Don't be fooled by Albany's 1-3 record.

Duquesne coach Jerry Schmitt isn't.

"They're a very good team that has played some very good teams," he said.

Albany's Great Danes will play their fifth consecutive road game when they meet Duquesne (2-1) at 1 p.m. today in a Northeast Conference showdown. Albany was picked in a preseason poll of the league coaches to repeat as champion.

Albany's first four games were against teams from the Colonial Athletic Association, which is a conference on a higher level nationally than the NEC. Albany's losses came against teams ranked in the Top 20 at the time of the game -- No. 5 Massachusetts, No. 10 New Hampshire and No. 17 Delaware. The Great Danes defeated Hofstra in overtime, 22-16.

Albany's offense revolves around David McCarty (480 yards rushing, 4 TDs), Vinny Esposito (647 yards passing, 55.3 percent completion, 2 TDs) and Tim Bush (20 catches, 205 yards).

Duquesne is coming off a come-from-behind 24-16 victory against Dayton with 14 points in the fourth quarter to end the Flyers' 10-game win streak, the longest in Division I-AA. Duquesne freshman linebacker Chidozie Oparanozie, who grew up on the North Side and graduated from The Linsly (W.Va.) School, was named the NEC rookie of the week for the second consecutive week.

Duquesne quarterback Connor Dixon, a transfer from Michigan State, has made an impressive debut with 870 yards passing and 11 touchdowns. Alex Roberson has 16 catches for 224 yards and three touchdowns, and Cleodis Williams has rushed for 269 yards.

Albany and Duquesne have met once, with the Great Danes a 24-0 winner in the 2002 Eastern College Athletic Conference Classic on a day when howling winds made it nearly impossible to throw or kick the ball with consistency at Albany's University Field. Duquesne entered with an 11-0 record as champion of the now-defunct Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.

This is Duquesne's inaugural season in the NEC after winning or sharing 11 titles in 14 seasons in the MAAC.

• Robert Morris (1-3, 0-1) at Sacred Heart (4-0, 0-0), 1 p.m. -- Robert Morris never has been 0-2 in the Northeast Conference since the league started in 1996. The Colonials are coming off a 34-26 defeat at Monmouth for their third consecutive loss. Myles Russ rushed for 205 yards and a touchdown. Sacred Heart defeated Marist, 28-16, and Dale Fink was named NEC offensive player of the week. He passed for 281 yards and three touchdowns. Robert Morris is penalized 87.0 yards per game to rank last in the conference. Robert Morris wide receiver Sherrod Evers could play after missing the Monmouth game with an ankle injury. Sacred Heart leads the NEC in total offense with 405 yards per game behind Fink (68.5 percent completion, 922 yards, 9 TDs), Steve Tedesco (29 catches, 355 yards, 2 TDs) and Evin Jones (498 yards rushing, 6.4 average per carry, 6 TDs). Robert Morris has won the past two meetings to even the series, 5-5.

• Kenyon (1-3) at Carnegie Mellon (2-2), noon -- This is the first meeting of Kenyon and CMU since Kenyon won, 39-19, in 1971. CMU has outrushed its opponent in 25 consecutive regular-season games. The Tartans have intercepted at least one pass in each game. CMU's offensive leaders are Anthony Ruzga (337 yards rushing, 4 TDs) and Phil Pantalone (289 yards passing, 39.1 percent completion, 3 TDs). CMU is coming off a 41-6 victory against Hiram.

• California (4-1, 2-0) at Clarion (1-4, 0-2), 2 p.m. -- No. 9 California meets struggling Clarion after playing four teams in the Division II Top 25. California is coming off a 21-19 victory against IUP in which Kevin McCabe threw for 239 yards and three touchdowns. He was named Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference West offensive player of the week. California's offense features McCabe (1,140 yards passing, 64 percent completion, 10 TDs), Marcel Pestano (28 catches, 40-1 yards, 6 TDs) and Daine Williams (465 yards rushing, 4 TDs). Pestano caught at least one touchdown pass in each game.

• Seton Hill (4-0) at West Virginia Wesleyan (1-4), 1 p.m. -- Seton Hill's Antwarn Jones has rushed for 707 yards (5.7 average) to rank fourth nationally in Division II. He has scored seven touchdowns. The Griffins are coming off a 24-14 victory against Shepherd, the four-time defending West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference champion.

• Gannon (3-2) at Edinboro (4-1), 2 p.m. -- Gannon's Jon Richardson is the PSAC's top rusher with 133.5 yards per game, and Edinboro, ranked 21st in Division II, features one of the top quarterbacks in Trevor Harris (253.8 yards passing per game, 13 TDs).