There was a rarity in this week’s Dr. Cavil’s Inside the HBCU Sports Lab Mid-Major Division Top 7 in that there was no movement in the rankings, with all teams standing pat from the previous week.
7 Virginia State Trojans (6-4, 4-3)
The Trojans of Virginia State University remain at the No.7 spot in this week’s rankings. VSU was last in action when they took on in-state rival Virginia Union and the Panthers defeated the Trojans 14-3. The Trojans finished the 2025 campaign 6-4, their fourth consecutive winning season dating back to 2022.
6. Fayetteville State Broncos (6-4, 6-1)
Fayetteville State holds on to the No.6 position in the Week 13 polls. In their most recent outing, the Broncos defeated Winston-Salem State 31-21 in the Broncos’ season finale. The 6-4 record marked the Broncos’ seventh winning campaign in the last eight seasons.
5 Kentucky State Thorobreds (9-3, 7-1)
As was the case last week, Kentucky State checks in at No.5 in this week’s polls. The Thorobreds had their best season since 1935, finishing the regular season with a 9-2 overall mark and 7-1 within the SIAC. Kentucky State earned its first-ever berth in the Division II Playoffs, where it took on No.3 seed Newberry in Super Region Two. The Thorobreds’ historic season ended in a 45-24 defeat at the hands of the Wolves.
4 Virginia Union Panthers (9-3, 7-0)
The Panthers hang on to the No.4 position in the rankings. The Panthers came up short in their quest for a third straight CIAA championship, however, their body of work on the season was still strong enough to warrant a berth in the NCAA Division II Playoffs for the fourth consecutive season. VUU hosted California (PA) in the opening round but fell to the Vulcans 27-24 in a. tightly contested matchup.
3. Johnson C. Smith (10-2, 6-1)
Johnson C. Smith remains in the third spot in this week’s poll rankings. The Golden Bulls won their first CIAA championship since 1969 defeating two-time defending champion Virginia Union 45-21 in the conference title game. The Golden Bulls earned the No.2 seed in Super Region One, where they would host Mountain East Champion Frostburg State in the opening round. Unfortunately for JCSU, the FSU run game and 3 turnovers proved to be a mountain too high to climb as the Golden Bulls fell 21-7, ending their historic season.
2. Benedict Tigers (10-3, 7-1)
The Tigers are second in the weekly rankings. In their most recent outing, Benedict met their newfound nemesis, Albany State, for the third time in 35 days, this time in the second round of the NCAA Division II Playoffs. Benedict fell short, losing in a hard-fought matchup 14-12. Albany State was the only team this season to defeat Benedict.
1.Albany State Golden Rams ( 12-1, 8-0)
The Golden Rams of Albany State remain at the top spot in this week’s rankings. Albany State gutted out a tough 14-12 win over conference foe Benedict in the second round of the NCAA Division II Playoffs. The win was the third time this season the Golden Rams defeated the Tigers- ASU blew out Benedict 31-3 on October 31, 22-16 in the SIAC Championship Game on November 15. With the most recent win, Albany moves on to the quarterfinals, where they will host Newberry College on Saturday December 6.
Receiving Votes Allen Yellow Jackets (5-5, 5-3) 135 Livingstone Blue Bears (5-5, 3-4) 130 Edward Waters Tigers (5-5, 4-4) 129
Dropping Out: N/A
