Delaware is not going to be one of the automatic 11 when the FCS 24-team NCAA playoff field comes together. That CAA prize will belong to impressive Maine, once the Black Bears dispense with Rhode Island Saturday.
Freshman Tommy Wilmoth, a Salesianum graduate, leads the Blue Hens onto the field vs. William & Mary with the Delaware flag. The Hens hope for a banner day against Richmond. THE NEWS JOURNAL/WILLIAM BRETZGER
Amazingly, nobody has locked up an automatic berth yet with just two weeks left in the regular season, though Maine is likely to have significant company Saturday.
That leaves the 13 at-large bids in the expanded 24-team bracket and, right now, Delaware (7-3) would certainly get in with wins over Richmond (4-6) and Villanova (5-5) in its final two games, though each foe is better than its record indicates.
Ironically, the expansion to 24 teams hasn't made the path any clearer, which is partially a reflection of the CAA's slippage from its national prominence of several years ago.
It is conceivable that Delaware could still get in with a loss in one of those two games and an 8-4 record. But then the Blue Hens would be sitting around wishing for help and the myriad of possibilities is too immense to measure. A William & Mary win over Towson would certainly be to Delaware's benefit.
Two wins and they're in. A loss in either game and the odds are against the Hens, who'd be smart to take care of business in a way that would positively reflect on the team and how it responded to first-year coach Dave Brock and his staff.
