this will be the Spiders longest road trip of the regular season...to play a CAA newcomer that they and most fans know little about...no disrespect to Bryant University, but Satchmo thought it was another CAA New Jersey member until I did my research...just in case you don't know where it is either, it's in Smithfield, Rhode Island!
the Bulldogs began offering FCS scholarships at the Northeast Conference level in 2012...they competed in the NEC until 2023 when they moved to the Big South/OVC football association...this is their debut season in the CAA...coach Chris Merritt calls the CAA the best top to bottom FCS conference in the country...he believes his staff and team have accepted the much larger challenge they'll face every week...
it'll likely be a rebuilding and building up season for the Bulldogs who return only 7 starters (4 on offense and 3 on defense)...they will be bringing in 8 transfers to help shore up things...the CAA Preseason Media Poll picks Bryant to finish 15th in the 16 team conference...by my count the Bulldogs will be the 5th FCS team in the first 8 games that will clearly be rebuilding, or building towards being competitive at the CAA level of FCS football!
this doesn't mean a Richmond win at Bryant will be automatic, or easy, but it does mean the Spiders should get the victory...Bryant will likely be able to play free and loose with nothing left to lose at this point in the season...road wins are very important in the CAA...by this point in the season Richmond will have played Wofford, Charleston Southern, Delaware State and NC A&T, all teams that are rebuilding...hopefully they know what it takes to defeat an opponent like Bryant...this is a win Richmond must have!
enjoy the Countdown!
Go Spiders!
