Dr. Kenyatta Cavil contributed to this report
Although Week 7 of Dr. Cavil’s Inside the HBCU Sports Lab did not see movement at the poll’s zenith, the remainder of the rankings was rife with movement, with 2 new teams entering the rankings.
7. Howard University (3-3, 0-0)
The Bison of Howard University comes in at number 7 in this week’s poll. Howard is coming off a come-from-behind 21-14 win over Sacred Heart for their 9th consecutive home victory. SHU took a 14-7 lead into halftime, however, the Howard defense stepped up, shutting out Sacred Heart in the second half. Quarterback Ja’Shawn Scroggins’ 5-yard touchdown run with 6:04 left in the game proved to be the go-ahead and decisive score, as it put the Bison up for good.
This week it’s Homecoming at The Mecca and the Tigers of Tennessee State University are the Bison’s opponent. Their last meeting took place September 22, 2001, when TSU laid waste to Howard 45-0.
6.Alcorn State (4-3, 3-0)
Alcorn makes an appearance on the polls after being unbanked the previous week. In their most recent outing, Alcorn defeated Grambling 17-15 via a 27-yard field goal in the waning seconds. Although the Braves are 3-7 over their last ten matchups versus Grambling, Saturday’s win was Alcorn’s second straight victory over the Tigers.
Up next for first-year head Coach Cedric Thomas’ ballclub is a Saturday matchup against the Jaguars of Southern University. Alcorn handily defeated Southern 44-21 in their meeting last season.
5. South Carolina State (3-2, 0-0)
Although on a bye week, the Bulldogs of South Carolina State improved their placing in the standings, moving up one spot to no.5. The Bulldogs are on a two-game winning streak, with defeats of North Carolina A&T and Tennessee Tech in their last two outings. Up next for SCSU will be a team familiar to first-year Bulldogs Coach Chennis Berry, who coached against them during his time at Benedict, in the form of the Wildcats of Fort Valley State.
4. Jackson State (4-2, 2-0)
Like South Carolina State, Jackson State is coming off a bye week, however, unlike the Bulldogs, the Tigers dropped in the rankings from no.3 last week to no.4 this week. The Tigers have won four of their last five outings against SWAC opponents, the only loss being a 41-20 loss against Grambling that was considered a non-conference affair. Up next for Jackson State is a highly anticipated matchup with Florida A&M on Saturday.
3. Florida A&M (3-2, 1-0)
Despite being on a bye week, like Jackson State, the Rattlers of Florida A&M also saw their position in the rankings take a turn south. Previously ranked No.2, FAMU falls to No. 3 this week. In their most recent outing, the Rattlers were able to go on the road and defeat Alabama State 28-13. FAMU faces off with no.4 Jackson State in a matchup with potential season-defining ramifications.
2. Tennessee State (5-2, 3-1)
Tennessee State jumps up two spots from the previous week to no.2 The Tigers defeated Eastern Illinois 41-17 in their most recent outing. At 3-1 in the Big South-OVC, Tennessee State is currently second place in the conference, right behind Southeast Missouri State, who is 3-0 in conference play and ranked #8 in the AFCA Coaches poll. This week Tennessee State travels to Washington D.C to take on no.7 Howard. The Tigers blanked the Bison 45-0 in their last encounter, which took place on September 22, 2001.
1. North Carolina Central (5-2, 1-0)
The Eagles remained perched atop the summit of the rankings. North Carolina Central decimated Virginia-Lynchburg 68-0 in a contest that was not as close as the score might indicate. The Eagles were up 33-0 after one-quarter of play and 47-0 at halftime. The second half instituted 10-minute quarters and a running clock to ease VUL’s gridiron suffering. Winners of 4 consecutive games, get into MEAC play when they play host to Morgan State. The Eagles got by the Bears 16-10 in their most recent meeting, which took place October 19, 2023.
Dropped Out: Morgan State (3-4, 0-0) Grambling (3-3, 0-2)
Receiving votes: Alabama State (3-3, 2-1) Hampton (3-3, 0-2) Alabama A&M (3-3, 1-1)
