I will be previewing all of the NE-10 football teams over the next 10 days. I will roll out each team in my preseason poll from # 10 to # 1. The NE-10 will release the coaches' preseason poll on August 19th.

The season starts on September 1st when St. Anselm travels to Wagner and Pace is at Millersville.

Here is my pick for #8 in the league in 2016:

Bentley University Falcons (5-6, 5-4 NE-10)

Coach: Bill Kavanaugh, 3rd year (10-12)

Opening Game: September 3rd vs. West Chester

2016 Schedule

2015 Stats

2016 Roster

Bentley played a lot of close games in 2015. Their widest margin of victory was five points and their five victories were by a grand total of 15. So when Bentley plays, expect a close game and their defense was the main reason that they were able to keep those games close.

The offense will be anchored by running back Martin Bannerman. He was the workhorse last year and expects the ball to be in his hands frequently in 2016 again. Matt Montalto will switch positions from quarterback to running back for his fifth season as well as having some transfers at the running back position. CJ Scarpa is the lone quarterback on the roster that saw action last year. He will compete with transfer Mack Lowrie for the starting role this year. Chris Calvanese, Drew Mahoney and Sean Myers will be the focal point of the passing game and look to stretch the field. The Bentley offensive line is also solid in the trenches and opening holes for the running game.

Bryan Hardy is the top returning tackler and will be called upon to lead the defense. Joey Piatnik and Aaron Chretien will also see time at linebacker. The defensive line saw a lot of players lost to graduation and will be one of the youngest units on the team. Junior Chery and Sam McDonald will help to anchor the secondary and make sure that the opposing passing check is held in check.

Third year head coach Bill Kavanaugh has seen his favor share of close games in his first two years and is hoping for more of them to favor his team this year. He will have a younger team that will need to step up early and often to compete for the NE-10 crown.