The final quarter of HBCU football season begins Saturday with conference games of significance across the country, especially in the CIAA and SIAC, where Championship Saturday is closer than most realize.
Last week was pretty solid for your friendly neighborhood HBCU football prognosticator, but I have a bunch of questions about Week 10’s slate of games.
Before we predict those, let’s take a brief look at Week Nine’s results.
Week Nine Record: 25-6
2025 Overall Record: 177-54
Best pick: North Carolina A&T 32, Campbell 30 (The Aggies beat the Camels 28-24. Good way for A&T to get over the hump…see what I did there?)
Worst pick: North Carolina Central 34, Delaware State 26 (Hornets won 35-26…guess I shouldn’t pick against my alma mater, right?)
Game Of The Week: Johnson C. Smith (7-1, 4-1 CIAA) at Fayetteville State (5-3, 5-0 CIAA), Saturday Nov. 1, 1 p.m. EST, HBCU GO
Johnson C. Smith has a chance to atone for last year’s nightmare finish by getting back at Fayetteville State, who has looked like a championship team following a shaky 0-3 start.
The Golden Bulls will need to figure out a way to slow down Broncos’ QB Demari Daniels and protect their own QB Kelvin Durham so he can throw the ball all over the field.
If FSU can give Daniels time to make decisions and keep the JCSU offense off the field, it might be deja vu all over again for the gang from Charlotte.
With a spot in the CIAA championship game on the line, both teams will be at their best, which should make for the week’s best game.
Prediction: Johnson C. Smith 24, Fayetteville State 21
Delaware State (5-3, 1-0 MEAC) vs. Norfolk State (1-7, 0-1 MEAC) at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pa., Thursday Oct. 30, 7 p.m., ESPNU
The DeSean Jackson/Michael Vick Bowl takes place in a stadium where they terrorized NFL defenses for five seasons, and credit to those two for getting a MEAC game in an NFL stadium on one of ESPN’s Big Three.
That said, Delaware State is on a major hot streak right now and Norfolk State is still looking to figure out what kind of team they’ll be under Vick.
It seems like the Hornets, with Jackson’s guidance, already know who they are and where they want to go.
Prediction: Delaware State 27, Norfolk State 17
Alabama State (5-2, 3-1 SWAC) at Prairie View (6-2, 4-0 SWAC), Saturday Nov. 1, 3 p.m. EST, SWAC TV
Alabama State has new life thanks to a Jackson State hiccup, but they’ll need to take advantage the rest of the way.
Under first-year head coach Tremaine Jackson, Prairie View will not want to be the fall guys in the Hornets’ SWAC East heist plans.
In what could be a potential SWAC championship game preview, both teams come in with confidence and an understanding of what’s at stake.
Add this one to the game of the year files.
Prediction: Alabama State 34, Prairie View 28
Clark Atlanta (2-6, 1-5 SIAC) at Kentucky State (6-2, 5-1 SIAC), Saturday Nov. 1, 3 p.m. EST, SIAC Network
Kentucky State’s biggest game in years features a visit from a Clark Atlanta team who has suffered through a disappointing season full of injuries and missed opportunities.
Both of these teams can score at will, so this one will likely be a matter of who has the ball last or who can build a sizable lead first.
The way things have gone this year for the Thorobreds, it’s likely their SIAC title game hopes stay alive at least for one more week.
Prediction: Kentucky State 35, Clark Atlanta 31
Week Nine
Saturday, Nov. 1
North Carolina Central 28, Howard 20
South Carolina State 31, Morgan State 17
Texas Southern 27, Alcorn State 14
Southern 28, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 23
Alabama A&M 30, Grambling 24
Bethune-Cookman 34, Mississippi Valley State 16
Jackson State 25, Florida A&M 21
Lindenwood 26, Tennessee State 19
Towson 27, North Carolina A&T 24
Elizabeth City State 32, Bowie State 28
Shaw 24, Livingstone 23
Virginia Union 33, Bluefield State 20
Virginia State 35, Lincoln (Pa.) 14
Allen 23, Morehouse 15
Albany State 30, Savannah State 17
Benedict 35, VUL 13
Edward Waters 31, Central State 16
Tuskegee 32, Lane 14
Miles 29, Fort Valley State 27
West Virginia State 28, Glenville 21
Truman State 34, Lincoln (Mo.) 19
Texas College 18, Christian Community College 16
Langston 31, Nelson 27
Ottawa (Az.) 35, Arkansas Baptist 20
Florida Memorial 33, Webber International 30
