Five Games, 10 Teams, 48 Hours: Patriot League Week 0 Preview

And so it begins, the 41st season of Patriot League Football.

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In this, the new era of the Patriot League, the “Power of 10” will be on full display on college football’s opening weekend. And, boy, does it get interesting starting Thursday night when Lafayette and Georgetown square off under the bright lights of Cooper Field in Washington, D.C., the first of five league contests in the span of 48 hours.

When the late summer dust settles on Saturday night, five teams will be tied for first place and five teams will already be in an 0-1 hole, staring down the most competitive league gauntlet in league history.

But for now, every team from Worcester, Mass., to Williamsburg, Va., has a fair shot at the league crown.

Will Lehigh repeat and win its third consecutive Patriot League championship? Will a league newcomer like Villanova, William & Mary, or Richmond emerge as top dog/wildcat/griffin/spider?

Or will a surprise team ascend the mountaintop and establish dominance in 2026?

The road to glory (and Nashville?) begins high above the banks of the mighty Potomac River on Thursday night.

Thursday, August 27

Lafayette Leopards @ Georgetown Hoyas

Cooper Field | Washington, D.C.7:00 p.m. | ESPN+ Broadcast: Jeremy Huber, Christian Taylor

All-time series: 29th meeting (17-11 Lafayette)

Last matchup: September 13, 2025 — Lafayette 42, Georgetown 37

How appropriate to start the 2026 Patriot League season, and celebrate America’s 250th birthday, by kicking off in our nation’s capital with a school named to honor “The Hero of the Two Worlds,” the Marquis de Lafayette, and the oldest Catholic and Jesuit institution of higher learning in the United States.

American history aside, this intriguing matchup has the pedigree to be a barnburner with an even split in the series (5-5) in the last ten contests, including a tight 42-37 Lafayette triumph early in the 2025 campaign.

Both squads will be looking to replace virtually all of their quarterback and running back production from last season. The Leopards will likely trot out senior QB Dan Lipovski under center, who completed his only pass for a TD vs. Colgate last season. Georgetown will likely replace its two top QBs who transferred with senior captain Jake Holtschlag. Lafayette does, however, have a relatively deep receiving corps at its disposal.

It may sound cliché, but whichever team controls the line of scrimmage and limits turnovers will secure the win.

Will there be chaos in Game #1? As General Lafayette would say, cur non?

Friday, August 28

William & Mary Tribe @ #13 Villanova Wildcats

Villanova Stadium | Villanova, Pa.6:00 p.m. | ESPN+ Broadcast: Michael Marcantonini, Steve Pinone, Tessa Peloso

All-time series: 39th meeting (20-17-1 William & Mary)

Last matchup: September 27, 2025 — Villanova 31, William & Mary 24

No stranger to each other in the CAA, Villanova and William & Mary face off for the first time as Patriot League foes on Friday night.

No strangers to the spotlight, the preseason league favorite Wildcats found themselves at the center of the college football world last week when the Patriot League denied graduate QB Pat McQuaide’s (28 passing TDs in 2025) waiver to play a sixth season of college football, a decision that was both understandably frustrating for the Wildcat faithful and appropriately consistent with the league’s mission and values.

Absent McQuaide, Villanova still returns a deep, experienced squad, led by preseason All-American junior RB Ja’briel Mace, that averaged nearly 400 yards of total offense and made a deep run to the FCS semifinals last season, albeit an offense that will start the season with a quarterback room that has yet to throw a pass in an FCS game.

William & Mary is no slouch, picked to finish third and receiving votes in several national FCS polls. The Tribe will see either sophomore Carter Carroll or Towson transfer junior Winston Watkins at signal caller, with one of the top TE duos nationwide in preseason All-American senior Sean McElwain and junior Jackson Blee to anchor the offense.

Count on a premiere early season matchup with veteran heavyweight coaches Mike London and Mark Ferrante matching wits on Friday night.

Colgate Raiders @ Fordham Rams

Moglia Stadium at Jack Coffey Field | Bronx, N.Y.6:00 p.m. | ESPN+ Broadcast: Andrew Bogusch, Andrew Posadas

All-time series: 38th meeting (27-10 Colgate)

Last matchup: September 20, 2025 — Colgate 44, Fordham 21

The Red Sox and Yankees may be the marquee showdown in New York City on Friday night, but the battle for Empire State supremacy in the Patriot League takes center stage in the Bronx on Friday night when the Rams and Raiders kick off on the Rose Hill turf.

Last season was a story of two trajectories as Colgate saw vast improvement under new coach Curt Fitzpatrick, while Fordham took up residence in the league basement under longtime coach Joe Conlin, albeit with a massive victory over Jesuit rival Holy Cross.

However, both teams return experienced quarterbacks in Raider senior captain Jake Stearney and Ram senior Gunnar Smith, both of whom ranked in the top 50 in FCS passing yards per game last season.

Combined with two defenses that ranked near the bottom of the league in 2026, Friday night could see an early season offensive shootout that comes down the wire in Gotham.

Saturday, August 29

#9 Lehigh Mountain Hawks @ Holy Cross Crusaders

Fitton Field | Worcester, Mass.3:30 p.m. | ESPN+ Broadcast: Kevin Gehl, Kevin Shea, Rachel Hopmayer

All-time series: 42nd meeting (21-19-1 Lehigh)

Last matchup: November 8, 2025 — Lehigh 38, Holy Cross 3

If you want to wow your friends with a nugget of essential trivia, you can tell them that the first-ever Patriot League game was played on September 13, 1986, before 15,781 at Fitton Field between Holy Cross and Lehigh, a 17-14 triumph for Heisman finalist Gordie Lockbaum and the Crusaders.

The stakes are even higher for the league’s only Week 0 afternoon tilt between the Mountain Hawks and Crusaders, the two most successful Patriot League programs in terms of league championships.

Defending champion Lehigh will look to keep the winning ways going on the legs of preseason Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year senior back Luke Yoder and arm of junior quarterback Hayden Johnson.

But the defensive cupboard is loaded, too, as the Mountain Hawks look to repeat with the league’s top, and nation’s top five defense, led by fifth-year safety Nick Peltekian.

But first-year head coach (and former defensive coordinator) Rich Nagy is well aware that road games in Worcester are no cakewalk.

Dan Curran’s new-look Crusaders look to rebound after a disappointing 2025 campaign that saw one of the program’s most anemic offenses in recent years. After a season that saw three quarterbacks start, Holy Cross will look to either senior Cal Swanson, who started the first six games last season before injury, or Pitt transfer junior David Lynch to helm the offense, with sophomore Dominic Campanile (three starts in 2025) in reserve to start the year.

Although Lehigh is favored by more than two touchdowns, don’t be surprised if the Crusader defense, led by a trio of senior captains in Adam Due, Carlo Crocetti, and Chisom Onwuzurigbo, holds and this game gets very interesting late as the shadows set in on Mount Saint James Saturday night.

Bucknell Bison @ Richmond Spiders

Robins Stadium | Richmond, Va.6:00 p.m. | ESPN+ Broadcast: Bob Black, Chris Anderson, Guerin Austin

All-time series: 5th meeting (3-1 Richmond)

Last matchup: October 4, 2025 — Bucknell 33, Richmond 28

The 41st opening weekend of Patriot League Football rounds out in the River City with two teams looking to improve on disappointing league campaigns in 2025.

The host Spiders have been bitten by the injury bug in camp, but longtime head coach Russ Huesman has never been one to make excuses.

Senior quarterback Ashten Snelsire shredded the Bison in last season’s shootout in Lewisburg and will look to build on a promising 2025 season in his first full season as the Spiders’ starter, aided in the backfield by senior running back Aziz Foster-Powell.

But it’s Richmond’s defense that could carry the Spiders to new heights, with preseason Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year senior Camden Byrd leading the league’s second-best defense behind Lehigh last year.

Saturday night will mark the intriguing FCS coaching debut of Jeff Behrman, who experienced sustained success at his alma mater, D-III John Carroll.

While Behrman does get back some experience under center in junior quarterback Chris Dietrich, it will be senior wide receiver Sam Milligan who will once again pace the Bison offense this season.

Upperclassmen linebackers Nick Hoying and Brandon Biagiarelli look to improve on Bucknell’s league-worst defense from 2025.