2023 Week 3 HBCU FCS Predictions

Week 2 of the 2023 HBCU FCS season provided its share of excitement.

Morgan State lost a last-minute heartbreaker to Akron. Alabama A&M and Howard took care of their DII HBCU opponents at home. Norfolk State and North Carolina Central earned road wins over in-state rivals from the CAA, while Jackson State extended their win streak over Southern to four.

This week’s action features three MEAC vs. CAA matchups – two of which are rivalry games, North Carolina Central is traveling to the West Coast to become just the second HBCU to face UCLA on the gridiron, Southern is confronted with the potential of a 0-3 start for the first time ever, and the Rattlers are looking to extend one of college football’s longest streaks.

Here are my top five matchups and predictions for this week. 

Predictions Record:
2023 record: 27-7
Week 2: 14-2

All times are Eastern Standard

Week 3 HBCU Top 5 Games

5. Miles (2-0) at Arkansas-Pine Bluff (0-2), Saturday, 5:00 PM (UAPB Sports Network)

1-10 in their last 11 contest, the Golden Lions do not want to start the season 0-3 for the first time in ten years. And UAPB should think twice if they plan to underestimate DII Miles College, who defeated Alabama State last week. Unfortunately, the Golden Lions struggle to score offensively (10 PPG) and can’t seem to stop anyone once they get into the red zone (88.9% scoring percentage). 

Golden Bears 20, Golden Lions 17

4. West Florida (2-0) at Florida A&M (1-1), Saturday, 6:00 PM (HBCU Go)

With four seasons of 10+ wins in only six years of existence, don’t expect FAMU to overlook this DII program. Both starting quarterbacks are averaging over 260 yards per game in the air, so I anticipate these pass defenses to have their hands full in the Rattlers’ bid to extend their home win streak to 16. 

Rattlers 27, Argonauts 10

3. Alabama A&M (1-1, 0-0 SWAC) at Southern (0-2, 0-0), Saturday, 7:00 PM (ESPN+)

Both teams are in search of their first conference win in their first matchup since 2019 – a 35-31 victory for Southern. If the Jags want to avoid going 0-3 for the first time ever, quarterback Harold Blood will need to play like he did in last week’s loss to Jackson State (320 Yds, 1 TD, 2 INT) without the turnovers. 

Jaguars 21, Bulldogs 20

2. Towson (0-2) at Morgan State (1-1), Saturday, 6:00 PM (ESPN+)

With Towson coming to East Cold Spring Lane for The Battle for Greater Baltimore, Morgan State does not have much time to hang their heads after their last-second loss to Akron last week. Even though the Bears have lost five straight to the Tigers, their backfield by committee – running backs J.J. Davis, Jabriel Johnson, and quarterbacks Dominique Anthony, Carson Baker, and Duce Taylor – and the nation’s eighth-best defense are looking to lead Morgan to their first 2-1 start since 2009. That year, they also lost to Akron and beat Towson. 

Bears 28, Tigers 24

1. Hampton (1-1) at Howard (1-1), Saturday, 3:30 PM (ESPN+)

Once again, The Truth & Service Classic will be The Battle of the Real HU. These defenses will have a tough time slowing down these top 20 offenses that average over 400 yards and 29 points per game while toting two of the top 10 rushing offenses in the nation. If Howard quarterback Quinton Williams (33-59, 399 pass yards, 5 TDs, 0 Ints) can continue to play mistake-free ball, the highly motivated Bison will win their first Classic and snap their current six-game losing streak to Hampton. 

Bison 30, Pirates 28

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MEAC

Norfolk State (1-1) at Temple (1-1), Saturday, 2:00 PM (ESPN+)

Owls 31, Spartans 21

Delaware State (0-2) at Richmond (0-2), Saturday, 3:30 PM (FloSports)

Spiders 30, Hornets 14

#18 North Carolina Central (2-0) at #24 UCLA (2-0), Saturday, 5:00 PM (Pac 12 Network)

Bruins 42, Eagles 17

SWAC

Bethune-Cookman (1-1) at #22 Miami (2-0), Thursday, 7:30 PM (ACC Network)

Hurricanes 63, Wildcats 14

Florida Memorial (1-1) at Grambling State (0-2), Saturday, 3:00 PM (ESPN+)

Tigers 36, Lions 27

Prairie View A&M (1-1) at SMU (1-1), Saturday, 7:00 PM (ESPN+)

Mustangs 42, Panthers 10

Texas Southern (0-2) at Rice (1-1), Saturday, 7:00 PM (ESPN+)

Owls 49, Tigers 7

Mississippi Valley State (0-1) at Delta State (0-2), Saturday, 7:00 PM

Statesmen 21, Delta Devils 12

McNeese (0-2) at Alcorn State (0-2), Saturday, 7:00 PM

Cowboys 26, Braves 21

Jackson State (2-1) at Texas State (1-1), Saturday, 8:30 PM (ESPN+)

Bobcats 31, Tigers 20

CAA

North Carolina A&T (0-2, 0-0 CAA) at Elon (0-2, 0-0), Saturday, 6:00 PM (FloSports)

Phoenix 21, Aggies 13

Big South-OVC

Gardner-Webb (1-1, 0-0 BS-OVC) at Tennessee State (1-1, 0-0), Saturday, 6:00 PM (ESPN+)

Bulldogs 28, Tigers 20