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The 2025 HBCU football season will bring excitement, great games, rivalries and more. We’ll be tracking the season from start to finish below with scores from every FCS HBCU football game, plus the latest news.
You can click or tap each of the links below to jump ahead to a section:
👀 This week’s HBCU football schedule
See this week’s HBCU football results in the FCS below.
Click or tap any of the games below for live stats | Click or tap here for a live scoreboard
Week 4 — Week 4 power rankings
Saturday, September 20
Click or tap here for a complete list of HBCU homecomings and classics in 2025.
📰 HBCU football news and notes
Click or tap here to view the latest HBCU football standings in a new tab
Week 4
Players of the week
The following players earned player of the week honors after their Week 3 performances:
- Stats Perform HBCU FCS National Player of the Week: QB Walker Harris, North Carolina Central
- Stats Perform HBCU FCS National Team of the Week: North Carolina A&T
- MEAC Offensive Player of the Week: QB Walker Harris, North Carolina Central
- MEAC Defensive Player of the Week: DL Thomas Johnson, North Carolina Central
- MEAC Rookie of the Week: RB Mason Pickett-Hicks, South Carolina State
- MEAC Offensive Lineman of the Week: OL Roger Smith, South Carolina State
- MEAC Specialist of the Week: K Nico Cavanillas Alti, South Carolina State
- SWAC Co-Offensive Player of the Week: QB Cornelious Brown IV, Alabama A&M
- SWAC Co-Offensive Player of the Week: QB Andrew Body, Alabama State
- SWAC Defensive Player of the Week: DB Jameel Sanders, Florida A&M
- SWAC Co-Newcomer of the Week: QB Jared Lockhart, Jackson State
- SWAC Co-Newcomer of the Week: RB Jaylen Jennings, Arkansas-Pine Bluff
- SWAC Specialist of the Week: K Victor Barbosa, Alabama A&M
Week 3
Game update
The Tampa Bay Football Classic is no more. Bethune-Cookman announced Monday that the Tampa Bay Football Classic is canceled and the game against Southern is back to Daytona Beach.
A Statement from Bethune-Cookman Athletics.#𝙃𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙒𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙨 | #𝙋𝙧𝙚𝙮𝙏𝙤𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 pic.twitter.com/6ID4HNrwqq
— 🏈 Bethune-Cookman Football (@BCUGridiron) September 8, 2025
Players of the week
The following players earned player of the week honors after their Week 2 performances:
- Stats Perform HBCU FCS National Player of the Week: QB Cornelious Brown IV, Alabama A&M
- Stats Perform HBCU FCS National Team of the Week: Delaware State
- MEAC Offensive Player of the Week: QB Kaiden Bennett, Delaware State
- MEAC Defensive Player of the Week: DL CJ Wesley, Howard
- MEAC Rookie of the Week: WR Maxim Copeland, Morgan State
- MEAC Offensive Lineman of the Week: OL Daniel Casillas Jr., Morgan State
- MEAC Specialist of the Week: K Evan Helfrich, Norfolk State
- SWAC Offensive Player of the Week: QB Cornelious Brown IV, Alabama A&M
- SWAC Co-Defensive Player of the Week: LB Lenore Jalil, Alabama State
- SWAC Co-Defensive Player: LB Matthew Cooks, Texas Southern
- SWAC Newcomer of the Week: DL Quincy Ivory, Jackson State
- SWAC Specialist of the Week: K Gerardo Baeza, Jackson State
Week 2
Players of the week
The following players earned player of the week honors after their Week 1 performances:
- Stats Perform HBCU FCS National Player of the Week: QB Andrew Body, Alabama State
- Stats Perform HBCU FCS National Team of the Week: Prairie View A&M
- OVC-BigSouth Football Freshman of the Week: WR DeVaughn Slaughter, Tennessee State
- CAA Defensive Player of the Week: LB Joshua Iseah, North Carolina A&T
- MEAC Offensive Player of the Week: RB Marquis Gillis, Delaware State
- MEAC Defensive Player of the Week: LB Quentin Johnson, Delaware State
- MEAC Rookie of the Week: RB Randall Nauden, Morgan State
- MEAC Offensive Lineman of the Week: OL Jerrod Burrell, Morgan State
- MEAC Specialist of the Week: K Matt Conord, Howard
- SWAC Co-Offensive Player of the Week: QB Andrew Body, Alabama State
- SWAC Co-Offensive Player of the Week: RB Ahmad Miller, Jackson State
- SWAC Defensive Player & Newcomer of the Week: DL Quincy Ivory, Jackson State
- SWAC Specialist of the Week: P Donovan Warren, Jackson State
Week 1
First Take visits Norfolk State
The hit daily sports talk show “First Take” visited the campus of Norfolk State ahead of NSU’s season-opener against Towson. Checkout some clips from the show below.
Norfolk State showed up and showed out for First Take’s HBCU tour 😤@CameronNewton | @stephenasmith | @MollyQerim pic.twitter.com/6v1NJ3ULHP
— First Take (@FirstTake) August 28, 2025
“To help these young men … understand what greatness looks like, understand what success looks like, understanding what being men of character looks like, that means more to me than anything.”
—@MichaelVick on coaching at an HBCU 💪 pic.twitter.com/xGxKonX6Mk
— First Take (@FirstTake) August 28, 2025
Preseason news
Before the season, we looked at some of the top storylines and players to follow for 2025. Click or tap the links below for more.
The preseason is here, conferences are announcing their all-conference teams and predicted orders of finishes. Here’s where HBCU programs landed.
MEAC
- South Carolina State (5 first-place vote) — 63 points
- North Carolina Central (4) — 61 points
- Morgan State — 39 points
- Norfolk State (1) — 36 points
- Howard (1) — 33 points
- Delaware State (1) — 20 points
Click or tap here to see the full MEAC preseason all-conference teams.
SWAC East
- Jackson State (16) —126 points
- Florida A&M (3) — 99 points
- Alabama State (2) — 91 points
- Alabama A&M — 62 points
- Bethune-Cookman (1) — 45 points
- Mississippi Valley State — 24 points
SWAC West
- Southern (17) — 120 points
- Alcorn State (2) — 90 points
- Prairie View A&M (1) — 72 points
- Texas Southern — 60 points
- Grambling State — 55 points
- Arkansas-Pine Bluff (1) — 28 points
Click or tap here to see the full SWAC preseason all-conference teams.
Other HBCUs
Preseason players of the year
- MEAC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year – Running back Jason Collins Jr., Morgan State
- MEAC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year – Linebacker Erick Hunter, Morgan State
- SWAC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year – Quarterback Jacobian Morgan, Jackson State
- SWAC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year – Defensive lineman Ckelby Givens, Southern
Defending Champs entering 2025
- The defending Celebration Bowl champion is Jackson State. The Tigers also won the SWAC after previously winning the SWAC East division.
- South Carolina State won the MEAC in 2024.
- The defending SWAC West division champion is Southern.
Click or tap here for a complete HBCU football championship history
📝 Key dates for the 2025 HBCU football season
Here are some key dates for the 2025 HBCU football season.
Key dates
- NCAA.com’s Preseason HBCU football power rankings will release on Friday, Aug. 1.
- The 2025 HBCU football season begins with the MEAC/SWAC Challenge on Saturday, Aug. 23.
- The 2025 FCS Playoffs start on the weekend of Saturday, Nov. 29.
- The 2025 SWAC Football Championship Game is on Saturday, Dec. 6.
- The 2025 HBCU football season concludes with the Celebration Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 13.
🗓 Full HBCU football schedule and results
See a week-by-week HBCU football schedule in the FCS below. Stay tuned for HBCU football power rankings each week.
All time Eastern | Click or tap any of the games below for live stats | Click or tap here for a live scoreboard
Week 0 — Preseason power rankings
Saturday, August 23
Week 1 — Preseason power rankings
Thursday, August 28
Friday, August 29
Saturday, August 30
- Jackson State 28, Hampton 14
- Howard 10, Florida A&M 9 (Orange Blossom Classic in Miami, Florida)
- Arkansas 52, Alabama A&M 7
- Tennessee State 24, North Carolina A&T 21
- Southern 34, Mississippi Valley State 29
- South Carolina State 16, Wofford 15
- New Hampshire 27, North Carolina Central 10
- South Alabama 38, Morgan State 21
- Texas Tech 67, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 7
- Grambling State 55, Langston 7 (in Shreveport, Louisiana)
- Prairie View A&M 22, Texas Southern 21
Week 2 — Week 2 power rankings
Saturday, September 6
- Delaware State 37, UAlbany 32
- Temple 55, Howard 7
- North Dakota State 59, Tennessee State 3
- Ohio State 70, Grambling State 0
- Southern Miss 38, Jackson State 20
- Old Dominion 54, North Carolina Central 6
- California 35, Texas Southern 3
- FAU 56, Florida A&M 14
- Hampton 27, Elizabeth City State 20
- Norfolk State 34, Virginia State 31 (OT)
- Miami (FL) 45, Bethune-Cookman 3
- South Carolina 38, South Carolina State 10
- Alabama A&M 41, Alcorn State 31
- Tarleton State 59, Mississippi Valley State 3
- Central Arkansas 41, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 17
- Alabama State 30, Southern 7
- UTRGV 27, Prairie View A&M 21
- Towson 27, Morgan State 22
- UCF 68, North Carolina A&T 7
Week 3 — Week 3 power rankings
Saturday, September 13
- Howard 38, Morehouse 10
- Delaware State 36, Bowie State 14
- Jackson State 30, Tuskegee 0
- Rutgers 60, Norfolk State 10
- Toledo 60, Morgan State 0
- Alabama A&M 23, Tennessee State 21
- Alabama State 37, Miles 9
- South Carolina State 55, Bethune-Cookman 41
- North Carolina Central 49, Fayetteville State 19
- Mississippi State 63, Alcorn State 0
- Grambling State 37, Kentucky State 31
- Lamar 31, Texas Southern 7
- Arkansas-Pine Bluff 34, Lincoln 8
- Florida A&M 33, Albany State 25
- North Carolina A&T 33, Hampton 30
- Rice 38, Prairie View 17
- Southeastern Louisiana 56, Mississippi Valley State 3
- Fresno State 56, Southern 7
Week 4
Saturday, September 20
Week 5
Saturday, September 27
Week 6
Saturday, October 4
Week 7
Saturday, October 11
Week 8
Saturday, October 18
Week 9
Saturday, October 25
Week 10
Thursday, October 30
Saturday, November 1
Week 11
Saturday, November 8
Week 12
Friday, November 14
Saturday, November 15
Week 13
Saturday, November 22
Week 14
Thursday, November 27
Saturday, November 29
Week 15 – Conference Championships
Saturday, December 6
- 2 p.m. | SWAC No. 2 at SWAC No. 1 (SWAC Championship Game) | ESPN2
Week 16 – Bowls
Saturday, December 13
- 12 p.m. | MEAC Champion vs. SWAC Champion (Celebration Bowl in Atlanta, GA) | ABC
📚 HBCU Football Basics
There are 21 football programs at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) at the FCS level. FCS HBCU football programs primarily play in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) or the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC).
Below are all the HBCU football programs and the conference they will play in for the 2024 season.
MEAC
- Delaware State
- Howard
- Morgan State
- Norfolk State
- North Carolina Central
- South Carolina State
SWAC
- East Division
- Alabama A&M
- Alabama State
- Bethune-Cookman
- Florida A&M
- Jackson State
- Mississippi Valley State
- West Division
- Alcorn State
- Arkansas-Pine Bluff
- Grambling State
- Prairie View A&M
- Southern
- Texas Southern
CAA*
- Hampton
- North Carolina A&T
OVC-Big South Football Association*
*The CAA and Ohio Valley are not “HBCU conferences”
Stan Becton joined NCAA.com in 2021 and has since served as a college football, FCS football, track and field, cross country and HBCU beat reporter. He has covered numerous NCAA championship events, including the FCS Championship, DI Track & Field Championships and Men’s Frozen Four. Additionally, he has covered the College Football Playoff and HBCU sporting events like the Celebration Bowl, MEAC/SWAC Challenge and Legacy Classic. Stan graduated from Carnegie Mellon University, earning a degree in Professional Writing and playing football as a five-year letterman. You can follow him on Twitter @stan_becton.
The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NCAA or its member institutions.