DURHAM -- Practice has been a little different, a little more intense for the University of New Hampshire football team this week as it prepares to play at Old Dominion.

This is the start of the conference schedule, and while UNH coach Sean McDonnell and most of his players will tell you every game in the Colonial Athletic Association is a big one, the team may be even more hyped up than usual for Saturday’s game in Norfolk, Va.

The Monarchs go into the game 3-0 and ranked fifth nationally in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision in both the Sports Network Top 25 and coaches’ poll. That is enough to get anyone’s attention, but this is also the first and maybe the only time the teams will ever play each other.

ODU is leaving the CAA after two just years in the conference. The Monarchs will become members of Conference USA next year, fulfilling a desire to upgrade their football program to the Football Bowl Subdivision.

“We want a chance at them,” UNH junior safety Chris Beranger said after Wednesday’s practice.

Old Dominion certainly has made its mark at the FCS level.

The startup program is 30-8 in three-plus seasons, including last season’s 10-3 debut in the CAA, which ended with a top-10 ranking and a loss to Georgia Southern in the second round of the FCS playoffs.

ODU did not play the Wildcats last year, so this is UNH’s one and only scheduled time to say hello and goodbye.

“Everyone is hyping them up to be this great new thing, so we want a chance to take them down,” Beranger said.

After playing three non-conference games to start the season, the Wildcats (2-1) know the most critical part of the schedule begins Saturday with the first of eight straight CAA games.

“We’re playing a CAA opponent, and it’s different from Holy Cross, and it’s different from Central Connecticut and it’s different than Minnesota,” McDonnell said. “I look forward to this. It’ll give a good, good measuring stick of where we’re at in this football program right now.”

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JUNIOR KICKER Mike MacArthur of North Hampton has missed five of 12 extra-point attempts, but McDonnell said he has no plans to try anyone else in that spot.

“I’ll be concerned if something keeps going on in the next couple of games. It hasn’t hurt us yet,” McDonnell said. “He’s an all-conference kicker.”

MacArthur made 40 of 43 extra-point attempts last year and 15 of 18 field goal tries. He made his only field goal attempt this season, a 28-yard try against Central Connecticut.

While MacArthur is safe unless he misses everything Saturday, it doesn’t seem like it matters what sophomore quarterback Andy Vailas of Bedford does against Old Dominion. He will probably be making his last scheduled start for a while.

Redshirt freshman Sean Goldrich should be ready to play next week, and if he is, he will start because McDonnell said he doesn’t believe a player should lose his spot because of injury. Goldrich was the starter going into the season but hurt his shoulder in the Minnesota game.

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SPEAKING OF startups, Old Dominion has had a meteoric rise since its football team starting competing in 2009. Things will probably go in a slower, more conventional manner in Rindge when the Franklin Pierce University sprint football team begins its maiden season this week.

The Ravens play their first-ever game Saturday at nearby Oakmont High in Asburnham, Mass., where they host Cornell at noon.

FPU is a member of the Collegiate Sprint Football League, which has a 172-pound weight limit but otherwise plays by NCAA rules.

“Sprint football is real football; it’s just for guys who don’t weigh as much,” FPU coach Peter Ewald said.

One of the 36 members of the inaugural team is freshman center Alex LaRochelle of Manchester. LaRochelle is a 5-foot, 4-inch, 143-pound center, the same position he played a year ago at Manchester High West.

“I was extremely undersized,” LaRochelle said.

LaRochelle said he wanted to play football in college and had looked at some Division III programs, but he thought he was too small. When Ewald spoke to several players at West last year, LaRochelle knew he found the program he was looking for.

“I always wanted to play college football. It was always a dream of mine,” LaRochelle said. “I thought it was unrealistic.

“I’ll definitely spread the word about this. It’s been a great experience.”

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DARTMOUTH will be looking to go 2-0 for the second time in three years — and just the second time since 1997 — when it heads to Worcester, Mass., to play Holy Cross in a non-conference game Saturday at Fitton Field (1 p.m.).

The Big Green were impressive in last weekend’s 35-7 win over Butler under the lights at Memorial Field in Hanover. They have lost four straight to Holy Cross and 14 of their last 15 games on grass, but the Crusaders are ripe for the taking.

Holy Cross is 0-2, with losses of 38-17 to UNH and 24-21 to Brown.

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ST. ANSELM (0-3) will go for its first win of the year and try of shake off last week’s tough loss to Stonehill on the road Saturday against unbeaten New Haven (1 p.m.).

Good luck.

The Chargers are 3-0 and averaging 37.6 points per game.

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PLYMOUTH STATE plays at UMass Dartmouth Saturday (4 p.m.) in the New England Football Conference divisional opener for both teams.

The Panthers are 1-2 and trying to build on the momentum of last week’s 13-7 win over Maine Maritime. UMass Dartmouth is 0-3 and coming off a 30-0 loss to Framingham State.

Senior defensive back Ray Boulay of Keene was named to the NEFC honor roll last week after making a team-high 11 tackles (10 solo) and intercepting a pass in the win over Maine Maritime.

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Jim Fennell may be reached at jfennell@unionleader.com.