Villanova's playoff chances tenuous

Villanova coach Andy Talley believes there is no margin for error if his team is to make a second consecutive trip to the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs.

The Wildcats are 4-3, and 3-1 in the Colonial Athletic Association with four games remaining. It is possible that Villanova could lose another game and receive a bid. The FCS playoffs grew from 20 to 24 teams this season, and the CAA, among the strongest conferences in the country, is expected to receive three or four bids.

Eleven conference champions will receive automatic bids, along with 13 at-large selections. Villanova earned a berth last year as the CAA champion.

"A team with four losses will struggle to get in," Talley said during Monday's CAA conference call. He added, "If any team could pull off [getting in at 7-4], it's the CAA," he said.

Fellow CAA teams likely will compete for an at-large bid if Villanova doesn't win the league title.

The Wildcats are coming off a 29-28 loss at New Hampshire, which scored the go-ahead touchdown and two-point conversion with 14 seconds remaining.

This week in the Sports Network Top 25, five CAA schools are among the top 20. They are No. 8 Towson (7-1, 3-1), No. 11 Maine (6-1, 3-0), No. 18 Villanova (4-3, 3-1), No. 19 James Madison (5-2, 2-1), and No. 20 New Hampshire (3-3, 2-1).

Another CAA school, Delaware (5-2, 2-1), got the most votes among teams that didn't earn a top-25 berth.

William and Mary (4-3, 1-2) and Stony Brook (3-3, 1-2) are other CAA schools that could factor into the postseason consideration.

Villanova has CAA wins over Towson, Stony Brook, and William and Mary, and a nonleague win over Penn. The other losses are to No. 9 Fordham (8-0) and Football Bowl Subdivision school Boston College.

On Saturday, Villanova hosts Maine, the only team that hasn't lost in CAA play. Villanova then visits James Madison and Rhode Island before finishing against Delaware on Nov. 23 at PPL Park.