Site: Jack Coffey Field, Bronx, N.Y.
Time: 12:30 p.m.
Radio: WTMD (89.7 FM)
Series: Towson leads 3-2
Last week: Towson idle; Fordham beat Holy Cross, 32-27
Outlook: Towson will be out to halt Fordham's bid for a Patriot League title, as the Rams enter the game tied with Colgate for first place with a 4-1 record. Tigers QB Jay Amer has thrown for 1,951 yards and 15 TDs. Wide receiver Jamal White has 41 receptions for 709 yards and six TDs. Fordham has outscored the opposition in per-game average, 33.7 to 28.3.
McDaniel (8-1) at Johns Hopkins (7-2)
Site: Homewood Field
Time: 1 p.m.
Radio: WTTR (1470 AM)
Series: Hopkins leads 40-35-5
Last week: McDaniel beat Bethany, 28-17; Hopkins beat Franklin & Marshall, 40-21
Outlook: Today's matchup might not be as skillful as last year's 21-14 stunner pulled off by the Blue Jays over a talented (then-Western Maryland) squad, which was ranked No. 9 in the nation in Division III, but it could be just as close and exciting. A victory by McDaniel would send the No. 15 Green Terror to its sixth straight NCAA Division III tournament as the Centennial Conference champion. A Hopkins victory would force a three-way tie for the Centennial crown among the Blue Jays, Green Terror and Muhlenberg, which has finished its league schedule with a 5-1 record. The Centennial champion and NCAA tournament representative would then be determined by strength of schedule, a formula that appears to favor Muhlenberg.
Bowie State (6-4) vs. Fayetteville State (9-1)
What: Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association championship game
Site: Bowman-Gray Stadium, Winston-Salem, N.C.
Time: 1 p.m.
Series: Fayetteville State leads 12-9-1
Last week: Bowie State beat Virginia State, 10-6; Fayetteville State beat Virginia Union, 28-18
Outlook: Bowie State has a chance to walk away today as the CIAA champion for the first time since 1989, when current Bulldogs coach Henry Frazier III quarterbacked the team to the title with a 28-24 victory over Winston-Salem State. This championship game gives the Bulldogs a chance to gain revenge for a 13-7 loss two weeks ago to Fayetteville State. A Bowie victory would automatically send the Bulldogs to the Pioneer Bowl on Dec. 15 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.; a loss would leave the Bulldogs in contention for a Pioneer Bowl bid. A Fayetteville State win would most likely earn it a berth in the NCAA Division II playoffs.
Frostburg State (5-4) vs. Salisbury (9-0)
Site: Towson University Stadium
Time: 1:30 p.m.
Radio: WICO (1320 AM)
Series: Salisbury leads 15-14
Last week: Salisbury beat Ferrum, 30-13; Frostburg lost to Waynesburg, Pa., 24-21
Outlook: A 10-0 season and a trip to the NCAA Division III tournament are the obvious rewards awaiting Salisbury, which will put its machine-like option offense on display on a neutral field today. Other rewards are state bragging rights, possession of the University System of Maryland Board of Regents Cup Trophy, and the championship of the Atlantic Central Football Conference, which has dwindled to four teams. The Sea Gulls are ranked No. 14 in the nation this week in Division III and are going for the third undefeated regular season in school football history. A hard-luck Frostburg team lost another close game last week despite the outstanding passing of junior QB Grant Burrough, who threw for a school-record 452 yards. Burrough averages 297.7 yards passing a game and has 22 TD passes.
Morgan State (5-5) at S.C. State (6-4)
Site: Oliver C. Dawson Bulldog Stadium
Time: 1:30 p.m.
Radio: WEAA (88.9 FM)
Series: S.C. State leads 24-5-1
Last week: Morgan lost to Norfolk State, 17-14; S.C. State lost to Howard, 23-9
Outlook: Morgan State sputtered after taking a 14-0 first-quarter lead last week against struggling Norfolk State, and its five-game winning streak ended. Morgan needs a victory today to keep its hopes for a winning season alive. The Bears wind up the season at home next week against Hampton. S.C. State has lost two straight to Howard and Delaware State, prompting coach Oliver "Buddy" Pough to comment, "We go from, not the penthouse, but an upper-level apartment in a nice building to the outhouse in a two-week span."