South Carolina State, the defending Black College National Champion, will enter the season as the No. 1 ranked team in the Preseason Black College Football Poll which was released on Wednesday.
The Bulldogs from Orangeburg, S.C. defeated Prairie View A&M’s in a 40-38 four-overtime thriller in the Celebration Bowl on Dec. 13, 2025 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
The Bulldogs are led by coach Chennis Berry, who’s set to enter his third season at the school.
Seven Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) football programs earned national recognition highlighted by Prairie View A&M’s No. 2 national ranking among NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) HBCU programs.
The historic preseason rankings mark the launch of the first officially endorsed national poll dedicated exclusively to HBCU football programs competing at the NCAA Division I FCS and NCAA Division II levels. It essentially replaces the old Sheridan Broadcasting Network (SBN) Black College poll, which concluded its run in the early 2000s as other independent media and postseason outlets emerged to rank HBCUs.
The new Black College Football Poll is sanctioned by the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) and Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAC).
Prairie View A&M leads the SWAV after a remarkable 2025 campaign that included a SWAC Championship and the program’s first appearance in the Celebration Bowl. The Panthers received two first-place votes and finished second nationally with 165 points.
Jackson State follows closely at No. 3 after earning four first-place votes, while Alabama State claimed the No. 4 position after receiving six first-place votes. Together, the three programs accounted for 12 of the 48 first-place votes cast in the Division I poll.
Grambling State (No. 7), Bethune-Cookman (No. 8), Texas Southern (No. 9) and Florida A&M (No. 10) also secured Top 10 rankings, giving the SWAC seven nationally ranked programs entering the 2026 season.
In addition, Alcorn State and Alabama A&M received votes as nine of the conference’s 12 football-playing institutions appeared on at least one ballot in the inaugural preseason poll.
Beginning with the preseason rankings, the Black College Football Poll will be released weekly throughout the regular season. Rankings are determined by a nationwide panel of HBCU head coaches and media members who cover Black college football.
2026 Preseason Black College Football Poll
NCAA Division I (FCS)
|
Rank |
Team |
League |
2025 Record |
Points |
|
1 |
South Carolina State |
MEAC |
10-3 (5-0) |
185 (36) |
|
2 |
Prairie View A&M |
SWAC |
10-4 (7-1) |
165 (2) |
|
3 |
Jackson State |
SWAC |
9-3 (7-1) |
149 (4) |
|
4 |
Alabama State |
SWAC |
10-2 (7-1) |
141 (6) |
|
5 |
North Carolina Central |
MEAC |
8-4 (3-2) |
107 |
|
6 |
Delaware State |
MEAC |
8-4 (4-1) |
98 |
|
7 |
Grambling State |
SWAC |
7-5 (4-4) |
63 |
|
8 |
Bethune-Cookman |
SWAC |
6-6 (5-3) |
46 |
|
9 |
Texas Southern |
SWAC |
6-5 (5-3) |
42 |
|
10 |
Florida A&M |
SWAC |
5-7 (4-4) |
32 |
* First-Place Votes listed in parenthesis ()
Others Receiving Votes: Alcorn State (15), Howard (13), Alabama A&M (13)