Dr. Kenyatta Cavil contributed to this report.
Week 14 of Dr. Cavil’s Inside the HBCU Sports Lab Major Division Poll featured a first this season in that the order of the rankings was unchanged from the previous week.
7. Alabama State (7-5, 5-3)
Alabama State stays at no.7 in the week’s poll rankings. The Hornets are coming off a decisive 34-6 thrashing of Tuskegee in the 100th Turkey Day Classic. The win marked the Hornets’ 5th consecutive win over the Golden Tigers in the annual meeting. The win also lifted Alabama State to 7-5, marking the Hornets’ third straight winning season, a feat not achieved since Reggie Barlow led the program to +.500 seasons from 2010-2015.
6. Florida A&M (7-5, 5-3)
The Rattlers held steady at no.6 in this week’s rankings. Behind a season-best 336 rushing yards, Florida A&M defeated Alabama A&M 28-20 In their most recent outing. The game was initially slated to take place September 28 but with Hurricane Irene bearing down on Florida, the game was wisely postponed. The victory allowed FAMU to finish at 7-5 under first-year head coach James Colzie III.
5. Southern University ( 8-4, 7-1)
Winners of four straight, the Jaguars of Southern University are a holdover at no.5 from the previous week. The Jaguars defeated their rival Grambling State 24-14 in the 51st Bayou Classic. As the champions of the conference’s Western division, the Jaguars will take on Jackson on Saturday in the SWAC Championship game. JSU defeated Southern 33-15 in their meeting earlier this season.
4. Tennessee State (9-4, 6-2)
Eddie George and the Tennessee State Tigers have just completed the most successful season in the program’s last 25 years. TSU defeated SEMO 28-21 to claim a share of the Big South-OVC crown for the first time since 1999. Tennessee State also received a birth in the FCS Playoffs, the only HBCU to make the field. In the first round, the Tigers came up short in a very competitive contest, 41-27, to last season’s national runner-up Montana. The 9-4 overall record is the best record TSU has posted since a 10-4 mark in 2013.
3. North Carolina Central ( 8-3, 4-1)
The Eagles are once again third in this week’s rankings. At 8-3, N.C. Central completed the 2024 campaign with their third straight season of at least 6 wins. Although the Eagles took just a single MEAC loss, a 27-24 defeat at the hands of South Carolina State that loss ultimately locked them out of the conference title picture. This was the impetus for Eagles head coach Trei Oliver to term the season “disappointing”, even before their 52-10 thrashing to Delaware in their season final and the Eagles found out they did not make the FCS Playoffs.
2. South Carolina State (9-2, 5-0)
The Bulldogs of South Carolina remain in the second spot in this week’s poll rankings. South Carolina State has not taken the field since a 53-21 lambasting of Norfolk State on November 24, completing an undefeated run through the MEAC. Up next for the MEAC Champions is a meeting with the winner of this week’s SWAC Championship between Jackson State and Southern in the Celebration Bowl on December 14.
1. Jackson State ( 10-2, 8-0)
Jackson State remains at the zenith of the poll rankings. In their last outing, the Tigers bludgeoned Alcorn State 48-10 in the “Soul Bowl” on November 23, capping an unblemished SWAC regular season. Featuring the SWAC Coach of the Year T.C. Taylor, Offensive POTY running back Irv Mulligan, and Freshman of the Year, running back and kick specialist Travis Terrell Jr, the Tigers will vie for a trip to the Celebration Bowl when they take on Southern in the SWAC Championship Game on Saturday.
Dropped Out: N/A
Receiving Votes: Morgan State Bears-(6-6, 3-2)-133, Alcorn State Braves-(6-6, 5-3)-132, Alabama A&M Bulldogs-(6-6, 3-5)-131
