Week 5 HBCU FCS Preview & Predictions

It’s still early in the FCS HBCU Football season, but several teams are making good cases as contenders for the postseason.

No. 19 Jackson State, South Carolina State, and North Carolina Central are living up to preseason expectations, while Alabama State, Delaware State, Grambling State, and Howard are off to impressive starts. 

Week 5’s slate consists of interconference contests, most notably “Classic” matchups within the SWAC. 

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

Predictions Record:
2025 record: 54-9
Week 4: 8-2

Week 5 FCS HBCU Top 5 Games

All times are Eastern

5. Texas Southern (0-3, 0-1 SWAC) at Mississippi Valley State (0-3, 0-0 SWAC), Saturday, 5:00 PM (SWAC TV)

Two former high-profile pro football defensive backs are in search of their first win as head coaches this season, as somebody’s “0” has gotta go (or doesn’t, if the game ends in a tie).  Both teams are coming off open weeks, so each should be rested and focused. The Delta Devils snapped their five-game losing streak against TSU with a win in their last meeting back in 2019. Don’t anticipate there being a lot of fireworks in this matchup, as both teams are averaging a combined 22 points per game. MVSU quarterback Josh Brown (349 total yards, two touchdowns, one interception) might provide the spark needed for Terrell Buckley to earn his first victory as a head coach.

Tigers 20, Delta Devils 17

4. Delaware State (3-1) at Sacred Heart (3-1), Saturday, 12:00 PM (ESPN+)

With their best start since 2007, Delaware State is averaging 32.3 points per game. Sacred Heart is tied for 91st nationally at 19.3 per contest. Nonetheless, the Pioneers scored 31 points in their win over Norfolk State last Saturday. If Sacred Heart, who rank 14th nationally in time of possession, can control the clock and win the turnover battle like they did against the Spartans, this could be interesting.

Hornets 30, Pioneers 21

3. Grambling State (3-1, 0-0 SWAC) vs. Prairie View A&M (2-2, 1-0 SWAC), Saturday, 7:00 PM (SWAC TV) State Fair Classic

Don’t look now, but Grambling State is on the verge of going 4-1 for the first time since 2017, with its lone defeat coming against Ohio State. Standing in their way is Prairie View A&M, which won six of its last seven meetings, including a 36-34 five-overtime thriller the previous year. Panther running backs Chase Bingmon (60 carries, 361 yards), Lamagea McDowell (15 carries, 118 yards, two touchdowns), and quarterback Tevin Carter (498 total yards, five touchdowns) led PVAMU to 352 rushing yards in their win over Northwestern State. The Tigers, meanwhile, give up 127 yards per game on the ground.

Panthers 27, Tigers 24

2. Alabama State (2-1, 0-0 SWAC) at Florida A&M (1-2, 0-0 SWAC), Saturday, 3:00 PM (HBCU GO)

Of course, last season’s 28-13 loss to the Rattlers is still fresh in the mind of the Hornets. That’s just part of the motivation for Alabama State this week, which has lost the last five meetings against Florida A&M — by an average of 15 points per contest — dating back to 2008. Suppose Hornets quarterback Andrew Body can continue to play mistake-free football (956 total yards, 11 touchdowns, zero interceptions) against a Rattler defense that’s yielding 30.3 points a game. In that case, Alabama State will earn its first victory over FAMU in 22 years.

Hornets 31, Rattlers 17

1. #19 Jackson State (2-1, 0-0 SWAC) at Southern (1-3, 0-0 SWAC), Saturday, 7:00 PM (ESPN+) Boombox Classic

The Boombox Classic was predicted to be a preview of the SWAC Title Game this preseason. Fast-forward to Week 5, and the Jaguars have seen their share of struggles, getting outscored 90-55 in three games against FCS opponents (1-2). If the Jaguars want to atone for last season’s 41-13 championship game loss to Jackson State, Southern’s offense, led by quarterback Cam’ron McCoy (493 total yards, four touchdowns, two interceptions), will have to figure out how to move the ball on a Tigers’ defense that allows an average of 17.3 points and 282.7 yards per contest.

Tigers 28, Jaguars 20

More HBCU Predictions

OVC-Big South

#13 Tennessee Tech (3-0, 0-0 OVC-Big South) at Tennessee State (1-2, 0-0 OVC-Big South), Saturday, 4:30 PM (ESPN+)
Golden Eagles 35, Tigers 17

CAA

Hampton (1-3, 0-1 CAA) at Elon (2-2, 0-0 CAA), Saturday, 2:00 PM (FloSports)
Phoenix 28, Pirates 20

North Carolina A&T (1-3, 1-0 CAA) at Maine (0-4, 0-1 CAA), Saturday, 3:30 PM (FloSports)
Aggies 17, Blue Bears 14 

MEAC

Norfolk State (1-3) at Wagner (0-4), Saturday, 12:00 PM (NEC Front Row)
Spartans 28, Seahawks 24

Howard (3-1) at Richmond (2-2), Saturday, 2:00 PM (ESPN+)
Spiders 27, Bison 17

Morgan State (1-3) vs. Miles (0-4), Saturday, 3:00 PM Circle City Classic
Bears 31, Golden Bears 10

South Carolina State (2-2) at Charleston Southern (0-4), Saturday, 6:00 PM (ESPN+)
Bulldogs 27, Buccaneers 14

North Carolina Central (3-2) at East Texas A&M (0-3), Saturday, 7:00 PM (ESPN+)
Eagles 42, Lions 21 

SWAC

Alabama A&M (3-1, 0-0 SWAC) at Bethune-Cookman (1-3, 0-0 SWAC), Saturday, 3:00 PM (SWAC TV)
Bulldogs 38, Wildcats 30

Arkansas-Pine Bluff (1-2, 1-0 SWAC) vs. Alcorn State (0-3, 0-0 SWAC), Saturday, 7:00 PM (HBCU GO) Southern Heritage Classic
Braves 21, Golden Lions 17