Week 9 provided progress toward determining conference championship participants, with three teams in respective conferences clinching their spots.
Elsewhere, North Carolina Central put together an incredible performance, while the same can not be said for a top contender in the SIAC.
Here are the five takeaways from Week 9 of the HBCU football season.
1. One-half of the SWAC equation is solved
With conference championships fast approaching, three different conferences had a team clinch its spot in the title game, including two reigning champions.
For the first time, the Florida A&M Rattlers will play for a SWAC championship, clinching the East division title after a 45-7 win over Prairie View A&M.
The Benedict Tigers kept its hopes of a second straight SIAC championship alive, beating Savannah State 38-17 and remaining undefeated.
Finally, Fayetteville State clinched its sixth straight CIAA South division title after scoring a go-ahead touchdown in the final seconds to defeat Shaw 21-14.
While Benedict and Fayetteville State will know who they are facing in their respective conference championship games following week 10, Florida A&M will wait slightly longer.
With four teams separated by one game in the SWAC and three weeks remaining in the regular season, it could be a while before the Rattlers know who they will face for the SWAC crown.
2. North Carolina Central sets itself apart
After skating past Morgan State in an ugly win in their MEAC opener, the North Carolina Central Eagles were sharper in their second conference outing.
The Eagles displayed why they are the class of the conference, snapping its losing streak against South Carolina State in a dominant 62-28 win.
Their 62 points account for the most they have ever scored against a MEAC opponent and their highest-scoring game since 2016.
This was a great bounce-back game for the North Carolina Central offense that had a tough time moving the ball against Morgan State.
In a weekend where the other two MEAC contests were decided by one possession, the Eagles showed they are levels above their competition and why they are the frontrunner to claim their second straight conference title.
3. Virginia Union-Virginia State Battle for the North
After dominant wins this week nine, the Virginia Union Panthers and Virginia State Trojans will clash for the CIAA Northern Division title.
Virginia Union claimed its fifth straight win following a 57-12 win over Bluefield State. Meanwhile, Virginia State returned from its first loss with a 75-25 win over Lincoln (PA).
It has been evident since the start of CIAA conference play that the CIAA North was going to be decided by a matchup between these two teams.
The winner of this game would be the favorite to win the CIAA championship. Although the Panthers lost to Fayetteville State earlier this season, they were not completely playing that game without Jada Byers.
4. Albany State puts on a clinic
In week nine, after two straight losses, the Albany State Golden Rams got back in the win column with a monumental 48-7 win over the Miles Golden Bears.
Albany State controlled this game from the offset blitzing Miles, handing them their worst conference loss since 2010.
Before this game, Miles was a team that looked to be the favorite to clash with Benedict in the SIAC championship game, having given the Tigers their biggest test of the season thus far.
Now, their path to the title game has closed as the final week tiebreaker scenarios have fallen out of their favor.
The Golden Rams, on the other hand, now have a golden opportunity to make a push for that slot against Benedict but would need a ton of help.
To secure a place in the SIAC championship game, Albany State must beat Fort Valley State, along with losses by Tuskegee and Allen to Miles and Benedict, respectively.
5. Log jam in the SWAC West
While the SWAC East has already been decided, there are still some things that need to be hashed out in the SWAC West.
The division still has a bit of a log jam at the top, with Alcorn State and Southern (each of whom won against Mississippi Valley State and Texas Southern respectively) tied for first place.
A clear number one will be decided this weekend when the Braves and Jaguars face off against each other.
In the meantime, Grambling State and Prairie View A&M are not too far behind, just one game behind tied for third place.
Following their game against Alcorn, they will await a matchup against Prairie View A&M the following week and end the season against Grambling State.
This is key for Southern as they are the only team in the Western division unbeaten in division play, giving them the advantage in tiebreaker scenarios.
