HSRN Polls
Hartly, DE – North Carolina A&T and Tuskegee remained on top of the HSRN Football Polls following week 8 of the HBCU action. The Aggies top the HSRN Division I Poll, while the Golden Tigers maintained sole possession of first place in HSRN’s Division II/NAIA Poll.
Division I/FCS
The top seven spots were unchanged from last week. #1 North Carolina A&T cruised to a 65-14 homecoming win over longtime rival Howard University to extend their winning streak to five games. The Aggies have not lost to a Division I-FCS opponent all season.
#2 Grambling State also celebrated homecoming with a 49-14 win over Mississippi Valley State.
In the battle of MEAC Co-defending champions, North Carolina Central defeated Morgan State, 20-17, pushing the Eagles to #8 in the HSRN Poll.
Division II/NAIA
Playing on the road for the fourth time in five weeks, Tuskegee University came out with a 38-28 victory over Kentucky State to remain #1 in this week’s poll.
Bowie State climbed into the #2 spot after edging Virginia Union, 23-19, in a game between the top two teams in the CIAA Northern Division.
#4 Virginia State, #5 Albany State, #6 Chowan and #8 Winston-Salem State all moved up following wins over the weekend.
Week 8 – Rankings
Division I-FCS
| School (First Place Votes) | Record | Pts | Last Week | |
| 1 | North Carolina A&T (13) | 6-1 | 128 | 1 |
| 2 | Grambling State | 6-2 | 117 | 2 |
| 3 | Alcorn State (1) | 4-2 | 113 | 3 |
| 4 | Bethune-Cookman | 6-2 | 100 | 4 |
| 5 | South Carolina State | 4-3 | 75 | 5 |
| 6 | Prairie View A&M | 4-2 | 68 | 6 |
| 7 | Southern | 4-3 | 55 | 7 |
| 8 | North Carolina Central | 4-3 | 48 | 10 |
| 9 | Hampton | 4-4 | 20 | 8 |
| 10 | Tennessee State | 3-4 | 9 | 9 |
| Others receiving votes: | ||||
| Morgan St. (8), Alabama State (7), Alabama A&M (6), | ||||
| Arkansas-Pine Bluff (3), Norfolk St. (1), Texas Southern (1) |
Division II/NAIA
| School (First Place Votes) | Record | Pts | Last Week | |
| 1 | Tuskegee (10) | 7-1 | 118 | 1 |
| 2 | Bowie State (2) | 7-1 | 96 | 3 |
| 3 | Virginia Union | 6-2 | 93 | 2 |
| 4 | Virginia State | 5-3 | 84 | 4 |
| 5 | Albany State | 4-3 | 58 | 6 |
| 6 | Chowan | 5-3 | 53 | 7 |
| 7 | Winston-Salem State | 4-4 | 40 | 8 |
| 8 | Elizabeth City State | 4-3 | 38 | 5 |
| 9 | Fort Valley State | 4-3 | 34 | 9 |
| 10 | Fayetteville State | 4-4 | 15 | 10 |
| Others receiving votes: | ||||
| Livingstone (6), Stillman (6), West Va. St. (6),Shaw (4), | ||||
| Benedict (3), Johnson C. Smith (2), Langston (2), Miles (1), | ||||
| Morehouse (1) |
SBN Black College Football Poll
| SCHOOL | MASCOTS | POINTS | (#1 VOTES) | 2015 RECORD | |
| 1. | North Carolina A&T | Aggies | 274 | (20) | 6-1 |
| 2. | Grambling State | Tigers | 247 | (10) | 6-2 |
| 3. | *Alcorn State | Braves | 192 | 4-2 | |
| 4. | Prairie View A&M | Panthers | 151 | 4-2 | |
| 5. | Tuskegee | Golden Tigers | 143 | 7-1 | |
| 6. | Bethune Cookman | Wildcats | 126 | 6-2 | |
| 7. | Southern University | Jaguars | 95 | 4-3 | |
| 8. | North Carolina-Central | Eagles | 71 | 4-3 | |
| 9. | South Carolina State | Bulldogs | 43 | 4-3 | |
| 10. | Bowie State | Bulldogs | 29 | 7-1 |
*2014 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!
Other Teams Receiving Votes:
| SCHOOL | MASCOTS | POINTS |
| Tennessee State | Tigers | 27 |
| Hampton | Pirates | 19 |
| Virginia Union | Panthers | 13 |
| Virginia State | Trojans | 10 |
| Morgan State | Bears | 8 |
BOXTOROW Polls
Things were a bit quiet this week as the top seven teams remained the same in both the BOXTOROW coaches and media polls
With North Carolina Central’s 20-17 victory over Morgan State and Hampton’s 40-7 loss to William and Mary, the teams traded spots with the Eagles now at No. 8 and the Pirates dropping to No. 9.
For the first time this year, a team was a unanimous No. 1 pick as North Carolina A&T received all 20 first-place votes.
Meanwhile, in the media poll Virginia Union dropped out after its 23-19 loss to Bowie State, enabling the Bulldogs to move up to No. 9. NCCU re-enters the poll for the first time since week five.
The BOXTOROW HBCU FCS coaches and media polls are administered by FROM THE PRESS BOX TO PRESS ROW. The coaches poll is voted on by the HBCU Football Championship Subdivision coaches and the media poll is voted on by media members around the country who cover HBCU football.
2015 BOXTOROW FCS HBCU Football Coaches Poll Week 8
(Records through October 24, 2015)
| Rank | School | W-L | Pts. | Last Week |
| 1. | North Carolina A&T (20) | 6-1 | 200 | 1 |
| 2. | Grambling State | 6-2 | 178 | 2 |
| 3. | Alcorn State* | 4-2 | 155 | 3 |
| 4. | Bethune-Cookman | 6-2 | 145 | 4 |
| 5. | Prairie View A&M | 4-2 | 107 | 5 |
| 6. | South Carolina State | 4-3 | 103 | 6 |
| 7. | Southern | 4-3 | 82 | 7 |
| 8. | North Carolina Central | 4-3 | 65 | 9 |
| 9. | Hampton | 4-4 | 33 | 8 |
| 10. | Tennessee State | 3-4 | 18 | 10 |
Others receiving votes: Morgan State (3-4) 10, Alabama State (3-4) 7, Norfolk State (2-5) 2.
2015 BOXTOROW HBCU Football Media Top 10 Poll Week 8
(Records through October 24, 2015)
| Rank | School | W-L | Pts. | Last Week |
| 1. | North Carolina A&T (14) | 6-1 | 155 | 1 |
| 2. | Grambling State (3) | 6-2 | 145 | 2 |
| 3. | Alcorn State* | 4-2 | 125 | 3 |
| 4. | Bethune-Cookman | 6-2 | 103 | 4 |
| 5. | Tuskegee | 7-1 | 92 | 5 |
| 6. | South Carolina State | 4-3 | 68 | 6 |
| 7. | Prairie View A&M | 4-2 | 61 | 7 |
| 8. | Southern | 4-3 | 46 | 9 |
| 9. | Bowie State | 7-1 | 40 | 10 |
| 10. | North Carolina Central | 4-3 | 17 | NR |
Others receiving votes: Virginia Union (6-2) 12, Tennessee State (3-4) 7, Hampton (4-4) 7, Albany State (4-3) 1, Chowan (5-3) 1, Fort Valley State (4-3) 1.
*Defending BOXTOROW National Champion
