(Order of finish based on voting by league’s coaches and sports information directors)
William & Mary - Ranked among the best in the FCS in preseason polls and pegged as the favorite to win the CAA, the Tribe returns 15 starters and is coming off back-to-back FCS playoff appearances. It also shared the 2010 CAA championship with Delaware and has preseason co-CAA Offensive Player of the Year Jonathan Grimes, who led the league and ranked 24th nationally with 135 all-purpose yards per game.
James Madison - Despite a 6-5 record and an eighth-place finish last year, the Dukes received four first-place votes in the preseason coaches poll. They hope to improve one of the league’s best defenses, and they feature four players on the preseason all-conference list, including last year’s Defensive Rookie of the Year, linebacker Stephon Robertson.
Delaware - Coming off a 1-point loss in the FCS title game, the Blue Hens once again will be one of the top teams in the CAA despite significant losses. They graduated four starters on offense and eight on defense, including All-American quarterback Pat Devlin. Last year’s league rushing leader Andrew Pierce (110.3 yards per game, 14 TDs) will help carry the offense.
New Hampshire - The Wildcats went 8-5 last season, when they qualified for the postseason for a nation-leading seventh consecutive season. They’ll look to build on a quarterfinal showing, but it might be difficult without last year’s senior quarterback R.J. Toman, who completed 62 percent of his passes for 15 touchdowns and 201 yards per game.
Massachusetts - It’s the Minutemen’s final season in the CAA before they make the jump to the FBS Mid-American Conference. They aren’t eligible to compete in the FCS playoffs and their league record technically will be 0-0, but that doesn’t mean they can’t make some noise in the CAA. Preseason Defensive Player of the Year Tyler Holmes tallied five interceptions, five sacks, and 47 solo tackles last season at linebacker.
Richmond - The Spiders begin their season in disarray after coach Latrell Scott resigned following a recent DWI arrest. Wayne Lineburg has taken over on an interim basis. Aaron Corp, a transfer from Southern California, has been one of the FCS’s biggest-name and potentially most talented quarterbacks. But the injury bug bit him last year, knocking him out of the lineup after five games because of knee woes. The Spiders again will look to Corp to lead them. In four games last year, he completed 67 passes for 645 yards and three touchdowns and rushed 19 times for 87 yards.