Bison in pursuit of PL title as Bucknell heads to Holy Cross | News, Sports, Work

After back-to-back wins over Lafayette and Fordham, the Bucknell football team is firmly in the Patriot League title race with two games remaining. In fact, the Bison even have a path to clinch an FCS playoff spot with a win at Holy Cross and some help on Saturday.

Bucknell, Holy Cross and Lehigh enter the weekend with 3-1 Patriot League records, with Georgetown a game behind at 2-2. The Bisons already beat Lehigh, but lost to Georgetown.

A Bucknell win at Worcester combined with a Lehigh loss at Colgate would give the Bison at least a share of the Patriot League title. A win and loss for both Lehigh and Georgetown (at Fordham) would result in an automatic bid to the FCS playoffs. Bucknell would also receive an AQ for winning its final two games of the regular season.

The Bison are chasing their first Patriot League championship since 1996. That was before the league received an automatic bid to the NCAA, so Bucknell is also looking to make its first postseason appearance.

To do so, however, the Bisons will have to overcome a Holy Cross team that has won or shared the last five Patriot League titles. After four straight NCAA appearances, the Crusaders tied for first place with Lafayette last season and lost in a tiebreaker for AQ.

This will be Bucknell’s first appearance at Fitton Field since 2018. Four of the last five meetings have been in Lewisburg, including the Patriot League championship game in the 2021 COVID-modified spring season. The teams met in Worcester in 2022, but that game was played in the heart of the city, at Polar Park. So, even though Holy Cross has a five-game winning streak, Bucknell has actually won the last three played at Fitton Field.

In 2018, the Bison won there with a score of 19-16, in 2016 – 21-20, and in 2014 – 31-24 in overtime.