LUT WILLIAMS BCSP Editor
Another 16 homecoming games will be played this week as one conference gets down to intra-conference play.
MEAC
The preliminaries are over for the six Mid Eastern Athletic Conference football programs. The non-conference games are out of the way and the next five weeks the teams will face each other in head-to-head play.
It begins on Thursday (7 p.m. on ESPNU) when defending champion and current AFCA FCS No. 10, 5-1 North Carolina Central travels to Baltimore to face 1-4 Morgan State.
Fifth-year head coach Trei Oliver’s NCCU squad has beaten three CAA teams – NC A&T, Campbell and Elon – and only has a blowout 59-7 loss at the Rose Bowl to UCLA on its ledger.
Morgan State, under second-year head coach Damon Wilson, opened with a stunning 17-10 win over then FCS No. 17 Richmond of the CAA and has been competitive in losses to FBS Akron (24-21), Towson (20-10) and UAlbany (23-14). The Bears’ only blowout loss was last week at Yale, 45-3.
In other games to kickoff MEAC play, Howard has Norfolk State in for homecoming (12 noon) and South Carolina State plays at Delaware State’s homecoming (12 noon).
SWAC
SWAC East Division leader Florida A&M (5-1, 4-0 E) is 18th in the latest AFCA FCS poll as it heads to Houston Saturday (7 p.m., ESPN+) to take on Texas Southern (2-4, 1-2 W). The Rattlers have a two-game lead over three 2-2 teams in the East – Jackson State (4-3), Alabama A&M (4-3) and Alabama State (3-3).
JSU plays at Mississippi Valley State Saturday (2 p.m. on ESPN+). A&M and ASU are idle this week ahead of their Magic City Classic match up next week in Birmingham.
Prairie View A&M (3-4, 3-1 W), who has a half-game lead over Southern (3-3, 2-1) and Alcorn State (3-3, 2-1) in the West, is idle. Southern meets Bethune-Cookman in Jacksonville, Fla. (4p.m.) and Alcorn is at the Arkansas-Pine Bluff homecoming (2 p.m).
CIAA and SIAC
One team each from the CIAA and SIAC enter the final three weeks of their regular seasons undefeated.
Virginia State is at 7-0 overall, 5-0 in CIAA play and 2-0 against N. Div. competition. Benedict is unblemished at 7-0 overall and 5-0 in the SIAC. Benedict is eighth in the AFCA Div. II Top 25 while VSU is 20th.
VSU hosts Elizabeth City State Saturday (2 p.m.) while Benedict has its homecoming (2 p.m.)vs. Kentucky State.
CIAA
A key battle in the CIA North has second- place Virginia Union (6-1, 5-1) in its 1 p.m. homecoming vs. third-place Lincoln (Pa.) (4-3, 3-2).
In the South, division leader Fayetteville State (5-2, 5-0) has a key 2 p.m. homecoming date vs. second-place Johnson C Smith (5-2, 4-1). Third-place Winston-Salem State (3-4, 3-2) has homecoming at 1 p.m. vs. winless St. Augustine’s and Shaw (2-5, 2-3) is at Livingstone’s homecoming (1:30 p.m.)
SIAC
Five other homecomings are on tap in the SIAC – Central State at Clark Atlanta, Morehouse at Fort Valley State, Tuskegee at
Savannah State, Virginia-Lynchburg at Lane and Allen at Miles. FVSU, Tuskegee, Miles, Albany State and Allen each has one loss in SIAC play just a game behind Benedict. Elsewhere, Albany State is at Edward Waters
NON-HBCU CONFERENCES
Langston (4-2, 3-1 SAC) has its homecoming Saturday vs. Arkansas Baptist.
Hampton (3-3, 1-2) entertains FCS No. 7 and CAA leader Delaware (5-1, 3-0) while N. C. A&T (1-5, 0-3) has a home CAA date with Richmond (4-3, 3-1.