Colgate and Fordham are back in a Week 0 meeting that opens the 2026 Patriot League schedule, and the setup looks familiar. Colgate won last year’s matchup 44-21, and the rematch again points to a game where the Raiders are expected to finish strongest.
That is why the search around Colgate vs Fordham now is not just about who won last season, but how the matchup could unfold again. Gunnar Smith is the most recognizable name on Fordham’s side after throwing for 213 yards and three touchdowns in defeat, while Winston Moore and Treyvhon Saunders each produced 126 receiving yards and a touchdown for Colgate in the same game.
The numbers behind the rematch matter because both teams had the same weakness last season: defending the pass. Colgate finished second to last in the Patriot League in passing yards conceded, and Fordham finished last. That leaves room for Gunnar Smith and Jake Stearney to move the ball down the field without too much difficulty, even if the rest of the game tilts toward Colgate’s offense as the quarters wear on.
Fordham would like to give the hometown fans something to cheer about at Coffey Field, and that home-field edge is the clearest thing working in its favor. But the matchup still carries the same closing logic as last year, when Colgate separated late and the Raiders were expected to cement the game in the fourth quarter. That makes the betting conversation around the game more interesting than the line itself, especially since BetMGM has the latest odds without a specific number attached in the available text.
So the next thing to watch is not whether the game has scoring, but whether Fordham can keep it close long enough to change the ending. If last year is any guide, Colgate has the cleaner path when the game reaches the fourth quarter, and Fordham will need more than a fast start to keep that from happening again.
