THE WORD

Week 4 brings one of the Patriot League’s deepest slates yet, with No. 25 Colgate visiting Villanova, unbeaten No. 9 Lehigh heading to Penn and several teams facing pivotal early-season tests. Add potentially rough weather across the Northeast, and Saturday could get interesting quickly.

After stops at Miami, Missouri, East Carolina and Michigan, Jake Garcia has landed at Furman. Head coach Clay Hendrix joins FCS Nation to talk Garcia’s development, the Paladins’ identity and what’s ahead in the SoCon.

Week 2 brings the first multi-game conference slate of the 2026 SoCon season, headlined by Furman’s trip to two-time defending champion Mercer. We break down every matchup, key player and prediction across the Southern Conference.