After 14 weeks of exciting gridiron have brought us to the final week of Dr. Cavil’s Inside the HBCU Sports Lab poll ranking. Throughout the season, teams rose and fell, but only one team will reign supreme atop polls as the Inside the HBCU Sports Lab Mid-Major National Champion.
7. Livingstone College ( 6-4, 4-3)
Livingstone ends the season 7th in the poll rankings. A 15-10 defeat of Johnson C. Smith in the season finale put a bow on the Blue Bears’ most successful season since posting a 5-4 mark in the 2015 campaign.
6. Winston-Salem State (7-3, 5-2)
Winston-Salem State hangs on to its 6th position from the previous week. The Rams got back to winning ways in 2024, as Winston-Salem enjoyed their first winning season since a 5-4 mark in the 2018 campaign. Five Rams players garnered All-CIAA honors – running back and return specialist JahTwan Stafford and defensive back Justin Fleming were named to the First Team, running back Trevon Hester and offensive lineman Keith Quick made the Second Team , while defensive lineman Avery Hall was named to the Defensive All-CIAA Rookie Team
5. Clark-Atlanta ( 7-3-1, 6-2)
The Panthers program was resurrected from the doldrums of winning just 5 games, including a pair of winless campaigns, in the last 4 seasons to going 7-3-1 in 2024 and playing in the SIAC Championship game, where they were defeated 53-25. Quarterback David Wright threw for 2,915 yards and 28 touchdowns on the way to being named SIAC Player of the Year. Wide receiver Armone Harris led the SIAC in receptions (75), yards (1,004), touchdowns (14) and tied for the most yards per game with 91.3 and earned First Team All-SIAC and was also named to the D2CCA Super Region Two First Team.
4. Virginia State (7-4, 6-1)
The co-CIAA regular season champions, Virginia State remained at no.4 in this week’s poll rankings. The Trojans’ lone loss in the CIAA this season was a close 21-17 defeat at the hands of Johnson C. Smith, who at that time was in the midst of an eight-game win streak.
Quarterback Romelo Williams led the CIAA in total passing yards ( 2,322 ), touchdowns (21), completion percentage (61.2 ), and passing efficiency (169.1 ). With Williams at the controls, the Trojans’ offense is the second most proficient in the conference, averaging 30.4 points per contest, continuing a run of three seasons in which Virginia State led or was the second-highest-scoring offense in the CIAA.
3. Johnson C. Smith (8-2, 5-2)
The Golden Bulls held down the no.3 spot in the final polls. This season was a curious one for the Golden Bulls. Finishing with an 8-2 overall mark, their highest win tally since matching 7-4 records last season and in 2005, but the season is tinged with “what ifs.” JCSU exploded out the gates, starting the season with 8 straight wins, and was in the driver’s seat, controlling their path to the CIAA Championship game before back-to-back losses to Fayetteville State and Livingstone to end the season pushed them out of the conference title picture.
Despite how the season ended, there is plenty for the JCSU program to be proud of. Head coach Maurice Flowers was named CIAA Coach of the Year; senior linebacker Benari Black was Defensive Player of the Year and 12 Golden Bulls garnered All-Conference honors.
2. Miles College (10-3, 8-0)
Miles College remains at the second spot in this week’s polls. The Golden Bears were undefeated in league play on their path to their first SIAC crown and postseason berth since 2019. Miles scored their first-ever post-season victory with a 14-13 win over Carson Newman in the opening round. In the next round, Miles’ season would be brought to its conclusion at the hands of Valdosta State, 33-17. Coach Sam Shade has done an outstanding job of rebuilding the Miles program in relatively short order. Since going 1-9 in his first season in 2022, the Golden Bears have gone 17-6 over the subsequent two seasons.
1. Virginia Union (10-4, 6-1)
The Panthers of Virginia Union remains at the zenith of the rankings to claim the 2024 Dr. Cavil’s Inside the HBCU Sports Lab Mid-Major Championship.
While the on-field exploits of Johnson C. Smith and Livingstone garnered an upsurge in attention on those respective programs Virginia Union went about its business of collecting wins and dispatching CIAA foes. When the dust settled on the CIAA season, it was the Panthers who hoisted the conference hardware, defeating state rival Virginia State 17-13 in the CIAA Championship game. The Panthers made their presence felt in the FCS Playoffs, defeating Wingate 34-31 in an overtime thriller. VUU chased that with a 44-12 beatdown of Lenoir-Rhyne in the next round. Virginia Union was defeated by Valdosta State 49-14 in the quarterfinals, ending an impressive 2024 campaign. Running back Jada Byers was named CIAA Offensive Player of the Year. Byers ran for 1,497 yards and 23 touchdowns, which was 700 yards and 12 touchdowns better than the second-place finisher. Along the way on the season, he was named CIAA Offensive Player of the Week on four different occasions and also set program records for yards (5,311) and touchdowns (70).
Dropped Out: N/A
Receiving Votes: Shaw Bears-(6-4, 4-3)-112, Albany State Golden Rams-(6-4, 6-2)-111, Fort Valley State Wildcats-(6-4, 6-2)-110
