NCAAF (Philly) PREVIEW – Week 9: It’s Officially the Second Half of the College Football Season
The second half of the college football season is here. FCS wins are becoming increasingly more important for both Villanova and Delaware to reach the playoff.
Delaware can’t afford to lose to a 3-4 Richmond program on homecoming if they hope to get back to the postseason. Games against ranked Towson and Villanova still loom on the schedule.
For the Wildcats, two more wins are likely all that they will need to earn a playoff invitation. They can move one step closer with a win off of their bye week.
In the FBS, Temple still controls its destiny for an AAC Championship. They get a big test from defending AAC Champion UCF.
Penn’s football season is all but lost, however, in the role of spoiler, the Quakers could be entertaining in an Ivy-League matchup against Yale.
Pennsylvania at Yale
With no playoff opportunity and two conference losses, the Quakers season appears to be over. They still, however, must go out and compete. Yale is coming off an impressive road win in which they came back from a 27-7 3rd-quarter deficit to beat Richmond 28-27. They scored two touchdowns in the final 1:23 while successfully converting an onside kick. The Bulldogs are just a better team than Penn right now, their no-quit attitude has propelled them to a 4-1 record that’ll be 5-1 after Saturday.
Prediction: Yale 28, Pennsylvania 22
Richmond at No. 19 Delaware
Former Richmond head coach Danny Rocco is 2-0 against the Spiders since joining the Blue Hens. This year, earning a victory may be tougher than the last two meetings. Delaware quarterback Nolan Henderson still hasn’t been cleared from concussion protocol, and his backup Pat Kehoe has been horrendous, to say the least. Last week against New Hampshire Kehoe went 9-of-15 for 94 yards and two interceptions that led to all 10 UNH points. If he is to start again, the only way to victory is through running back Will Knight. Knight is averaging almost eight yards per carry, and if used properly could become the best Blue Hen running back since Omar Cuff in 2007. With an expected homecoming sellout crowd, the Hens will win if Knight gets at least 20 touches.
Prediction: Delaware 27, Richmond 24
UCF at Temple
Despite being stripped of its top-25 status, the 2017 National Champion UCF Knights are still a formidable foe. Temple had its back broken at SMU last week, and don’t appear built for a shootout. The Owls have tallied 30 points against an FBS opponent only once this season. It’s going to take more than 30 to contain the Knight’s offense, and Temple doesn’t have what it takes to keep up with a team that’s averaging 44 per game.
Prediction: UCF 33, Temple 25
Stony Brook at No. 5 Villanova
Is there any slowing the Wildcats offense? The answer is no. Stony Brook can’t be overlooked as they took No. 2 James Madison to overtime, however, Villanova is playing out of their minds. They are averaging 37 points per game and have an answer for every touchdown that is scored against them. It won’t be an easy victory for the Wildcats, but they’ll get the job done at home.
Prediction: Villanova 34, Stony Brook 24
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