As the first half of the FCS HBCU season ends, Week 6 did not disappoint as it was full of dynamic individual and team performances.

Alcorn State quarterback Aaron Allen (248 passing yards, 3 touchdowns, Int) saved homecoming for the Braves, Jackson State’s defense forced four turnovers to ruin Alabama State’s homecoming, quarterback Jeremy Moussa threw for 325 yards and two touchdowns while leading Florida A&M to score the final 10 points in the fourth quarter in their come-from-behind win over Southern, and running back Jordan Gant ran for two touchdowns as Tennessee State handed Kennesaw State its fifth straight loss.

As we get ready for Week 7, Alcorn State, Delaware State, Florid A&M, Morgan State, and North Carolina Central will all be on byes as Howard faces an Ivy League program for the fourth time in five years, homecoming season continues, and conference play heats up in the SWAC.

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

Predictions Record:
2023 record: 65-21
Week 6: 9-3

Week 7 FCS HBCU Top 5 Games

All times are Eastern Standard

5. Howard (2-3) at #19 Harvard (4-0), Saturday, 1:00 PM (ESPN+)

Howard head coach Larry Scott believes Saturday’s matchup against Harvard will be a physical one. Compiling over 200 yards per game on the ground, both teams are ranked in the top 20 nationally in that category. The Bison game plan should be to slow down dual-threat quarterback Charles DePrima (1,107 yards, 14 touchdowns, 2 interceptions) while relying on quarterback Quinton Williams to capitalize on the Crimson pass defense that ranks 117th in yards allowed per game (287.5). 

Crimson 35, Bison 24

4. Hampton (3-2, 1-1) at Monmouth (2-3, 1-1), Saturday, 1:00 PM (FloSports)

The Pirates allowed 440 yards of offense in their 30-27 loss to Campbell last week. It doesn’t get any easier for Hampton, as they travel to Jersey to face the CAA’s third-best offense led by quarterback Marquez McCray (1,264 passing yards, 11 touchdowns, three interceptions). A loss here will drag the Pirates closer to the bottom of the conference standings, but a victory will keep them a game out of first place. 

Hawks 31, Pirates 28

3. Norfolk State (2-3) at Tennessee State (3-2), Saturday, 6:00 PM (ESPN+)

Fresh off a needed conference win, the Tigers will be homecoming host to Norfolk State in what will be the second-ever meeting between the two schools. Even though Tennessee State did win their last matchup, albeit 51 years ago, they will have to find a way to slow down the nation’s 19th-best rushing attack (197.8 yards per game) led by running back Xzavion Evans. The problem is, the Spartans have their own issues stopping the run, allowing 249 yards per contest on the ground. 

Tigers 24, Spartans 21

2. Alabama A&M (3-3, 1-2) at Grambling State (3-3, 2-1), Saturday, 3:00 PM (ESPN+)

Both teams are coming off tough conference losses. On paper, Grambling’s Homecoming should be fun to watch as the two highest-scoring offenses in the SWAC go head-to-head. AAMU’s quarterback position is in flux after Quincy Casey’s (3/7, 12 passing yards, two turnovers) rough start against Jackson State, but Xavier Lankford (21/36, 265 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, 2 interceptions) has a handle on the offense. 

Tigers 35, Bulldogs 30

1. Alabama State (2-3, 1-2) at Jackson State (4-2, 2-1), Saturday, 3:00 (ESPN+)

Even though “Who Is SWAC?” has faded from the HBCU Sports lexicon a year after JSU’s 26-12 victory over Alabama State at their homecoming, the Hornets look to return the favor when they travel to Mississippi for the Tigers’ homecoming. That’s just part of the motivation this week for Alabama State, who hasn’t beaten JSU since Spring 2021. It will be interesting to see if ASU’s anemic offense (16.0 points per game) can keep pace with the Tigers (29.2), or if JSU running back Irv Mulligan (611 rushing yards, 5 touchdowns) can be productive against the SWAC’s second-best rushing defense (90.4 yards per game). 

Tigers 21, Hornets 20

MEAC

Tennessee Tech (1-4) at South Carolina State (2-3), Saturday, 4:30 PM (ESPN+)

Bulldogs 17, Golden Eagles 14

SWAC

Arkansas-Pine Bluff (1-4, 0-2) at Mississippi Valley State (0-5, 0-2), Saturday, 3:00 PM (Valley Sports Network/YouTube)

Golden Lions 21, Delta Devils 17

Texas Southern (1-4, 0-2) at Bethune-Cookman (1-4, 0-2), Saturday, 3:00 PM (HBCU GO)

Wildcats 17, Tigers 14

Lincoln (CA) (0-7) at Southern (2-3), Saturday, 5:00 PM (Jaguars Sports Network)

Jaguars 56, Oaklanders 7

Prairie View A&M (3-3) at Houston Christian (2-4), Saturday, 7:00 PM (ESPN+)

Panthers 24, Huskies 14

CAA

North Carolina A&T (1-4, 0-2) at Delaware (4-1, 2-0), Saturday, 3:00 PM (FloSports)

Blue Hens 35, Aggies 10