to the top in 2026.
DURHAM, N.C. (July 15, 2026) – The teams that met for the 2025 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA®) football championship – Johnson C. Smith and Virginia Union – are picked to finish on top again in 2026 in voting released at last week’s CIAA Football Media Day.
Despite losing to JCSU in last year’s championship game and having just one player selected to the preseason all-CIAA team, Dr. Alvin Parker’s VUU squad was picked ahead of Head Coach Maurice Flower’s Golden Bulls in preseason voting of the league’s head coaches and sports information directors. VUU beat JCSU 28-7 in last year’s regular season but fell to the Golden Bulls 45 21 in the league’s title game. Fayetteville State and Virginia State were the third and fourth choices.
The 2025 title for JCSU ended a 55-year squad picked to return to the top in 2026.
championship drought and came after VUU completed a perfect 7-0 conference regular season, its first perfect markin league play under Parker, and entered the championship game seeking a third consecutive CIAA title. JCSU and FSU each finished 6-1 in conference play, highlighting one of the most competitive regular season races in recent conference history.
“The excitement surrounding CIAA football continues to grow, and we are thrilled to officially begin another season,” said CIAA Commissioner Jacqie McWilliams Parker. “Last year’s championship reminded us how competitive this conference has become, and we expectthat momentum to continue this fall.”
While those four were at the top of the conference a year ago, Elizabeth City State, who finished in a tie for fourth at 4-3 with VSU, was picked seventh in the preseason voting behind Winston-Salem Stateand Livingstone. That prediction didn’t sit well with second-year ECSU head man Adrian Jones, whose team had four-point, down-to-the-wire losses a year ago to eventual champion JCSU and VSU and finished withthree straight wins.
“I think that we got, on paper, the best football team in the conference,” Jones said during last week’s press conference. “Mark what I say, we’re one of the better football teams in the CIAA.”
New head coaches will debut this season at Bowie State (Dawson Odums) and Winston-Salem State (Tory Woodbury)
New Consolation Game
In addition to announcing the preseason poll and preseason all-conference team (see STAT CORNER), the CIAA unveiled an expanded championship weekend that will bring four of the conference’s top football programs to Durham County Memorial Stadium.
The weekend begins Friday, Nov. 13, with a newly added contest featuring the teams finishing third and fourth in the final regular-season standings. It amounts to an 11th regular season game that brings those teams in line with the rest of NCAA Div. II conferences and provides an enhanced opportunity for a conference team to earn a playoff berth.
“We were catalysts for it,” Parker said of the head coaches backing of the 3 vs. 4 game. “It was something that we wrote up to get passed. It started with the Coaches Association, so hats off for all the coaches in the league for making sure that we did what we had to do to get that passed. I think everybody wanted to kind of match the other league’s that are playing 11 games. We just happened to be one of the league’s that has a championship game.
“But we thought it was beneficial to the top four teams to create a better resume and get them ready for postseason play.”
“Expanding championship weekend allows us to celebrate even more of our student-athletes while creating an enhanced experience for our fans, member institutions and partners,” Commissioner Parker said. The culmination of the weekend is the 56th CIAA Football Championship on Saturday, Nov. 14, featuring the conference’s top two teams.
Durham will host CIAA Football Championship Weekend for the second consecutive year as part of the conference’s partnership with the Durham Sports Commission.
Favorite VUU has just one player selected preseason all-CIAA
After losing 2025 Offensive Player of the Year and Harlan Hill Trophy winner, running back Curtis Allen of Virginia Union, to graduation and Defensive Player of the Year, defensive end Kenyon Garner of Livingstone, to the transfer portal, it will be interesting to see who will be the standout players in 2026.
Suprisingly, VUU was picked to finish first but had just one player selected to the preseason all-conference team, last year’s all-CIAA kick returner Zyaire Tart.
J. C. Smith led all schools with six selections, followed by Fayetteville State with five and Elizabeth City State with four. Bowie State placed three student-athletes on the preseason squad, while Bluefield State, Livingstone, Virginia State and VUU each earned one selection.