Saturday marks the point where the SWAC’s early-season results begin to matter differently.
Here’s what matters for every SWAC team this week.
EAST
Jackson State: Make the unbeaten start count
vs. Southern | 6 p.m. CT | Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson State is 3-0 and has looked the part of a team ready for conference play.
Quarterback Jared Lockhart enters the BoomBox Classic coming off a 376-yard, four-touchdown performance against Tuskegee. He has been one of the most productive quarterbacks in HBCU football this season, and Jackson State’s offense has scored at least 41 points in each of its last two games.
What matters: The Tigers finally get a chance to turn their unbeaten overall record into something that counts in the SWAC.
Alabama State: Protect the home field
vs. Mississippi Valley State | 5 p.m. CT | Montgomery
The Hornets have had an extra week to prepare after their Week 3 bye.
Quarterback Andrew Body remains the centerpiece of the offense, but Alabama State enters the weekend trying to rebound from a loss to FBS Troy in a game the Hornets held their own for the most part.
What matters: Alabama State needs to get back to the version of itself that opened the season with wins over Southern and Lane College.
Alabama A&M: Turn momentum into a conference win
at Florida A&M | Tallahassee, Florida
Alabama A&M is 3-1 and riding a three-game winning streak into its conference opener.
The Bulldogs’ defense was dominant against Bowie State last week in a 45-3 victory.
Jeremiah Hudson-Davis has been a major defensive presence. He had 12 tackles, a sack and an interception against Tennessee State and earned SWAC Defensive Player of the Week honors.
What matters: Alabama A&M has already built momentum. Now it needs to prove that momentum translates against a SWAC opponent.
A win in Tallahassee would immediately put the Bulldogs into the East race at 1-0.
Florida A&M: Stop the slide before conference play gets away
vs. Alabama A&M | Tallahassee
The Rattlers enter SWAC play at 1-3 after three straight losses, including a 29-26 loss to Tennessee State last week that had head coach Quinn Gray fuming.
Linebacker Denzel Johnson has been one of the team’s defensive anchors. He leads FAMU with 28 tackles, including 12 against Tennessee State, and also has a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
What matters: FAMU cannot afford to let its nonconference struggles define the beginning of its SWAC season.
Mississippi Valley State: Find a way to get off the mat
at Alabama State | Montgomery
MVSU is 1-3 after a 21-6 loss to Delta State last Saturday.
The Delta Devils have already faced a brutal early schedule, including Sacramento State and Delta State.
What matters: Saturday is about getting its conference season pointed in the right direction.
A road win over Alabama State would dramatically change the way MVSU enters the rest of the East schedule.
Bethune-Cookman: Keep building before the Florida Classic stretch
vs. South Carolina State | 6 p.m. ET | Daytona Beach
Bethune-Cookman is the only East team not playing a SWAC conference game Saturday.
The Wildcats enter at 2-1 after a 62-3 win over Virginia-Lynchburg, a game in which they produced 530 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns. They play defending HBCU national champion South Carolina State in what is a measuring-stick game for the program.
What matters: Bethune-Cookman needs to gauge how good they are against one of the elite teams in the FCS.
This is essentially a chance to strengthen the team’s overall profile before the SWAC portion of its schedule becomes more important.
WEST
Alcorn State: Hold onto the early lead
vs. Texas Southern | 3 p.m. CT | Lorman, Mississippi
Alcorn already owns a 1-0 conference record after its wild 53-51 double-overtime victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
Quarterback Jaylon Tolbert threw for 485 yards and five touchdowns in that game, while running back Ernest Temple produced 200 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns. Tolbert earned SWAC Offensive Player of the Week honors, while Temple was named Newcomer of the Week.
But Alcorn is coming off a 38-20 loss to North Alabama.
What matters: Can the Braves reset quickly enough to protect their early West lead?
A second conference victory would put Alcorn at 2-0 and force the rest of the division to chase.
Prairie View A&M: Respond to the SFA loss
vs. Grambling State | 6 p.m. CT | Dallas
Prairie View also sits at 1-0 in SWAC play, but the Panthers enter the State Fair Classic after a 31-10 loss to Stephen F. Austin that ended its brutal non-conference schedule.
Coach Tremaine Jackson said the slate proved just how tough and resilient the Panthers were and showed where the potential lies for the rest of the season.
What matters: Prairie View needs to show that iron really sharpens iron as SWAC play starts.
The Panthers can move to 2-0 in the West with a victory over Grambling and maintain their position near the top of the division.
Grambling State: Take control of the rivalry and the race
vs. Prairie View A&M | 6 p.m. CT | Dallas
Grambling enters the State Fair Classic at 2-1 overall and coming off a bye.
The Tigers have not yet played a conference game, meaning Saturday represents their first opportunity to establish themselves in the West race.
What matters: Grambling can immediately move into the division picture by beating a Prairie View team that is a favorite to win the division.
A victory would give Grambling a 1-0 SWAC record and build much-needed confidence for a program that believes it can challenge in the division.
Southern: Don’t fall behind immediately
at Jackson State | 6 p.m. CT | Jackson
Southern enters conference play with a 2-2 overall record and momentum after a 50-31 win over Louisiana Christian.
And Trey Holly is coming in hot.
The running back rushed for 200 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries last week and leads the SWAC with 341 rushing yards and four touchdowns.
Quarterback Christian Johnson threw four touchdowns against Louisiana Christian and now has 575 passing yards and six touchdowns this season.
What matters: Southern needs to show just how far they’ve come under first-year coach Marshall Faulk against one of the top teams in the conference.
Texas Southern: Get its conference season back on track
at Alcorn State | 3 p.m. CT | Lorman
Texas Southern is already 0-1 in the SWAC after losing to Prairie View, 52-14.
That makes Saturday especially important.
What matters: The Tigers need to avoid an 0-2 start in conference play.
They have an opportunity to do it against an Alcorn team that has one of the most explosive offenses in the SWAC.
For Texas Southern, this is less about the overall record and more about preventing the West race from becoming an uphill climb before October arrives.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff: Watch the West from the outside
UAPB is off this week, but the Golden Lions have already played one of the West’s most consequential games, losing to Alcorn State in double overtime.
What matters: The Golden Lions can only watch as the rest of the West adds to its conference record.
At 0-1 in league play, UAPB hasn’t been impressive in non-conference play either. The Golden Lions nearly blew a sizable lead to D2 Central State, which only shows just how far the program has to go to compete in the SWAC
