We’ve reached the end of the regular season Division II and just about there in Division I, so this week’s games promise to be as heart-pounding, eye-popping, and season-changing as the previous three weeks have been.
Week 9 was a solid one for your intrepid predictions’ expert (expert? HA!) with a couple of exceptions, but Week 10 is a new week, which means new surprises are just around the corner.
Before we get to that new week, however, let’s take a look at Week 9’s results.
Last Week’s Record: 22-6
Overall Record: 194-65
Best Pick: Fayetteville State 22, Shaw 15 (FSU won 21-14)
Worst Pick: Miles 30, Albany State 20 (ASU won 45-7)
Game of the Week: Southern (5-3, 2-0 SWAC West) at Alcorn State (5-3, 2-1 SWAC West), Saturday, November 4, 3:00 p.m. EST, ESPN+
Without question, the game that carries the most weight this weekend will be played in Lorman, Mississippi, as the sputtering Southern offense looks to get in gear against an Alcorn team on a four-game winning streak.
The Jaguars were out-gained 443 yards to 201 by a Texas Southern team without quarterback Andrew Body, yet somehow pulled out a 23-17 overtime win to stay unbeaten in the SWAC West. They will need a strong performance from quarterback Harold Blood to match up with the Braves’ Aaron Allen, who is having an All-SWAC-caliber season.
Allen has completed nearly 67 percent of his passes for 1,518 yards and nine touchdowns against just three interceptions. His key targets are Monterio Hunt (30 catches, 448 yards, one touchdown) and Malik Rodgers (19 catches, 358 yards, one touchdown).
This game goes a long way to determining who will visit Tallahassee that first weekend in December for the SWAC title game. If Southern can find consistency on offense, they stand a good shot. If not, then Alcorn will make an already complicated SWAC West picture that much more so.
Prediction: Alcorn State 24, Southern 21
Howard (4-4, 2-0 MEAC) at South Carolina State (3-5, 1-1 MEAC), Saturday November 4, 3:30 p.m. EST, ESPN+
The Bison are coming off a 17-10 win over Delaware State, while the Bulldogs are coming off their worst loss in many a year at the hands of MEAC leader North Carolina Central.
SCSU and Howard each have a stable of running backs capable of game-breaking plays, so this one will likely rest on the battle of experienced quarterbacks – Howard senior Quinton Williams and South Carolina State graduate student Corey Fields Jr.
The quarterback that can get their team’s passing game first holds the keys to victory, and with the weapons at Williams’ command, it could very well be Howard that walks out of Orangeburg victorious.
Prediction: Howard 30, South Carolina State 27
Virginia State (8-1, 3-1 CIAA North) at Virginia Union (8-1, 4-0 CIAA North), Saturday November 4, 1 p.m. EST, HBCUGo
There was a feeling when the season began that the CIAA’s Northern Division would come down to this game, and that’s exactly what will happen this weekend in the Old Dominion’s capital city.
Both teams are coming off convincing routs to set up this winner-take-all battle, and it will be a match-up of top-notch running backs: Jada Byers and Curtis Allen of VUU vs. Kimo Clarke and Upton Bailey of VSU. Any of these four could earn first-team all-conference honors. Still, their immediate focus, of course, will be getting to Salem, Virginia, where defending CIAA champ Fayetteville State will be waiting.
Both defenses will have their hands full, but both have capable playmakers and play-stoppers to make this a game of the year candidate.
Prediction: Virginia Union 28, Virginia State 24
Albany State (5-4, 5-2 SIAC) vs. Fort Valley State (7-2, 6-1 SIAC) at A.J. McClung Stadium, Columbus, Georgia, Saturday, November 4, 2 p.m. EST, ESPN+, and Tuskegee (7-2, 6-1 SIAC) at Miles (6-3, 5-2 SIAC), Saturday, November 4, 5 p.m. EST, ESPN+
Two predictions for the price of one because the SIAC has a wild scenario in play where FIVE teams could finish in a second-place tie (if Allen were to somehow upset Benedict).
Albany State pushed Miles to the breaking point in a surprising 45-7 romp last weekend, while Fort Valley State had a week off from SIAC gameplay, but it was still a tough challenge from an improving Virginia-Lynchburg squad. Tuskegee’s offensive struggles continued but limited Clark Atlanta to just a field goal in a 14-3 win to set up an Alabama showdown with the reeling Golden Bears.
If Albany, Miles, and Allen all win, good luck trying to figure out this mess. It still becomes complicated if Fort Valley and Tuskegee win because they’d finish with identical 7-1 conference records. Yet, the head-to-head tiebreaker is a non-conference win for the Golden Tigers over the Wildcats in the Red Tails Classic. That could lead to some hard feelings.
Predictions: Fort Valley State 27, Albany State 17 and Tuskegee 20, Miles 16
Division I
Morgan State 24, Delaware State 17
North Carolina Central 33, Norfolk State 21
Bethune-Cookman 23, Mississippi Valley State 20
Florida A&M 32, Alabama A&M 17
Jackson State 29, Texas Southern 14
Prairie View A&M 22, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 13
Grambling 30, Alabama State 24
Tennessee State 31, Charleston Southern 21
Maine 35, Hampton 24
North Carolina A&T 26, Towson 20
Division II/NAIA
Bowie State 23, Lincoln (Pa.) 21
Fayetteville State 21, Winston-Salem State 14
Shaw 24, St. Augustine’s 10
Johnson C. Smith 19, Livingstone 13
Elizabeth City State 20, Bluefield State 19
Central State 33, Kentucky State 28
Benedict 40, Allen 28
Morehouse 17, Clark Atlanta 12
Lane 27, Savannah State 18
Edward Waters 38, Virginia-Lynchburg 30
West Virginia State 31, Wheeling 30
Central Missouri 34, Lincoln (Mo.) 14
Texas Wesleyan 32, Langston 18
Florida Memorial 36, Thomas (Ga.) 17
