Current HBCU national champion North Carolina Central will be in a good position to defend its title as the program brings back a host of talent, including Celebration Bowl Offensive MVP quarterback Davius Richard.
Runner-up Jackson State is going through significant changes with T.C. Taylor replacing Deion Sanders as head coach. Not only that, JSU lost quarterback Shedeur Sanders and two-way stud Travis Hunter to the transfer portal. Its defensive rock, Aubrey Miller, will be lost to the NFL Draft. Can JSU make it a three-peat with transfer portal and National Signing Day additions? Or will the Tigers take a step back in 2023?
Florida A&M, which ended 2022 on a 9-game winning streak and narrowly missed the FCS playoffs, won’t have Isaiah Land and Xavier Smith. But the Rattlers will once again be a contender in the SWAC East.
North Carolina A&T also nearly qualified for the playoffs in its final season in the Big South. The Aggies are currently without a head coach after longtime coach Sam Washington was let go. Then its offense took a blow with All-Big South running back Bhayshul Tuten and several others going into the transfer portal. There is a lot of uncertainty surrounding the program as it heads into a competitive CAA next season.
Across the rest of the Division I HBCU landscape, can schools such as Alcorn State, Grambling State, Alabama State and even Howard take the next step to make a run at conference championships and even the Celebration Bowl?
Here is our look at our 2023 Ultimate HBCU Sports Division I Top 10 football rankings.
| 2023 rank | Team | 2022 rank | 2022 record |
| 1 | Jackson State | 2 | 12-1 |
| 2 | Florida A&M | 3 | 9-2 |
| 3 | North Carolina Central | 1 | 10-2 |
| 4 | North Carolina A&T | 4 | 7-4 |
| 5 | Southern | 5 | 7-5 |
| 6 | Alabama State | 9 | 6-5 |
| 7 | Alcorn State | 10 | 5-6 |
| 8 | Grambling State | NR | 3-8 |
| 9 | Prairie View | 7 | 6-5 |
| 10 | Howard | 6 | 5-6 |
