By: A.D. Drew, Black College Sports Network
Parity is the word of the season, based upon the voting submitted by the HBCU-Pro sports Media Association. In the Major Division, four teams received first-place votes, with Florida A&M, ultimately, coming out on top of the preseason poll. The Mid-Major Division saw five teams receive first-place votes, with Virginia Union sitting at the top.
In the Major Division, Florida A&M, the defending Black National Champions,will be led by first-year head coach James Colzie. North Carolina Central was a 2023 FCS playoff participant. Alabama State is predicted to win the SWAC’s Eastern Division. The three teams were separated by only seven points. Howard, the defending MEAC champion, came in fourth in the voting. Alcorn State, who is predicted to win the SWAC’s Western Division, finished fifth in the voting.
T.C. Taylor will begin his second campaign at Jackson State, sit at the top of the next five. Prairie View A&M, who won the SWAC’s Western Division in 2023, finished seventh in the voting. Damon Wilson, who begins his third season at Morgan State, comes in with the eighth position. Ninth place Tennessee State is the only team that is not in a traditional conference who sits in the Top Ten. After two stints as an interim head coach, Terrance Graves will lead Southern, who is the final team in the Top Ten.
MAJOR DIVISION POLL (PRESEASON)
| RANK | SCHOOL | W/L (2023) | Points | FPV | 2023 Final Rank |
| 1 | Florida A&M | 12-1 | 75 | 7 | 1 |
| 2 | North Carolina Central | 9-3 | 72 | 2 | 2 |
| 3 | Alabama State | 7-4 | 68 | 1 | 6 |
| 4 | Howard | 6-6 | 54 | 3 | |
| 5 | Alcorn State | 7-4 | 43 | 4 | |
| 6 | Jackson State | 7-4 | 39 | 7 | |
| 7 | Prairie View A&M | 6-6 | 36 | 5 | |
| 8 | Morgan State | 4-6 | 24 | NR | |
| 9 | Tennessee State | 6-5 | 21 | 1 | 9 |
| 10 | Southern | 6-5 | 14 | 8 |
Receiving Votes: South Carolina State (5-6), 11 pts, NR
The Mid-Major Division had a clear-cut number one with Virginia Union, who won the CIAA Championship Game in 2023 and made an appearance in the NCAA Division II playoffs. Fellow CIAA rival, Virginia State, finished a distant second. Fort Valley State, who appeared in last season’s inaugural Florida Beach Bowl, came in as the third team. VSU and FVSU were only separated by only two points. Fayetteville State, who won the CIAA South Division and made the NCAA Division II playoffs in 2023, finished fourth in the preseason voting. Albany State, who is predicted to win the SIAC this season after finishing runner-up in 2023, completes the Top Five.
The winningest HBCU football program, Tuskegee, begins the second five. In-State rival, Miles, is in seventh place. The defending HBCU Mid-Major National Champion, Benedict, is the eighth place team. Edward Waters, who recently became a full member of the NCAA, are the ninth place team. Bowie State, of the CIAA, are the final team in the Top Ten.
MID-MAJOR DIVISION POLL (PRESEASON)
| RANK | SCHOOL | W/L (2023) | Points | FPV | 2023 Final Rank |
| 1 | Virginia Union | 10-2 | 96 | 7 | 2 |
| 2 | Virginia State | 8-2 | 77 | 5 | |
| 3 | Fort Valley State | 8-3 | 75 | 1 | 3 |
| 4 | Fayetteville State | 8-3 | 59 | 1 | 4 |
| 5 | Albany State | 6-5 | 55 | 9 | |
| 6 | Tuskegee | 7-4 | 51 | 7 | |
| 7 | Miles | 7-3 | 46 | 6 | |
| 8 | Benedict | 11-1 | 40 | 1 | |
| 9 | Edward Waters | 6-4 | 21 | 1 | RV |
| 10 | Bowie State | 6-4 | 15 | RV |
Receiving Votes: Johnson C. Smith (7-3), 13 pts, Last Year 8th; West Virginia State (4-6), 1 First Place Vote, 10 pts, Last Year NR
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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