Week 10 of HBCU Football was wild as a few teams pulled off mild upsets while others played down to the level of competition and cost themselves dearly.
Week 11 features the final chapter of the Division II regular season, where we’ll find out who will face each other in the CIAA and SIAC championship games. In Division I, the MEAC and SWAC continue their marches toward deciding which teams will face each other in the Celebration Bowl.
That means another challenging week for your friendly HBCU Sports predictions analyst, but the fun is guessing and then scratching your head at where you went wrong.
Before we get to Week 11’s picks, let’s look back at what went wrong in Week 10.
Last Week’s Record: 18-10
2024 Overall Record: 195-77-1
Best Pick: Virginia Union 35, Bluefield State 10 (We all know the score by now)
Worst Pick: Johnson C. Smith 26, Fayetteville State 18 (Fayetteville State won 27-0)
Game Of the Week: Virginia Union (7-2, 6-0 CIAA) at Virginia State (6-3, 5-1 CIAA), Saturday, Nov. 9, 1 p.m. EST, TheGrio
A spot in the CIAA title game is on the line in this battle of longtime rivals to be played at Rogers Stadium on VSU’s campus.
Virginia Union has already clinched its trip to Salem. However, Virginia State still has a chance to make it an all-Old Dominion conference game with a win and some help elsewhere.
Jada Byers is the man to watch as he’s in the conversation for D-II National Player of the Year, but the Panthers have plenty of talent on both sides of the ball.
Quarterback Mark Wright has thrown for over 1600 yards and 17 touchdowns against two interceptions, while linebacker Shamar Graham and corner Jalen Mayo are in the top five in the conference in tackles and interceptions, respectively.
The host Trojans will counter with quarterback Romelo Williams, leading rusher Jimmyll Williams, and receiver Kevin Gayles, who leads the conference with a whopping 36.3 yards per catch. Defensively, junior Jayshaun Alston leads the CIAA in sacks with 7.
The VSU-VUU rivalry’s latest chapter will again settle at least one spot in the CIAA championship game. Still, the outside chance that these two teams could face each other again in Salem for the conference championship could be just the start. More on that in a second.
Prediction: Virginia Union 35, Virginia State 31
Johnson C. Smith (8-1, 5-1 CIAA) at Livingstone (5-4, 3-3 CIAA), Saturday, Nov. 2, 2 p.m. EST, CIAASN
JCSU’s perfect season was vaporized by an upset-minded bunch of Broncos from Fayetteville State last weekend, and now they’re facing their oldest rival for that spot in the CIAA title game.
If JCSU loses and Virginia State defeats Virginia Union, the Golden Bulls’ Cinderella season will turn into a pumpkin.
To defeat a much-improved Livingstone squad, they’ll need to be prepared for the Blue Bears’ quarterback shuffle, which has seen four signal-callers gain significant game experience.
Smith has answered the bell eight times out of nine this season. In the oldest HBCU football rivalry, it seems fitting that they clinch a spot in the CIAA title game…or Livingstone pulls the upset and forces them to live with that embarrassment until their 2025 battle.
Prediction: Johnson C. Smith 21, Livingstone 17
Albany State (5-4, 5-2 CIAA) vs. Fort Valley State (6-3, 6-1 CIAA), A.J. McClung Stadium, Columbus, Georgia (Fountain City Classic), Saturday, Nov. 2, 2 p.m. EST, ESPN+
Another HBCU rivalry celebrates the century mark as it’s the 100th anniversary of Fort Valley State and Albany State’s first football meeting, with so much on the line.
It’s simple for the Wildcats – win and they’re in the SIAC title game against Miles. If Albany wins (along with Tuskegee and Clark Atlanta), then there’s complete chaos between four teams for one championship game spot.
This promises to be quite the offensive battle, as Fort Valley State has Kelvin Durham at quarterback and a lethal running back tandem in Brandon Marshall and Tiant Wyche.
Albany State will have the conference’s second-leading passer, Isaiah Knowles, firing passes to the wide receiver trio of Jamill Williams, Javion Jackson, and Devon Dorsey.
This could very well be the standard “whoever has the ball last wins it” game, which means another classic chapter in this storied rivalry is on the horizon.
Prediction: Fort Valley State 31, Albany State 30
South Carolina State (6-2, 2-0 MEAC) at Howard (4-5, 1-1 MEAC), 3:30 p.m. EST, ESPN+
The Bulldogs jumped into first place with a win over 2024 MEAC favorite North Carolina Central last Thursday and will now face the 2023 MEAC champion Bison at Greene Stadium, where Howard has been very successful in the Larry Scott era.
Both teams have prime playmakers on both sides of the ball, so Howard will try to control SCSU quarterback Eric Phoenix while S.C. State will try to keep the backfield duo of Eden James and Jarett Hunter from gaining yards on the ground.
In a year where nothing has gone as predicted, it wouldn’t surprise many if Howard made this a three-team race. Still, South Carolina State has the hot hand, and it will take a lot to cool them off.
Prediction: South Carolina State 28, Howard 21
Division I
Morgan State 20, Delaware State 13
Hampton 27, Towson 17
Villanova 30, North Carolina A&T 17
Tennessee State 24, Western Illinois 14
Southern 23, Bethune-Cookman 21
Arkansas-Pine Bluff 28, Alabama A&M 24
Florida A&M 30, Prairie View A&M 23
Jackson State 35, Mississippi Valley State 13
Alcorn State 17, Texas Southern 16
Alabama State 24, Grambling State 17
Division II/NAIA
Bowie State 30, Lincoln (Pa.) 17
Winston-Salem State 27, Fayetteville State 26
Elizabeth City State 24, Bluefield State 10
Clark Atlanta 31, Morehouse 19
Lane 33, Lincoln (Mo.) 30
Edward Waters 25, Allen 20
Kentucky State 26, Central State 17
Savannah State 32, Benedict 27
Miles 29, Tuskegee 26
West Virginia State 34, Glenville State 15
Keiser 35, Florida Memorial 30
Texas Wesleyan 30, Langston 20
Texas College 28, Wayland Baptist 22