Villanova Football’s Playoff Path: Is a Patriot League Title Possible?

Villanova Football faces a steep climb in order to make the FCS playoffs for the fourth season in a row. Currently 2-4 on the season and 1-2 in the Patriot League as they head into their bye week, the Wildcats almost certainly won’t be able to pick up an at-large playoff bid. Instead, their only path is a Patriot League championship. They’re currently fifth in the standings behind Lehigh (4-0 Patriot League, 2.5 games ahead), Richmond (3-0 Patriot League, two games ahead), Colgate (3-0 Patriot League, two games ahead with a head-to-head tiebreaker) and Holy Cross (2-2 Patriot League, 0.5 games ahead); Colgate already has a head-to-head win over Villanova.

As such, the Wildcats will need the rest of the conference to weigh each other down in order to pave their way to a playoff spot. Villanova still has Lehigh (Oct. 24), Richmond (Nov. 7) and Holy Cross (Nov. 14) on the schedule, giving them a chance to make up lost ground and control their own destiny.

Who to Root For

Making matters more difficult, Lehigh will play Colgate (Nov. 7) and Richmond (Nov. 14), while the Bears and the Spiders will play each other on Oct. 24. Richmond winning both of those games would benefit the Wildcats, keeping the Mountain Hawks from running away with the conference lead and sideswiping tiebreaker-holding Colgate; Lehigh knocking off the Bears, similarly, would help Villanova gain ground… but they’d need both the Mountain Hawks and the Spiders to drop at least one of their remaining games in order to pass them in the standings.

Richmond will travel to play Holy Cross on Oct. 31, and a Crusaders win would benefit the Wildcats without putting them in a significant hole in the standings. Even though they’ll need help, Villanova has one loss left to give: winning out would put them at 7-2 in Patriot League play, while they could still pass the teams in front of them if they drop a stinker to Fordham (Oct. 17), Lafayette (Oct. 31), Georgetown (Nov. 21) or even Holy Cross (Nov. 14). A loss to Lehigh or Richmond would place them at a significant disadvantage, needing a flurry of upsets in order to make up for lost ground.

Lehigh starting quarterback Hayden Johnson suffered a likely season-ending left knee injury against William & Mary on Sept. 12; while the Mountain Hawks have continued to win, they struggled in games against Dartmouth and Penn and could begin to slump as the season wears on. Villanova isn’t dead yet… but they’ll need to figure things out in a hurry.