A look at the CAA South after half the 2008 season

The 2008 season is half over for most CAA teams. While the meat of the conference schedule is still to come for the majority of CAA teams, it's possible to get picture of who's hot and who's not in the CAA South so far.

In the CAA South:

• UP---James Madison. The Dukes are 4-0 in the league and 6-1 overall. JMU is #1 in the league in both scoring offense and rushing offense. Rodney Landers is having a Stacey Tutt kinda year and Scotty McGee is the best special teams player in the counrty. With only four games to go in their regular season, the Dukes look like a lock for the playoffs and a #1 seed. An away game at Villanova seems to be their only chance for loss.
• UP---Villanova. The Wildcats are 4-1 overall and 2-0 in the league. The Wildcats lead the league in rushing defense giving up only 91 yards/game. They do have six league games left and get JMU, UNH and Towson at home. There has been a QB controversy between Anton Young and Chris Whitney. Villanova should be favored against Rhode Island, Northeastern and Delaware away. A 4-2 final and a playoff slot is certainly doable.
  
• UP--- William & Mary. The Tribe is 1-1 in the league and 3-2 overall. They should be favored over Delaware, Rhode Island, Towson and Northeastern. They probably need beat either Richmond or JMU to be considered for the playoffs. The Tribe's defense was last in the CAA in 2007 and they have moved to the middle of the pack in 2008.
• Unchanged----Richmond. The Spiders were picked by many FCS pundits to win the CAA this year. Richmond's two league losses put them in a tight spot for the playoffs. The Spiders should be favored against Georgetown, Hofstra and Towson. They do have to play at UMass and at William & Mary. Two losses would very likely mean no playoff bid. One loss could be trouble depending on how the league plays out.
• Down---Delaware. One year after going to the National Championship game, Hen fans are jumping ship in droves. The Hens are 9th in the league in scoring and total offense. Hen QB Robby Schoenhoff has been having a terrible year .The Hens managed just 41 yards rushing against Maine last Saturday. Delaware has had a lot of injuries and suspensions . At 0-2 in the league and 2-4 overall, the Hens are in big trouble. They probably will be favored only over Hofstra and Towson in their final six games.
• Down---Towson. The Tigers are 1-2 in the league and 3-4 overall. Towson should be a sold underdog to UNH, William & Mary, Delaware, Villanova and William & Mary. Sean Schaefer recently broke the 10,000 career passing yards mark. Outside of Schaefer, there's not much talent in Towson.

JMU and Villanova are looking good for playoff slots at this time. The winner of the Richmond-W&M contest on the last game of the season will probably decide if the CAA gets three playoff teams from the South.