By: A.D. Drew, Black College Sports Network
Separation Saturday is here. There will be multiple Top 10 matchups this week, on both levels. Will this be the Saturday that is looked upon as the defining point of the 2024 season?
MAJOR DIVISION
In the Major Division, North Carolina Central picked up seven, of the ten available, first-place votes to remain in the top position, after defeating Virginia-Lynchburg in a non-conference match-up. Florida A&M and Jackson State were on a bye and held their positions. Tennessee State continues to stay under the radar and are holding steady at four. FAMU, JSU, and TnSU each picked up a first-place vote. Alcorn State’s come-from-behind enough to vault the Braves into the Top Five.
South Carolina State dropped a position, to the sixth spot, while on a bye and fell. Howard picked up a non-conference victory. Hampton was idle. Southern and Alabama State round out the Top Ten.
MAJOR DIVISION POLL
| RANK | SCHOOL | W/L | Points | FPV | Previous Week Rank |
| 1 | North Carolina Central | 5-2 (1-0) | 97 | 7 | 1 |
| 2 | Florida A&M | 3-2 (0-0) | 80 | 1 | 2 |
| 3 | Jackson State | 4-2 (2-0) | 79 | 1 | 3 |
| 4 | Tennessee State | 5-2 (3-1) | 76 | 1 | 4 |
| 5 | Alcorn State | 4-3 (3-0) | 57 | 9 | |
| 6 | South Carolina State | 3-2 (0-0) | 45 | 5 | |
| 7 | Howard | 3-3 (0-0) | 28 | 10 | |
| 8 | Hampton | 3-3 (0-2) | 26 | 7 | |
| 9 | Southern | 3-3 (2-0) | 21 | RV | |
| 10 | Alabama State | 3-3 (2-1) | 20 | RV |
Receiving Votes: Grambling State (3-3, 0-2), 12 pts
Dropped Out: Grambling State, Morgan State
MID-MAJOR DIVISION
Johnson C. Smith took the week off and still held on to every first place vote. Virginia Union held on to second after defeating Elizabeth City State. Clark-Atlanta came from behind and, with the victory, rose one spot. West Virginia State continued to win but dropped one position. Miles earns their way into the top half of the poll with their victory over Albany State.
As the CIAA begins to beat up on each other, the conference maintains four of the five final spots. Livingstone and Shaw come in at six and seven, respectively. Fort Valley State, who will battle the MEAC’s South Carolina State this weekend, is eighth. Virginia State and Shaw round out the Top Ten.
MID-MAJOR DIVISION POLL
| RANK | SCHOOL | W/L | Points | FPV | Previous Week Rank |
| 1 | Johnson C. Smith | 6-0 (3-0) | 100 | 10 | 1 |
| 2 | Virginia Union | 4-2 (2-0) | 72 | 2 | |
| 3 | Clark-Atlanta | 5-1-1 (4-1) | 70 | 4 | |
| 4 | West Virginia State | 5-1 (4-0) | 68 | 3 | |
| 5 | Miles | 4-2 (4-0) | 62 | 10 | |
| 6 | Livingstone | 5-2 (3-1) | 49 | 8 | |
| 7 | Winston-Salem State | 5-2 (3-1) | 45 | 5 | |
| 8 | Fort Valley State | 4-2 (4-1) | 42 | 9 | |
| 9 | Virginia State | 3-3 (2-1) | 14 | RV | |
| 10 | Shaw | 4-3 (2-2) | 10 | 6 |
Receiving Votes: None
Dropped Out: Albany State
ABOUT THE POLL
The poll is made up of the members of the HBCU-Pro Sports Media Association. The voters make up a cross-section of media members who cover all four HBCU conferences and the independent institutions. The members who make up the sample of voters reside in eight different states.
ABOUT HBCU-PSMA
Established in 2021, the HBCU-Pro Sports Media Association is an organization of 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.
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