A staff report
ATLANTA — Teams from the MEAC, SWAC, CIAA, SIAC and other conferences are set to take the field in games Thursday through Sunday.
Thursday: Delaware State and MVSU take the field
Week 0 gets started Thursday, Aug. 27, with several HBCU programs taking the field.
At 6 p.m., Delaware State will host Stony Brook in a MEAC Network game.
At the same time, Bluefield State will face Tusculum, while Virginia State takes on Barton.
Mississippi Valley State will headline the 7 p.m. time slot when the Delta Devils travel to face Nicholls on ESPN-plus.. Arkansas Baptist will also take on Pikeville at 8 p.m.
Friday: Virginia Union opens up their season
Virginia Union faces Lenoir-Rhyne at 6 p.m. in a battle against of Division II’s established programs.
Saturday: Flood of HBCU action including MEAC/SWAC challenge
West Virginia State plays Chowan at 12 noon before Fort Valley State takes on Elizabeth City State at 1 p.m.
In Pro Football Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk’s first game, Southern will play Alabama State in a SWAC showdown that will be televised nationally at 3 p.m. on ESPNU.
Kentucky State and Central State will meet in an SIAC matchup, while Johnson C. Smith faces Benedict. Virginia-Lynchburg will travel to Hampton and Morgan State will play North Carolina A&T.
Winston-Salem State will take on Norfolk State, while Savannah State takes the Bulldogs of South Carolina State.
Shaw and Fayetteville State will meet in a CIAA matchup, Allen will play Livingstone and Florida Memorial will face Edward Waters.
Then the marquee matchups begin rolling in.
At 7 p.m., North Carolina Central will face Texas Southern, while Morehouse faces Arkansas-Pine Bluff at War Memorial Stadium in Arkansas.
Albany State will face Florida A&M in Quinn Gray’s debut as Rattlers coach, and Clark Atlanta will battle Grambling State.
Miles will take on Alcorn State, while Lincoln (Missouri) faces Central Methodist.
Howard-Alabama A&M headlines the night
Alabama A&M, which will be lead by quarterback Cornelius “Quad” Brown, and Howard will square off at 7:30 p.m. on ABC in the MEAC/SWAC Challenge in Atlanta. It will be the coaching debut of Ted White at Howard.
Both teams are trying to rebound from losing seasons. The Bulldogs went 4-8 and the Bison were 5-7 last season.
Alabama A&M will be looking to build on the foundation established under head coach Sam Shade.
Jackson State-Tennessee State in a major battle
Jackson State will face Tennessee State in another highly anticipated matchup slated for 8:30 p.m.
The game will be available on ESPN-plus and could provide an early measuring stick for both programs.
Jackson State is considered a contender for the SWAC title.
Prairie View A&M will take on Tarleton State on ESPN2 at 9 p.m.
The Panthers– winners of the SWAC a year ago — will have one of the more difficult Week 0 assignments against Tarleton, a power on the FCS level.
Sunday: Tuskegee Closes Out Week 0
Week 0 will conclude Sunday night when Tuskegee travels to face West Alabama at 8 p.m. ET.
HBCU FOOTBALL IS BACK!!!!
