Western Conn State picked to edge winless Catholic in Landmark rematch

The last time these two met, in November 2025, Western Conn State ran away with it, 52-19, and Versus still has the Colonials well ahead in this week's Division III ranks, No. 136 to Catholic's No. 198, a 62-spot gap. Yet the projection for this Landmark Conference game is far tighter than that history suggests, with Western Conn State favored by just two points, 28-26, and given a 54 percent chance to win.

Catholic brings a rough stretch into the matchup. The Cardinals are still hunting their first win at 0-6, having been outscored badly while losing their last five games. Their power rating has slipped for seven straight weeks, and a defense ranked 157th in D3 will have to find an answer quickly, though a respectable strength of schedule rank of 64 shows the slate hasn't been easy.

Western Conn State, by contrast, looks steadier at 2-2 with a C overall grade and a B- defense ranked 113th in the division. The Colonials were coming off their most lopsided win since last November, a 29-0 shutout of Moravian on Oct. 3, a sign the offense and defense are both trending the right way heading into a conference test that will count in the Landmark standings.