Week One was pretty by-the-book as far as HBCU Football goes and that led to a great week for those of us in the prediction business; namely me.
Week Two promises to be a little more difficult, especially in the Division II ranks where SIAC and CIAA teams face each other or will deal with non-conference battles that come along once in a blue moon.
Either way, the Chris-tal Ball is ready to predict this week’s winners, but first, let’s take a look back at Week One.
Week 1 Record: 25-6
Best pick: Tennessee State 22, North Carolina A&T 19 (Tigers won 24-21…probably won’t get much closer to the actual score of a game again this year.)
Worst pick: Fayetteville State 19, Benedict 14 (BC won 10-0…Broncos gonna have trouble scoring again this year, eh?)
Game of the week: Virginia State (1-0) at Norfolk State (0-1), Sat. Sept. 6, 6:00 p.m. EST, ESPN Plus
It was a rough debut for Michael Vick’s Spartans against Towson last week, and believe it or not, it doesn’t get any easier with little big brother Virginia State coming to town.
The Trojans zipped past Barton 35-7 thanks to 343 yards passing and two touchdowns from redshirt freshman quarterback Rahsaan Matthews Jr., but VSU showed they can run the ball as well. Redshirt sophomore running back Brandon Rose collected 67 yards and two touchdowns on just 17 carries, leading a 201-yard ground attack.
NSU will counter with running back Kevon King and turn to Israel Carter at quarterback to try and get things going. This game is a battle every year, and with so much on the line for each squad, expect more of the same from the Big State-Little State rivalry.
Prediction: Norfolk State 35, Virginia State 31
Alabama State (0-1) at Southern (1-1), Sat. Sept. 6, 7 p.m. EST, ESPN Plus
Two first-class SWAC defenses will mix it up in Baton Rouge, but Alabama State brings in an offense that scored 42 points against FBS opponent UAB.
Andrew Body’s promise of “The Greatest Show On Turf” looks good through one week, but the Jaguars still boast Ckelby Givens, Trey Brister and many other playmakers on that defense.
The question is will Southern put together enough points to hold off Bama State, something they had to do against a surprisingly competitive Mississippi Valley State team last week.
Prediction: Alabama State 31, Southern 21
Florida Memorial (0-1) at Clark Atlanta (0-1), Sat., Sept. 6, 3 p.m. EST, SIAC Network
One of the highest scoring games in HBCU Football a year ago ended without a resolution as Florida Memorial and Clark Atlanta traded score for score until Miami’s tricky tropical weather paused the game and was declared a no-contest.
The Lions make the trip north to ATL this year and the Panthers still have a quarterback who can make things happen in Jackson State transfer Zy McDonald, so there’s no break for FMU.
Florida Memorial will look to quarterback David Buggs, running backs Nygel Osborne and Khalil Washington receiver Arabia Bradford to match CAU’s offensive firepower. Should be a blast for anyone attending that game.
Prediction: Clark Atlanta 44, Florida Memorial 40
Week 2
Saturday, Sept. 6
Delaware State 24, Albany 20
Temple 31, Howard 20
Old Dominion 23, North Carolina Central 17
South Carolina 34, South Carolina State 18
Morgan State 20, Towson 17
North Dakota State 33, Tennessee State 19
Ohio State 32, Grambling 13
Southern Miss 27, Jackson State 24
Cal-Berkley 35, Texas Southern 16
Florida Atlantic 26, Florida A&M 16
Miami (Fl.) 35, Bethune-Cookman 14
Central Arkansas 29, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 25
Prairie View A&M 30, Texas-Rio Grande Valley 24
Tarleton State 27, Mississippi Valley State 18
Alabama A&M 34, Alcorn State 24
Hampton 33, Elizabeth City State 15
Central Florida 28, North Carolina A&T 17
Johnson C. Smith 31, Valdosta State 30
Lincoln (Mo.) 27, Lane 20
Edward Waters 30, Miles 19
Allen 23, Livingstone 18
Shorter 31, Savannah State 21
Tuskegee 34, Central State 17
Duquesne 32, Lincoln (Pa.) 14
Concord 17, Bluefield State 13
Shippensburg 25, Bowie State 21
UNC-Pembroke 20, Fayetteville State 12
Winston-Salem State 26, Mars Hill 19
Louisiana Christian 24, Langston 20
Texas College 35, Arkansas Baptist 26
Roanoke 28, Virginia-Lynchburg 15