LUT WILLIAMS BCSP Editor
The first month of the 2023 black college football season has ended with just two teams left with undefeated overall records – Virginia State of the CIAA and Benedict of the SIAC, both at 5-0.
Benedict, the defending SIAC champion under head coach Chennis Berry, tops the BCSP HBCU Div. II Top Five and is nationally ranked. The Tigers are 13th in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) NCAA Div. II poll and 12th in the d2football.com Top 25.
Virginia State, in its second-year under veteran head coach Henry Frazier III, is second in the BCSP Div. II/NAIA poll but not nationally ranked in either poll.
Pollsters apparently haven’t taken notice of VSU’s season-opening 33-24 win over MEAC and Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) member Norfolk State or its 21-17 win over Div. II South Atlantic Conference (SAC) Mountain Division leader Tusculum. Norfolk State has since gone 2-1 vs. members of the powerful FCS Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) with wins over Hampton (31-23) and Towson (21-14) before falling to North Carolina A&T Saturday (28-26).
In the AFCA poll, VSU received 47 votes to finish behind Augustana (SD, 51 votes) just outside the Top 25.
Virginia Union (4-1), with its only loss a 10-7 last-second decision to defending CIAA champion Fayetteville State, is the other nationally ranked HBCU Div. II team. The Panthers, under head coach Dr. Alvin Parker, are 23rd in the d2football. com Top 25. They are not in the AFCA Div. II poll.
North Carolina Central and Florida A&M, both 4-1, appear in the latest FCS national rankings.
NCCU tops the BCSP FCS Top Five and is coming off a thrilling 49-48 win in overtime vs. CAA member Campbell Saturday. The defending MEAC champion Eagles, under head coach Trei Oliver, are up from 13th to 11th in the AFCA FCS poll and are 14th in the STATS Perform FCS Top 25.
Florida A&M, under head coach Willie Simmons, checks in at 19th in the STATS poll and 16th in the AFCA poll. FAMU currently leads the SWAC East with a 3-0 record.
THIS WEEK’S MATCH UPS
All four of the ranked teams and Virginia State are on the road for tough match ups.
Benedict plays at 4-1 Miles Saturday (4 p.m.) in a critical SIAC tilt that will be carried live by HBCUGo on The Grio. Both Benedict and Miles are 3-0 in SIAC play.
Miles, led by second-year head coach Sam Shade, is playing much better this season after finishing 1-9 in 2022. The Golden Beans have beaten SWAC member Alabama State (21-17) and their only loss is a one-point decision (21-20) to SWAC member Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
Virginia Union plays at Elizabeth City State Saturday (1 p.m. CIAA Network). ECSU is 1-4 overall but winless (0-3) in CIAA play. The dangerous Vikings, under second-year head coach Marcus Hilliard, have three losses by single digits including a heartbreaking 21-20 loss to J. C. Smith Saturday at homecoming.
Virginia State travels to Bowie State’s homecomingSaturday(2p.m.,CIAANetwork). BSU has to be smarting after losing at then winless Livingstone Saturday, 31-18. A year ago, BSU adminstered a 41-14 whipping to VSU and former BSU head coach Frazier at its homecoming. Frazier and the Trojans would like nothing better than to return the favor.
NC Central looks to knock off its second straight CAA opponent when it travels to Elon Saturday (2 p.m., on FLOSports). Elon upset FCS No. 4, CAA member William & Mary Saturday, 14-6. The win vaulted 3-2 Elon into 25th in the STATSPerformTop25.ThePhoenixarenotinthe AFCA FCS Top 25.
Florida A&M is facing rival and always dangerous Southern (2-2, 2-0 SWAC W) in a battle of SWAC Division leaders in Baton Rouge Saturday (6 p.m., on ESPNU). Southern is currently tied with Grambling State at 2-0 atop the SWAC West. Southern and FAMU met for 51 straight years, from 1949 to 2001 with FAMU having a 29- 22 edge. FAMU has won five of their six meetings since 2007 including a 30-16 win in 2022.