South Carolina State MEAC championship, as the Bulldogs topped the league’s annual preseason poll.
Voting was conducted by the conference’s head football coaches and sports information directors.
The Bulldogs received five first-place votes and racked up 118 points. Led by head coach Oliver “Buddy” Pough, South Carolina State shared the 2019 MEAC championship with North Carolina A&T State for the 15th MEAC title in program history.
Norfolk State, with two first-place votes, was picked to finish second, while North Carolina Central also picked up a pair of first-place votes and was tabbed to finish third.
Delaware State, Morgan State and Howard (one first-place vote each) rounded out the preseason poll.
Here is the MEAC’s predicted order of finish for the 2021 season (first-place votes in parentheses):
| School (First-Place Votes) | Points |
| 1. South Carolina State (5) | 118 |
| 2. Norfolk State (2) | 96 |
| 3. North Carolina Central (2) | 78 |
| 4. Delaware State (1) | 56 |
| 5. Morgan State (1) | 48 |
| 6. Howard (1) | 36 |
Courtesy: MEAC
