South Carolina State, Johnson C. Smith top preseason Black College Football Poll
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The first-ever unified Black College Football Poll has been released ahead of next week’s HBCU conference media days, with South Carolina State and Johnson C. Smith earning the top spots in the inaugural rankings.
South Carolina State enters the 2026 season ranked No. 1 among NCAA Division I FCS HBCU programs after another dominant campaign under head coach Chennis Berry. The Bulldogs captured their second consecutive MEAC championship in 2025 and have yet to lose a conference game since Berry arrived from Benedict College before the 2024 season.
South Carolina State also secured its second straight Celebration Bowl appearance, rallying to defeat Prairie View A&M 40-38 in a four-overtime thriller to claim the HBCU national championship.
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Johnson C. Smith leads the inaugural NCAA Division II rankings after a historic 2025 season. The Golden Bulls captured their first CIAA championship since 1969 and earned the program’s first-ever berth in the NCAA Division II Football Championship.
The inaugural Black College Football Poll features a 57-member national voting panel comprised of HBCU head coaches and media members who cover Black college football. The poll is endorsed by the four NCAA conferences that sponsor HBCU football and will be released weekly throughout the 2026 regular season.
Voters submit a Top 10 ballot using a 10-point scoring system, with a first-place vote worth 10 points and a 10th-place vote worth one point.
NCAA Division I FCS Black College Football Poll
| Rank | Team (Conference) | 2025 Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Carolina State (MEAC) | 10-3 (5-0) |
| 2 | Prairie View A&M (SWAC) | 10-4 (7-1) |
| 3 | Jackson State (SWAC) | 9-3 (7-1) |
| 4 | Alabama State (SWAC) | 10-2 (7-1) |
| 5 | North Carolina Central (MEAC) | 8-4 (3-2) |
| 6 | Delaware State (MEAC) | 8-4 (4-1) |
| 7 | Grambling State (SWAC) | 7-5 (4-4) |
| 8 | Bethune-Cookman (SWAC) | 6-6 (5-3) |
| 9 | Texas Southern (SWAC) | 6-5 (5-3) |
| 10 | Florida A&M (SWAC) | 5-7 (4-4) |
Others receiving votes: Alcorn State, Howard and Alabama A&M.
NCAA Division II Black College Football Poll
| Rank | Team (Conference) | 2025 Record |
| 1 | Johnson C. Smith (CIAA) | 10-2 (6-1) |
| 2 | Benedict (SIAC) | 10-3 (7-1) |
| 3 | Albany State (SIAC) | 12-2 (8-0) |
| 4 | Virginia Union (CIAA) | 9-3 (7-0) |
| 5 | Kentucky State (SIAC) | 9-3 (7-1) |
| 6 | Fayetteville State (CIAA) | 6-4 (6-1) |
| 7 | Virginia State (CIAA) | 6-4 (4-3) |
| 8 | Allen (SIAC) | 6-5 (5-3) |
| 9 | Edward Waters (SIAC) | 5-5 (4-4) |
| 10 | Tuskegee (SIAC) | 4-7 (3-7) |
The release of the inaugural rankings sets the stage for a busy week across HBCU football as the SWAC, MEAC, CIAA and SIAC prepare to hold their annual media days and officially kick off the 2026 preseason.
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