Jackson State and Albany State retain top spots in HBCU-PSMA week seven football polls
Jackson State retains the top spot in this week’s HBCU-Pro Sports Media Association Major Division (week seven) football poll for the third straight week following a win over last week’s No. 7 ranked Alabama State. Prairie View A&M, with the same 4-1 record as the Tigers of Jackson State, remains in the second position with Florida A&M, Alcorn State and Norfolk State each jumping one spot from last week’s poll positions to fill the third, fourth and fifth spots, respectively. Falling three spots is North Carolina A&T which comes in this week at No. 6 in the rankings. Southern University, Tennessee State (making its first appearance in the poll), Alabama A&M and Grambling State University fill the remaining spots in the Major Division top 10 football poll for week seven.
In the Mid-Major Division of the week seven HBCU-PSMA poll, by virtue of receiving more first place votes, Albany State retains the No. 1 spot barely holding off Bowie State which received the same number of total votes. Right behind the two is Langston University, with Savannah State and Fayetteville State all recording victories this past weekend and retaining their rankings of No. 3 – No. 5. from last week. With a 76-36 drubbing of Edward Waters University, Kentucky State jumps three spots into the No. 6 spot and Shaw University, holding the No. 8 spot the last two polls, jumps to No.7 this week. Virginia Union reappears in the polls, at No. 8, for the first time since week one and has a home matchup this week (October 23rd) with No. 2 ranked Bowie State. SIAC conference mates Fort Valley State and Lane College round out the top 10 of the Mid-Major Division poll for week seven.
The HBCU-Pro Sports Media Black College Football Poll will be released every Monday evening on the HBCU-Pro Sports Media Knights of the Round Table Podcast (hbcuprosportsmedia.com).
Major Division Rankings (Week Seven)
| Rank | Team | 2021 Season Record | Points * |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jackson State (SWAC) Previous HBCU-PSMA Ranking: 1 Last Game: 10/16 won vs Alabama State Next Game: 10/23 home vs Bethune-Cookman | 5-1 | 128 (11) |
| 2 | Prairie View A&M (SWAC) Previous HBCU-PSMA Ranking: 2 Last Game: 10/16 won vs Bethune-Cookman Next Game: 10/23 away vs Southern University | 5-1 | 119 (2) |
| 3 | Florida A&M (SWAC) Previous HBCU-PSMA Ranking: 4 Last Game: 10/16 won vs Alabama A&M Next Game: 10/23 away vs Mississippi Valley State | 4-2 | 94 |
| 4 | Alcorn State (SWAC) Previous HBCU-PSMA Ranking: 5 Last Game: 10/16 won vs Mississippi Valley State Next Game: 10/23 away vs Texas Southern | 4-2 | 92 |
| 5 | Norfolk State (MEAC) Previous HBCU-PSMA Ranking: 6 Last Game: 10/16 won vs Virginia Univ of Lynchburg Next Game: 10/23 away vs Howard University | 4-2 | 79 |
| 6 | North Carolina A&T (BSC) Previous HBCU-PSMA Ranking: 3 Last Game: 10/16 lost vs Kennesaw State Next Game: 10/23 away vs Hampton University | 3-3 | 62 |
| 7 | Southern University (SWAC) Previous HBCU-PSMA Ranking: 10 Last Game: 10/16 won vs Arkansas - Pine Bluff Next Game: 10/23 away vs Prairie View A&M | 3-3 | 48 |
| 8 | Tennessee State (OVC) Previous HBCU-PSMA Ranking: Not Ranked Last Game: 10/16 won vs Tennessee Tech Next Game: 10/23 away vs Eastern Illinois | 3-3 | 29 |
| 9 | Alabama A&M (SWAC) Previous HBCU-PSMA Ranking: 8 Last Game: 10/16 lost vs Florida A&M Next Game: 10/30 home vs Alabama State | 3-3 | 19 |
| 10 | Grambling State University (SWAC) Previous HBCU-PSMA Ranking: Not Ranked Last Game: 10/16 won vs Texas Southern Next Game: 10/30 away vs Florida A&M | 3-4 | 15 |
| Others receiving votes: Alabama State, Delaware State Dropped out: Alabama State, Delaware State |
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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 (Week Seven)
| Rank | Team | 2021 Season Record | Points * |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Albany State (SIAC) Previous HBCU-PSMA Ranking: 1 Last Game: 10/16 won vs Benedict College Next Game: 10/23 home vs Savannah State | 6-1 | 106 (6)** |
| 2 | Bowie State (CIAA) Previous HBCU-PSMA Ranking: 2 Last Game: 10/16 won vs Virginia State Next Game: 10/23 away at Virginia Union | 6-1 | 106 (2) |
| 3 | Langston University (SAC) Previous HBCU-PSMA Ranking: 3 Last Game: 10/16 won vs Texas Wesleyan Next Game: 10/23 away vs Ottawa Univ-Arizona | 6-0 | 100 (4) |
| 4 | Savannah State (SIAC) Previous HBCU-PSMA Ranking: 4 Last Game: 10/16 won vs Clark Atlanta Next Game: 10/23 vs Albany State | 6-1 | 89 |
| 5 | Fayetteville State (CIAA) Previous HBCU-PSMA Ranking: 5 Last Game: 10/16 won vs Johnson C Smith Next Game: 10/23 away vs Saint Augustine's | 5-1 | 77 |
| 6 | Kentucky State (SIAC) Previous HBCU-PSMA Ranking: 9 Last Game: 10/16 won vs Edward Waters Next Game: 10/23 home vs Miles College | 4-3 | 46 |
| 7 | Shaw University (CIAA) Previous HBCU-PSMA Ranking: 8 Last Game: 10/16 won vs Livingston’s College Next Game: 10/23 home vs Johnson C Smith | 4-3 | 38 |
| 8 | Virginia Union (CIAA) Previous HBCU-PSMA Ranking: Not Ranked Last Game: 10/16 won vs Chowan University Next Game: 10/23 home vs Bowie State | 4-3 | 26 |
| 9 | Fort Valley State (SIAC) Previous HBCU-PSMA Ranking: 6 Last Game: 10/16 lost vs Morehouse College Next Game: 10/23 home vs Clark Atlanta | 4-3 | 23 |
| 10 | Lane College (SIAC) Previous HBCU-PSMA Ranking: 7 Last Game: 10/16 lost vs Miles College Next Game: 10/23 away vs Tuskegee University | 4-3 | 21 |
| Others receiving votes: Bluefield State, Miles College Dropped out: Bluefield State |
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| * First place votes in parentheses | |||
| ** Albany State 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).
About the HBCU-Pro Sports Media Association:
While the seeds of the HBCU-Pro Sports Media Association were planted well before, early in 2020 a like-minded group of journalists got together and built an organization that represented who collectively we are… professionals providing multimedia coverage of Historically Black College and University sports, as well as professional sports.
The purpose of the association is to transform and empower the culture of media by providing informative broadcast stories, rich contextual reporting, and inspirational photography of the marginalized by educating, inspiring, and informing a global community.
It is the vision of the HBCU-PSMA to
- acknowledge the heritage of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and the connection to professional sports organization,
- illuminate the pride of the African American community and the Black Diaspora,
- recognize the voice of Black media,
- create unity for substantive change in the world.
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