA
Live Streaming: Patriot League Network
The Pick: Yale is coming off a 9-1, outright Ivy League Championship season. With so much talent returning, especially on offense, the Eli are the prohibitive favorite to repeat. Holy Cross enters this game a bit bruised and battered after last week’s 62-14 blowout loss to Boston College. Holy Cross’s QB situation is still unsettled while Yale has a dynamic QB-RB combo in Rawlins and Dudek. The Eli will likely be a little rusty to start but they will ultimately take control in the second half.
Yale 34 Holy Cross 20
Georgetown (1-1) at Dartmouth (0-0) 1:30 P.M Memorial Stadium Hanover, NH
Live Streaming: ESPN+
The Pick: The Hoyas head to New England with several questions surrounding their offense. After a strong opener against Marist, the Hoyas offense returned to 2017 form in their 13-6 loss to Campbell last week. Georgetown QB Gunther Johnson and the rest of the “O” must find a way to generate points against a tough Dartmouth defense. The Big Green were picked 5th in Ivy League but have the potential to challenge for the title. The key will be getting the quarterback and running back spots settled. The Hoya’s defense will keep this interesting but Dartmouth is too good on both side of the ball to lose their season opener.
Dartmouth 24 Georgetown 10
Bucknell (0-2) at Penn (0-0) 3 P.M. Franklin Field Philadelphia, PA
Live Streaming: ESPN+
The Pick: The Bison’s offense continues to be among the worst units in the Patriot League. Quarterback John Chiarolanzio has struggled out of the gate. As a result the passing attack has been stuck in neutral. Without Freshnock, the running game has also failed to establish itself with any semblance of consistency. The defense, however, remains formidable. Penn was tabbed for 5th in the preseason Ivy League Poll. The Quakers must find playmakers after losing one of the top WR’s in FCS to graduation. Expect a healthy dose of RB Karekin Brooks behind a strong OL. The Bison will need to win the turnover battle to escape Philly with a win.
Penn 27 Bucknell 13
Lehigh (1-1) at Navy (1-1) 3:30 P.M. Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Annapolis, MD
Live Television: CBS Sportsnetwork
The Pick: For the first time in 31 years Lehigh and Navy will square off on the gridiron. Interestingly, the then Engineers won that game 24-9. With the status of All-American RB Dominic Bragalone up in the air it’s hard to see the Lehigh offense emerging from their early season funk against a solid FBS defense. Navy, who is averaging 295 ypg on ground behind QB Malcom Perry, will find plenty of running room against an improved but still leaky Lehigh defense. The Mountain Hawks might be able to avoid complete embarrassment but this one still won’t be pretty.
Navy 42 Lehigh 17
Monmouth (1-1) at Lafayette (0-2) 6 P.M. Fisher Field Easton, PA
Live Streaming: Patriot League Network
The Pick: It’s hard to find a team in FCS that has endured an uglier start to the 2018 season than Lafayette. The Leopards have shown very little on offense and defense in their two blowout losses to start the year. The quarterback position has become a revolving door between Northrup and O’Malley while the defense has struggled to get off the field. Monmouth has been a bit up and down to start the season. The Hawks entered the season with hopes of a return trip to the playoffs given the amount of talent returning. They know a loss to the Leopards would be devastating.
Monmouth 42 Lafayette 10
Stony Brook (1-1) at Fordham (0-2) 6 P.M. Jack Coffey Field Bronx, NY
Live Streaming: Patriot League Network
The Pick: The Joe Conlin era has officially gotten off to a cringe worthy start after last week’s 52-7 loss to Richmond. The Spiders are always a tough out but the Rams overall effort from the opening kickoff to the final whistle left a lot of be desired. The defense had no answer for the Spider rushing attack. That’s not a good sign heading into this week’s battle with Stony Brook who possess one of the more physical offenses in FCS. The Seawolve RB tandem of Jordan Gowins and Don Liotine should be inline for another big week.
Stony Brook 38 Fordham 17
