North Carolina A&T and Bowie State top HBCU-PSMA initial football polls
Coach Sam Washington and his North Carolina A&T Aggies claim the number one ranking in the inaugural HBCU-Pro Sports Media Association Pre-Season Black College Football Poll. The 2019 Celebration Bowl and National Black College Football Champions edged out the 2020 champion Alabama A&M Bulldogs by one point as Florida A&M finished in a distant third. Alcorn State and South Carolina State round out the top five while Arkansas -Pine Bluff, Southern, Jackson State, Grambling State and Bethune-Cookman completed the top ten rankings in the Major Division.
Meanwhile Coach Damon Wilson and his Bulldogs of Bowie State were the unanimous top dog in the Mid-Major Division poll. The Bulldogs who finished 2019 with a record of 11 wins against 1 loss (Bowie State did not compete in 2020 due to the pandemic) garnered all first-place votes to claim the top spot. The Golden Bears of Miles College were number two followed by Savannah State, Virginia State and Albany State. The top ten in the Mid-major poll was filled out by Fayetteville State, Virginia Union, Tuskegee, Langston and West Virginia State.
Major Division Rankings (Pre-Season)
| Rank | Team | 2020 Season Record | Points * |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Carolina A&T (BSC) Previous HBCU-PSMA Ranking: N/A Last Game: N/A Next Game: 9/4 away vs Furman University | 0-0 | 122 (6) |
| 2 | Alabama A&M (SWAC) Previous HBCU-PSMA Ranking: N/A Last Game: N/A Next Game: 9/4 home vs South Carolina State | 5-0 | 121 (7) |
| 3 | Florida A&M (SWAC) Previous HBCU-PSMA Ranking: N/A Last Game: N/A Next Game: 9/5 home vs Jackson State | 0-0 | 106 (1) |
| 4 | Alcorn State (SWAC) Previous HBCU-PSMA Ranking: N/A Last Game: N/A Next Game: 8/28 vs North Carolina Central | 0-0 | 100 |
| 5 | South Carolina State (MEAC) Previous HBCU-PSMA Ranking: N/A Last Game: N/A Next Game: 9/4 away vs Alabama A&M | 3-1 | 69 |
| 6 | Arkansas at Pine Bluff (SWAC) Previous HBCU-PSMA Ranking: N/A Last Game: N/A Next Game: 9/4 home vs Lane College | 4-1 | 59 |
| 7 | Southern University (SWAC) Previous HBCU-PSMA Ranking: N/A Last Game: N/A Next Game: 9/4 away vs Troy University | 4-1 | 55 |
| 8 | Jackson State (SWAC) Previous HBCU-PSMA Ranking: N/A Last Game: N/A Next Game: 9/5 away vs Florida A&M | 4-3 | 53 |
| 9 | Grambling State University (SWAC) Previous HBCU-PSMA Ranking: N/A Last Game: N/A Next Game: 9/5 vs Tennessee State | 0-4 | 24 |
| 10 | Bethune-Cookman (SWAC) Previous HBCU-PSMA Ranking: N/A Last Game: N/A Next Game: 9/4 away vs UTEP | 0-0 | 19 |
| Others receiving 10 or more votes: Norfolk State, Prairie View A&M Dropped out: None |
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| * First place votes in parentheses | |||
“Major” schools include all HBCU members that participate in FCS: MEAC and SWAC teams, and teams who do not participate in traditional HBCU conferences – Hampton, North Carolina A&T State, and Tennessee State.
Mid-Major Division Rankings (Pre-Season)
| Rank | Team | 2020 Season Record | Points * |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bowie State (CIAA) Previous HBCU-PSMA Ranking: N/A Last Game: N/A Next Game: 9/4 away vs Delaware State | 0-0 | 130 (13) |
| 2 | Miles College (SIAC) Previous HBCU-PSMA Ranking: N/A Last Game: N/A Next Game: 9/4 away vs Alabama State | 0-0 | 97 |
| 3 | Savannah State (SIAC) Previous HBCU-PSMA Ranking: N/A Last Game: N/A Next Game: 9/4 away vs Valdosta State | 1-1 | 95 |
| 4 | Virginia State (CIAA) Previous HBCU-PSMA Ranking: N/A Last Game: N/A Next Game: 9/4 home vs Lenoir-Rhyne | 0-0 | 68 |
| 5 | Albany State (SIAC) Previous HBCU-PSMA Ranking: N/A Last Game: N/A Next Game: 9/2 away vs Mississippi College | 0-0 | 67 |
| 6 | Fayetteville State (CIAA) Previous HBCU-PSMA Ranking: N/A Last Game: N/A Next Game: 9/4 away vs Elizabeth City State | 0-0 | 59 |
| 7 | Virginia Union** (CIAA) Previous HBCU-PSMA Ranking: N/A Last Game: N/A Next Game: 9/4 away vs Hampton University | 0-0 | 42 |
| 8 | Tuskegee (SIAC) Previous HBCU-PSMA Ranking: N/A Last Game: N/A Next Game: 9/5 vs Fort Valley State | 0-0 | 42 |
| 9 | Langston University (SAC) Previous HBCU-PSMA Ranking: N/A Last Game: N/A Next Game: 9/4 away vs Panhandle State | 2-3 | 34 |
| 10 | West Virginia State (Mountain East) Previous HBCU-PSMA Ranking: N/A Last Game: N/A Next Game: 9/4 away vs Shippensburg State | 2-2 | 25 |
| Others receiving 10 or more votes: Kentucky State, Fort Valley State, Morehouse Dropped out: None |
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| * First place votes in parentheses | |||
| ** Virginia Union received the tie-breaker vote | |||
“Mid-Major” schools include all HBCU teams that participate in an NCAA Division II HBCU conference (CIAA, SIAC), NCAA Division II teams in a non-traditional HBCU conference (Bluefield State, Lincoln-MO, West Virginia State), NAIA (Florida Memorial, Langston, Texas College), and USCAA (Virginia-Lynchburg).
Weekly Rankings
Pre-Season
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Week 9
Week 10 (final polls)
