Degree of difficulty: Ranking Delaware's 7 CAA football tests with UNH visit looming

This is a big one.

The Blue Hens resume their Coastal Athletic Association football schedule Saturday night. The challenge is immense and the rewards for success potentially lucrative.

Delaware, ranked 19^th nationally in FCS, hosts No. 11 New Hampshire at 6 p.m. at what could be a damp Delaware Stadium.

This may be Delaware’s most difficult conference game of the season and we’ll know much more about the Blue Hens afterward.

The CAA is now bursting at the seams with 15 members, with schools only playing eight of their league foes. That inevitably leads to teams rising to the top perhaps without even playing their best competitive rivals.

Last year, for instance, William & Mary and New Hampshire tied for the CAA title without having played each other.

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Regardless, whoever finishes in the top five will be a candidate for a spot in the 24-team NCAA FCS playoff bracket, and head-to-head outcomes often can be decisive. Last year’s Delaware win at Rhode Island in the CAA opener ultimately allowed the Hens to nip the Rams in the selection committee’s final analysis. Delaware went to the playoffs. Rhode Island watched.

Similarly, Saturday’s duel with the Wildcats takes on a greater significance. Delaware (2-1 overall, 1-0 CAA) has already beaten Stony Brook in its league opener. This is the first CAA game for UNH (2-1).

With CAA competition resuming for the Blue Hens, we rank here the potential importance and difficulty of Delaware’s remaining seven CAA matchups as it stands today:

1-New Hampshire (home, Saturday)

Delaware will have to play efficiently and cleanly to win this football game. Coach Ricky Santos and the Wildcats have been more effective throwing the football than running it, which is not unusual, but can certainly do both well. Delaware will try to contain running back Dylan Laube, the nation’s leader in all-purpose yards (274.3 per game). Delaware and New Hampshire share the CAA lead with five interceptions each, and don’t be surprised if one of those proves decisive for either.

2-Villanova (home, Nov. 18)

The season finale will likely hold weight when it comes to the Blue Hens’ postseason ambitions. And since Villanova (2-1, 0-0) has been such a perpetual thorn in the Blue Hen sides, winning 10 of the last 11 and 15 of the last 17 against Delaware, this game right now ranks among the Blue Hens’ most challenging and crucial. The Blue Hens have also lost eight straight to Villanova at Delaware Stadium. Hens coach Ryan Carty was Delaware’s back-up quarterback the last time Delaware beat Villanova at home 41-35 in 2004.

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3-Campbell (away, Nov. 11)

First-year CAA member Campbell hung in there in a 34-24 loss to league favorite William & Mary and beat Monmouth last week for its first CAA triumph. This game has booby-trap written all over it for the Blue Hens, coming when it does and where it does. Only Rhode Island has been more explosive among CAA offenses through the early portion of the season than Campbell, which has struggled a bit defensively.

4-Elon (home, Nov. 4)

Elon’s dominance of Delaware in a 27-7 loss there last year will certainly be on Blue Hens’ minds when the Phoenix make their first trip to Delaware Stadium since 2018. Elon has not won here in two tries and Delaware may have to keep it that way to stay on course for the postseason. Elon (1-2) lost at Wake Forest and Gardner-Webb before winning 27-3 over North Carolina A & T in its CAA opener. Elon has one of the league’s top backs in Jalen Hampton but has played two quarterbacks with limited success.

5-Hampton (away, Oct. 21)

This being a road trip increases the challenge and Hampton (2-1) may be a bit better than last year, when Delaware prevailed 35-3 in the schools’ first meeting. The Pirates have beaten Grambling and Howard and lost to Norfolk State. Hampton has proven quite adept at running the football, with league bests of 253.7 yards per game and 6.9 per carry, suggesting a physical attitude and approach. But the Pirates will be better tested when they start CAA play Sept. 30 at Richmond.

6-Towson (away, Oct. 28)

The Tigers are in a transition period under new coach Pete Shinnick, who guided West Florida to the 2019 NCAA Division II title, but certainly have some long-term potential. This year they’re 1-2 with a loss to Monmouth in the CAA opener. This is a rivalry game for Delaware and visits to Towson have, historically, yielded surprises. Delaware has lost games there when it was likely the better team but also scored some wins over strong Towson teams. The Hens will have to be wary and ready.

7-North Carolina A&T (home, Oct. 14)

This is Delaware’s next conference game with an open date Sept. 30 and NEC member Duquesne coming for a nonconference game Oct. 7. It’s also homecoming, ensuring a large, exuberant crowd. North Carolina A & T, which Delaware beat in 1978 in the schools’ only previous meeting, has struggled in its first CAA season with losses to UAB 35-6, the MEAC’s North Carolina Central 30-16 and Elon 27-3 in its league opener. The Aggies may be in a better groove Oct. 14, but their basketball team’s Jan. 25 visit with new coach Monte Ross, the former Hens coach, is more appealing.

Have an idea for a compelling local sports story or is there an issue that needs public scrutiny? Contact Kevin Tresolini at ktresolini@delawareonline.com and follow on Twitter @kevintresolini. Support local journalism by subscribing to delawareonline.com and our DE Game Day newsletter.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: New Hampshire biggest CAA football test for Delaware Blue Hens