Leading up to this week’s annual Southwestern Athletic Conference Media Day, TSPN Sports will forecast our preseason predictions for the upcoming 2014 season.
SWAC East Champion – Alcorn State
On October 25, Alcorn State travels to Texas to play Prairie View in what is likely a preview of the SWAC championship game scheduled to be played in Houston in December.
Head coach Jay Hopson, who is entering his third season at Alcorn State, will return a squad that features 14 new recruits to incorporate with a talented group led by All-SWAC offensive lineman Issac Sampson and defensive back CJ Morgan.
If the Braves have any plans of appearing in the school’s first conference championship game, they’ll need to rely in the arm and legs of quarterback John Gibbs Jr., who finished last season with 2,400 all-purpose yards and 17 passing touchdowns.
Gibbs, who wasn’t a heralded prospect heading to Alcorn State, was third in the SWAC in passing and in total offense, respectively for a unit that ranked No. 3 in total offense in 2013.
Alcorn has not been in the position of favorites to win the SWAC Eastern Division in more than a decade. But with coaching changes within the division combined with the steady improvement of the Braves over the last two seasons, gives them a legitimate chance to advance to the title game.
