The expansion of the College Football Playoff from four to 12 schools this year generated a lot of excitement and attention, but it was also met with some shrugs.

The shrug? From the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly known as I-AA), which had 12 teams in the tournament from 1982-85 and currently has 24 schools competing in the tournament.

While D.C. has been in a bit of a drought (Howard hasn’t made the playoffs since 1993, and Georgetown’s last playoff appearance was the 1950 Sun Bowl), we’ve seen schools from across our extended area compete for championships, from Richmond (2008) and James Madison (2016) winning it all to Towson (2014 runner-up) and William & Mary (2022 semifinalist) having a strong run in December.

Georgetown (5-6 with a 3-3 Patriot League record last season) is seeking its first winning season since 2011, and the Hoyas have been backed to the brink several times, entering their season finale against Holy Cross at 5-5 in 2018, 2019 and last year, only to fall short against the Crusaders. But these Hoyas have hope after an encouraging offseason.

“I’ve been doing this for a long time,” head coach Rob Sgarlata told WTOP. “And after just the last five years, coming back from not playing in the pandemic to rebuilding our program, this is one of the tightest groups I’ve been involved with in my entire career.”

College Football Season Preview

One question Sgarlata faced as 2024 rolled around was who would step in as the quarterback for starter Tyler Knoop. The answer? Junior Danny Lauter, who set a school record with 35 completions last fall against eventual Patriot League champion Lafayette.

“When we recruited Danny, we knew he had a great arm,” Sgarlata said. “Jack McDaniels, our quarterback coach, and Rob Spence, our offensive coordinator, did a great job in the spring and the offseason getting Danny to understand the whole playbook and be a complete quarterback.”

The duo of wide receivers Jimmy Kibble (33 catches for 753 yards and eight touchdowns) and Nick Dunneman (70-706-4) are ready to help the new QB through the start-up problems.

“Jimmy’s a jet, he’s a really fast, strong player,” Sgarlata said. “The most talented player we have, I think, who does a lot of things for us is Nick Dunneman, who’s an all-league punt returner and will play our inside slot.”

On the ground game, leading rusher Joshua Stakely may be gone, but senior running back Naieem Kearney and his 601 rushing yards return.

“He’s very explosive, including that touchdown run against Fordham that broke the game open for us,” Sgarlata said.

The Hoyas defense is led by graduate linebacker David Ealey III (team-high 68 tackles plus two interceptions and a forced fumble last year) and Preseason All-Patriot League selection cornerback Wedner Cadet. If the results resemble last year’s (first in the PL in passing and total defense and third down defense), that’ll be fine.

“Those things were critical for us in our Patriot League games,” Sgarlata said. “We’re working to continue that trend as we head into the ’24 season.”

The season opens Saturday against Davidson (the Wildcats went 7-4 last year) and the regular season begins Oct. 12 when reigning champion and preseason favorite Lafayette comes to Cooper Field. The Hoyas were tipped to finish fifth this fall.

“It’s a great conference for us to be in. We’re excited every year to take on that challenge,” Sgarlata said. “The coaches in the league that I believe in do a great job coaching, and I see that on film week in and week out.”

Howard (6-6 last year, 4-1 in the MEAC and a trip to the Cricket Celebration Bowl) has the difficult task of replacing four-year starting quarterback Quinton Williams.

On the plus side, the Bisons have the running back duo of junior Eden James (627 yards rushing in 2023) and senior Jarrett Hunter (626 yards rushing with nine touchdowns plus 26 catches for 257 yards and two scores) back.

Hunter was named Preseason MEAC Offensive Player of the Year. The Bisons also return the conference’s reigning Preseason Defensive Player of the Year: Kenny Gallop Jr. led the team with 65 tackles and three interceptions, while also recording a sack and a half.

Head coach Larry Scott is entering his fifth year leading the program, and the team has been on a winning streak over the last three years.

This year’s edition was picked second in the MEAC Preseason Poll, and the Bison visit conference favorite North Carolina Central in November. The season opens Thursday on the road at Rutgers.

Meanwhile, in the Coastal Athletic Association

Once again, the CAA is one of the leagues to watch in FCS play. Four schools made the playoffs last fall, and four enter this season ranked in the Top 25: Villanova (sixth), Richmond (twelfth), Albany (14th) and William & Mary (sixth).

The Spiders (9-4, 7-1 CAA) advanced to the tournament’s second round with not one, but two quality quarterbacks returning. And head coach Russ Huesman is playing it close to his chest, refusing to name a starter between junior Kyle Wickersham (72% completions in 2023 with 1,400 yards and 10 touchdowns passing) and sophomore Camden Coleman (67% completion rate with 1,161 yards passing and 12 TDs through the air).

Regardless of who starts, their top target is Preseason All-CAA wide receiver Nick DeGennaro (72 catches for 912 yards with 11 touchdowns). Second-leading receiver Jerry Garcia Jr. also returns (insert Grateful Dead reference here). All-conference defensive lineman Jeremiah Grant is the guy to watch on the other side of the ball.

William & Mary (6-5, 4-4) took a step back after reaching the FCS quarterfinals in 2022, but senior quarterback Darius Wilson returns for his fourth season as the starter. The Tribe had been tipped to finish fourth in the conference.

Towson (5-6, 4-4) was selected ninth overall (the CAA has 16 schools) as head coach Pete Shinnick enters his second season with stability at the quarterback position, with Nathan Kent returning as the starter after playing in every game last fall.

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