The HBCU Sports Podcast is back.
In this special edition, HBCU Sports publisher and editor Kenn Rashad examines why MEAC football contender South Carolina State is getting snubbed in the national FCS Top 25 poll, despite defeating Wofford 28-13 earlier this season.
Wofford, with a 5-3 record, is currently ranked No. 23 in the FCS coaches poll, while South Carolina State, also 5-3, is currently unranked and hasn’t received any votes for consideration.
Rashad also addresses the possibility of the MEAC having three teams participate in the postseason. North Carolina A&T and Florida A&M are currently ranked in both the FCS coaches poll and the FCS media poll.
South Carolina St has been receiving some votes if they had beaten North Carolina A&T it would have been a different story.
And yet Princeton sitting at number 10, the 7 teams they have beaten has a total of 14 wins between them… SCSU will run Princeton off of the field, as well as NC&T or FAMU?
They weren’t in the against us FAMU, we put them in the game with mistakes and still kicked their butts at their home field, so just stay in your lane with that craziness! lol Also we had 545 yards of offense while they had 300 which came late in the second half, our mistakes gave you a chance, 3 TD’s off turnovers, another to keep us from scoring at the 4 yard line, and we still kick your butts!
Coincidentally I had a conversation with a friend about this exact issue. He feels HBCU programs are not competitive with those predominantly white schools ranked higher in the FCS Football polls. I made the point that South Carolina State had beaten Wofford, (which was ranked #20 at the time) but didn’t receive one single vote for the top 25. I also pointed out that it has been a problem since the start of the 1-AA Football polls.
The first NCAA Division 1AA Championship was won by Florida A&M University (FAMU). There were 16 teams selected to participate in the Playoffs. FAMU was the 16th seed, considering they were the last School to receive an invitation. In my opinion a Championship between two HBCU Schools was less palatable to those planning this event, so FAMU and Jackson State, the other HBCU school receiving an invitation, were scheduled to square off in the first round. Jackson State was the toughest opponent FAMU (quarterbacked by Albert Chester) on their way to beating Massachusetts in the Championship Game. In that game FAMU had two running backs (Solomon and Williams) who rushed for 100 or more yards. NEITHER FAMU or JACKSON STATE was ranked near the top, if any where, during the entire season. That was 1979. Forty years later there’s no change.