In possibly the worst-kept secret in FCS football, Villanova finally made it official that they'd be leaving the Coastal Athletic Association in football to join the Patriot League. This would make them the third CAA team to make the jump to the Patriot, following Richmond, a football-only member starting this year, and William & Mary, who will also be football-only and joining with Villanova in 2026. While this didn't surprise well-connected people, it still sent shockwaves throughout the subdivision. The CAA was once again losing a tentpole member, and the Patriot League directly poached a team from what was once inarguably the best and deepest conference in the subdivision.
We'll set aside CAA discussion for a later time, but let's see what this could immediately mean for the Patriot League.
The Not So Hidden Truth
In their announcement, Villanova touted academic excellence as one of the reasons they'd move to be a football affiliate of the Patriot League. To be perfectly fair, this is a valid reason. The Patriot League has many great academic institutions and is also home to the service academies of Army and Navy for all sports other than football. Wrapping this decision in an academic blanket could pass the smell test for some. However, if Villanova was more honest with itself, the statements would look something more like this:
"We feel that our alumni don't have much in common with the current members of the CAA. Our alumni want to have golfing weekends and rub elbows at tailgates with fellow board members from Fordham, Holy Cross, and Georgetown."
It's a slightly cynical look at the true reasoning behind the move, but it's not an invalid one. If you look at the way Richmond left the conference and how some people in the Delaware sphere of influence were talking, they were more or less saying the same thing. Delaware's case, of course, was different, as they made the move to FBS and Conference USA, following James Madison's exit to the Sun Belt. However, unlike JMU, Delaware and Richmond specifically didn't mince their words about their disappointment with the direction of member institutions the CAA was bringing in. William & Mary, to my knowledge, also wasn't nearly as vocal as these other schools in that regard, and Villanova hasn't outwardly been so blunt in their feelings.
Make of that what you will.
That said, there are a couple of massive and tangible reasons that aren't so cynical as to why this will be the perfect move for Villanova, Richmond, and William & Mary moving forward.
Regional Harmony
For Villanova, the fit in terms of geography couldn't be more perfect. Their northern travel becomes significantly more manageable, not having to go to Maine or Albany. Now they have a quick trip from the Philadelphia suburbs to Holy Cross just outside of Boston, easily accessible by train and commuter rail. Colgate is also not a terrible driving distance itself. They immediately have schools like Lehigh, Lafayette, and Bucknell all within driving distance, and Fordham and Georgetown are also just an Amtrak or quick car ride away as well.
A quick car ride along I-95 might be kidding myself a little bit. That's why I love trains.
In terms of their travel down south, it cuts out the Carolina travel completely. And in that sense, it reverts back to what the CAA southern travel was for Villanova prior to the Virginia basketball schools departing the conference in 2013, sparking the first round of expansion. Therefore, traveling to Richmond and William & Mary might feel slightly outside of the northeastern footprint of the Patriot League, but these distances aren't nearly as daunting as they might seem. Furthermore, they're all easily accessible by train.
In short, by joining the Patriot League, Villanova has already cut travel costs for their program and also makes for easier trips for alumni moving forward.
On Field Boost
The Patriot League during the I-AA or FCS eras hasn't necessarily been what one would call a "powerhouse." In fact, many times over the last decade or so, apart from the automatic qualifier, the league had no chance of getting another team into the field, even at 24 teams. That immediately changes with Villanova, along with Richmond and William & Mary.
Over the last 5-plus years, Holy Cross has been carrying the mantle for the league, having won outright or part of the last 6 conference championships. 2023 and 2024 saw Lehigh and Lafayette share those titles as well. Colgate and Fordham also have recent success in the conference. All of that tended to have a shelf life though, when it came to the postseason. Be it cannon fodder for what used to be more powerful CAA teams, or getting inevitably outmatched in the 2nd round by a team out of the Missouri Valley, the Patriot League champs always had an expected end date.
That changes, if for no other reason than perception, with the addition of Villanova and its Virginia counterparts. While it's been over 15 years since its national title, Villanova has always been a team that expects to aim for seeding in the FCS playoffs. While Richmond and William & Mary have been a little more inconsistent in terms of elite playoff seeding, they are also programs that expect to play in the postseason on an annual basis. So long as the other schools in the conference continue to improve and the out-of-conference records and wins stack up, the Patriot League can expect at least 2 teams in the postseason, but more likely will be looking at 3 and possibly 4 moving forward.
That is a phenomenal turnaround for this conference.
Moving Forward
As I said, I'll talk about the CAA later, but with the Patriot League powering up in terms of football prowess, this makes for an interesting time for northeastern football. The Ivy League announced that they'll finally be allowing their teams to be eligible for postseason play. Patriot League and Ivy League schools have deep-rooted rivalries going back to the founding of the sport. Also, with a fellow Big East member in Villanova joining the league, perhaps Georgetown will put a little more into its football program? They've hovered close to conference titles here and there, but much like the Wildcats, basketball has always been king. And let's be clear, it will continue to be so with both NOVA and Georgetown.
Overall, it's an exciting time for the Patriot League. The conference is revitalized and could possibly count itself among the 5 best in all of FCS if the new members and old commit to excellence on the field. Taking on the Ivy League in the playoffs could help in that regard as well.
The question that remains for Villanova is this, and I think it's a crucial one: Will they continue their rivalry with Delaware, who is now in FBS? It's one of the oldest standing rivalries in college football, and it would be a shame to lose it. The way I see it, that comes down to the Blue Hens, and if they're willing to put their neck on the line against a team with fewer scholarships but all of that rivalry history annually.
But hey, at least we have William & Mary vs. Richmond back on as a conference game.
