SWAC play opens in earnest this week, bringing two of HBCU football’s oldest rivalry trophies. Grambling State and Prairie View A&M meet at the Cotton Bowl for the 101st State Fair Classic, the SWAC opener for Grambling State, with Prairie View A&M already 1-0 in conference play, and Southern travels to Jackson State for the Boombox Classic, the SWAC opener for both of those programs. Texas Southern is on the road at Alcorn State, and South Carolina State takes its unbeaten, nationally ranked record to Bethune-Cookman for one more nonconference tune-up before SWAC play begins. Below is a look at every game on the board this week, from the perspective of each Division I HBCU involved, with equal coverage for the games that pit two Division I HBCUs against each other.

The State Fair Classic

Grambling State and Prairie View A&M renew one of HBCU football’s most recognizable rivalries on Saturday, the 101st playing of the State Fair Classic and the 78th all-time meeting between the two programs at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. Kickoff is 6 p.m. CT, streaming on ESPN+.

Grambling State leads the all-time series 52-24-1. Prairie View A&M won last year’s meeting 28-13 and also took the 2024 game 36-34 in five overtimes, while Grambling State’s most recent win in the series came in 2023, 35-20.

About Grambling State

Grambling State (2-1) opens SWAC play after a nonconference slate that included wins over Clark Atlanta (49-7) and Central State (48-26) sandwiched around a loss at TCU. The Tigers are averaging 34.7 points and 447 yards of total offense a game, with 604 net rushing yards and 737 passing yards through three games.

Quarterback Reginald Johnson has completed 47 of 60 passes (78.3 percent) for 581 yards and two touchdowns, good for a 167.34 efficiency rating. Wide receiver Jordan Bride leads the Tigers with 14 catches for 221 yards, Tyson George has added 15 catches for 160 yards and a touchdown, and Byron Eaton Jr. has contributed both as a runner and a receiver, with 79 rushing yards and a touchdown to go with five catches for another 79 yards and two scores. Tony Phillips Jr. leads the ground game at 101 yards on just 10 carries, including a 75-yard touchdown run, and also opened the season with an 89-yard kickoff return touchdown against Clark Atlanta.

Defensively, linebacker Lonell Cunningham and defensive back Jalen Guillard each have 14 tackles, with Guillard adding four pass breakups and two forced fumbles.

About Prairie View A&M

Prairie View A&M enters at 1-3 overall but 1-0 in SWAC play after opening conference action with a 52-14 win over Texas Southern in the Labor Day Classic. The Panthers have since dropped nonconference games to two ranked FCS programs, Tarleton State (49-30) and Stephen F. Austin (31-10), along with a 44-3 loss at Baylor.

Quarterback Tevin Carter has thrown for 717 yards and five touchdowns and rushed for 168 yards and two scores on 46 carries. Prairie View A&M is averaging 323.5 total yards a game, including 207.3 through the air.

Defensively, linebacker Malachi Williams has been the Panthers’ most disruptive player, recording six tackles, three tackles for loss and three sacks in the win over Texas Southern to earn SWAC Defensive Player of the Week, and he also had a hand in one of three Prairie View A&M interceptions in the loss at Baylor, alongside Harrison McKinley and JJ Davis.

The Boombox Classic

Jackson State hosts Southern at Veterans Memorial Stadium for the Boombox Classic, the SWAC opener for both programs, with kickoff at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN+. The two teams have met 72 times since 1956, with the all-time series tied at 36, and Jackson State has won the last seven meetings, the longest streak either program has held in the series.

About Jackson State

Jackson State (3-0) is unbeaten through three games, opening with a 26-24 win at Tennessee State, routing Edward Waters 66-10, and beating Tuskegee 41-7 in the W.C. Gorden Classic. Nate Blount IV has gone over 100 rushing yards in each of the last two games, running for 101 against Tennessee State and 108 against Tuskegee.

Kicker Andrew Ivaniciuc was named SWAC Specialist of the Week after going 4 for 5 on field goals against Tennessee State, including a career-long 51-yarder, and defensive back Keith Bass Jr. earned SWAC Defensive Player of the Week honors from that same game with six tackles, a sack, and 1.5 tackles for loss. Head coach T.C. Taylor is 31-9 in his fourth season at the helm, with two SWAC East Division titles, an overall SWAC championship and the 2024 HBCU national title.

About Southern

Southern (2-2) enters Saturday off a 50-31 win over Louisiana Christian, a game last week’s recap covered in detail, with Trey Holly rushing for 200 yards and Mike Franklin adding 130 more, for 330 yards combined on the ground. First-year head coach Marshall Faulk has the Jaguars at 2-2 heading into SWAC play, with Christian Johnson also factoring into the ground game and passing attack. Southern was picked to finish fifth in the SWAC West in the preseason poll.

Texas Southern Looks to Bounce Back at Alcorn State

Texas Southern travels to Lorman, Mississippi, to face Alcorn State at Spinks-Casem Stadium, with kickoff at 3 p.m. CT on SWAC TV and WPRL 91.7 FM. This will be the sixth meeting between the two since 2018, and Alcorn State has won the last two.

About Texas Southern

Texas Southern (1-2, 0-1 SWAC) is coming off a 52-14 loss to Prairie View A&M in the Labor Day Classic. The Tigers were picked to finish fourth in the SWAC West in the preseason poll despite coming off their first winning season since 2000, and they return six offensive starters and three defensive starters under Head Coach Chris Dishman.

A trio of offensive players earned 2026 Preseason All-SWAC Second Team honors: tight end Kordell Rodgers, offensive lineman Jayden Daniels and wide receiver Roriyon Richardson. Texas Southern is bringing in a new defensive coordinator in Scott Vestal.

Mississippi has been a difficult place for the Tigers, who are 3-15 there since 2011 and 1-5 at Alcorn State in that span, with their lone win in 2022. Since 2011, Texas Southern is 14-56 on the road overall, though the Tigers went 3-2 away from home last season.

About Alcorn State

Alcorn State (2-2, 1-0 SWAC) is coming off a road loss at North Alabama but still holds a 2-0 mark against SWAC competition and a two-game winning streak over Texas Southern. Quarterback Jaylon Tolbert has thrown for 1,139 yards and 11 touchdowns, and the Braves rank fourth in the SWAC in total offense (426.5 yards a game) and third in passing (297.5 yards a game).

Cameran Rogers and Eric Thomas Jr. are both on the Deacon Jones Player of the Year watch list, defensive back Tayvion Haney is on the Aeneas Williams Award preseason watch list, and punter Demetrion Duvall, who averaged 42.7 yards a kick last season, is on the FCS Preseason Punter of the Year watch list. Thomas and Duvall were also both named to the BOXTOROW HBCU Preseason All-America team. Head coach Cedric Thomas has never faced Texas Southern and is looking for his 14th career win.

South Carolina State Puts Its Unbeaten Record on the Line at Bethune-Cookman

South Carolina State takes its 4-0 record to Daytona Beach to face Bethune-Cookman at Daytona Stadium, with kickoff at 7 p.m. on HBCU GO. It is South Carolina State’s second straight road game after last week’s 20-17 win at then-No. 24 Furman, a result covered in last week’s recap. South Carolina State leads the all-time series with Bethune-Cookman 35-24-1 and has won all three meetings since the Wildcats left the MEAC for the SWAC in 2021, beating Bethune-Cookman 55-41 last season in Orangeburg.

About South Carolina State

South Carolina State (4-0) is ranked No. 14 in the AFCA FCS Coaches Poll and No. 16 in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 after outscoring opponents 204-30 through four games, including shutouts of Savannah State and Virginia State. The Bulldogs are averaging 51 points and 491.8 yards of total offense per game, led by a rushing attack that has produced 1,121 yards on 162 carries, 6.9 yards per carry, and 15 touchdowns.

Running back Mason Pickett-Hicks has been the focal point, rushing for 210 yards and two touchdowns against Florida A&M and 112 more against Virginia State, and he leads the MEAC with 477 rushing yards on the season. South Carolina State has converted 47.8 percent of its third downs and scored on 18 of 19 red zone trips.

The defense has allowed just 709 total yards all season, has yet to surrender a rushing touchdown, and is giving up only 1.4 yards a carry. Ka’Von Chisolm leads the Bulldogs with four sacks, and Jordan Dollard has been another key contributor for a unit that has held three of its four opponents to 17 points or fewer with two shutouts.

About Bethune-Cookman

Bethune-Cookman (2-1) is looking for its first 3-1 start since 2019 as head coach Raymond Woodie’s team treats this as a final tune-up before SWAC play begins next week. The Wildcats are coming off a 62-3 win over Virginia-Lynchburg in which they piled up 655 total yards, including 530 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns, with Rashon Brown scoring three times on the ground. Isaiah Daniel, Gerian Traynor and Jaylen Johnson also found the end zone in that game.

Through three games, Bethune-Cookman is averaging 37 points and 385.7 yards of offense, with 853 rushing yards on the season. The Wildcats have scored 111 points through three games while allowing 94.

Alabama A&M Opens SWAC Play at Florida A&M

Alabama A&M and Florida A&M meet for the 16th time on Saturday, both teams’ SWAC opener, with kickoff at 7 p.m. ET at Bragg Memorial Stadium on SWAC TV. Florida A&M has won the last five meetings in the series, and Alabama A&M’s only win came back in 1979, a 19-14 decision. Last season’s meeting went to Florida A&M, 26-23, at Alabama A&M’s Louis Crews Stadium.

About Alabama A&M

Alabama A&M (3-1) has won three straight since an opening 31-24 loss to Howard in the Cricket MEAC/SWAC Challenge, most recently a 45-3 win over Bowie State in which quarterback Cornelious Brown IV completed his first 14 passes and went 25 of 32 for 350 yards in the first half alone.

This season, Brown IV has completed 67.4 percent of his passes for 1,111 yards, eight touchdowns and two interceptions, with Jarel Williams (23 catches, 358 yards, three touchdowns) and Jordan Chambers-Smith (16 catches, 246 yards, three touchdowns) as his top targets. Kolton Nero leads the ground game with 183 yards and three touchdowns.

The Bulldogs lead the SWAC in scoring defense, allowing just 15.0 points a game, with linebacker Jeremiah Hudson-Davis pacing the unit at 39 tackles and Kylon Roberts adding 5.0 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. Alabama A&M is seeking its first four-game winning streak under head coach Sam Shade.

About Florida A&M

Florida A&M (1-3) has dropped three straight since an opening win over Albany State, most recently a 29-26 loss to Tennessee State, as detailed in last week’s recap. The Rattlers bring the SWAC’s most disruptive defensive front into their conference opener, leading the league with 14 sacks and holding opponents to a conference-best 27.0 percent third-down conversion rate.

Linebacker Denzel Johnson leads the team with 28 tackles, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and a blocked kick, and he was named SWAC Defensive Player of the Week for his effort against Tennessee State. Defensive back Justin Bostic has two interceptions, including a pick-six. Punter Bobby Engstler, who was also named a SWAC weekly honoree, leads the conference in both gross and net punting.

Quinn Gray Sr. has used both Armond Parker (17 of 32, 304 yards, two touchdowns) and Dustin Fletcher (20 of 38, 149 yards, one touchdown, plus 98 rushing yards) at quarterback, with Jaquan Lee averaging 16.8 yards a catch as the Rattlers’ top deep threat.

Norfolk State Makes Its Longest Trip of the Season

Norfolk State travels to the Chicago area on Saturday to face Chicago State at SeatGeek Stadium, the first meeting between the schools and the fifth game in Chicago State’s history. Kickoff is 6 p.m., streaming on the Chicago State Athletics YouTube channel.

Norfolk State (2-2) arrives off the program’s best four-game start since 2023, coming off a 42-21 win over Hampton in the 61st Battle of the Bay that last week’s recap covered at length, including Jason Wonodi’s two punt return touchdowns and Marco Peery’s perfect five field goal day. Head coach Michael Vick is chasing his first road win since taking over the program.

“I haven’t won on the road yet,” Vick said. “I feel like I’ve been doing this for a long time, but last year was not ideal. There are a lot of small milestones to hit, and they’ll set us up for the things we’ll see down the road.”

He was careful not to overlook a first-year program playing just its fifth game. “This is a very important week. For us, it’s about going back to the basics. You can’t underestimate a team because of its record. You always have to give them credit and respect. You can’t feel like you’re going to walk in and deliver the knockout punch early. You have to work for every blade of grass.”

On Wonodi’s big week, Vick did not hold back. “He’s very deserving. Wonodi is a total team player. I love him as an individual and as a person. He’s very sharp, he loves the game, and he believes in himself.”

Chicago State (1-3) is in its first season of football under head coach Bobby Rome II, a Hampton Roads native who played fullback at North Carolina. The Cougars are 0-2 against Division I opponents this season but took their first win in program history on Sept. 12, a 78-7 rout of Kentucky Christian.

True freshman quarterback Ashton Pannell has completed 70.16 percent of his passes for 905 yards and nine touchdowns, and leading receiver Kymari Gray, a redshirt senior with 16 catches for 229 yards and three touchdowns, previously played at Norfolk State. Gray is one of three Phoebus High School products on the Chicago State roster, alongside safety Jayden Earley, who leads the team with three interceptions.

Rome and Vick, both former Hampton Roads high school quarterbacks, are coaching against each other for the first time. “It’s really cool, man,” Vick said. “For us to be in the positions we’re in and have the opportunity to lead young men on and off the field, there’s no better feeling.”

North Carolina A&T Hosts Nationally Ranked Rhode Island

North Carolina A&T returns home to Truist Stadium after three weeks away to host No. 19/22 Rhode Island for Hall of Fame weekend, with kickoff at 4 p.m. Rhode Island, the defending CAA co-champion, is off to a 2-2 start, 1-1 in the CAA.

North Carolina A&T (0-4, 0-1 CAA) is coming off a 42-14 loss at Campbell, and head coach Shawn Gibbs did not soften his assessment. “We did not play anywhere close to our standard, and it’s my responsibility to get our guys playing up to the standard,” Gibbs said. “We gave up 219 yards on the ground. That’s three weeks in a row where we’ve given up 200 yards rushing. That’s not how we play defense.”

The Aggies also managed only 37 rushing yards of their own and committed 11 penalties, including personal fouls that Gibbs called “embarrassing.” Quarterback Kevin White left the Campbell game in concussion protocol and is considered day-to-day, with Gibbs saying his symptoms were not severe. Backup quarterback Champ filled in when White went down.

Despite the 0-4 start, Gibbs said his team has not lost belief. “I still believe, and I’m never gonna stop believing that we’re close,” Gibbs said. “But the thing about it is the difference between us being close and taking the next step to being who we’re capable of being is discipline and detail, and we got to do a better job in both of those things.”

Looking ahead to Rhode Island, Gibbs was direct about the challenge. “They’re well coached. They’re big and strong up front on both sides of the ball,” he said. “Their starting quarterback, who was a preseason All-American, preseason player of the year guy, he’s out for the season, so they’re playing without him. But they’re still more than capable. They got the best receiver. Buchanan is one of the best receivers in FCS football.”

Gibbs framed the matchup, and the season, in stark terms. “It’s us against the world. We don’t have a lot of people believing in us, and they shouldn’t. We’re 0-4. Why should you believe in us? But it doesn’t matter what anybody else thinks about us. It’s about those guys in the locker room coming together, being who they’re capable of being, and going out and putting that on the field. And what better weekend than this weekend? Hall of Fame weekend, facing the defending conference champions, a nationally ranked team. There’s no better time than right now.”

Rhode Island enters playing its fourth road game in five weeks to open the season, a stretch that has covered roughly 2,200 miles. The Rams and Aggies have met only once before, a 31-24 Rhode Island win at Meade Stadium in 2023 in which Ja’Den McKenzie ran for 233 yards and three touchdowns, including the game winner with under three minutes left.

Also on Tap

Towson (0-4, 0-1 CAA) closes its nonconference slate at Delaware State (2-2, 0-0 MEAC), with kickoff at 6 p.m. at Alumni Stadium in Dover. It is the first meeting between the two since 2014, when Towson won 21-7, and Towson leads the all-time series 11-6. Towson is coming off a 41-26 loss to Morgan State, while Delaware State enters off a 59-17 loss at South Florida, a game in which the Hornets were tied 7-7 in the first quarter and still within striking distance, 17-21, late in the second before South Florida pulled away. Delaware State quarterback Ui Ale has thrown for 779 yards and three touchdowns while also rushing for 168 yards and two scores, and redshirt sophomore safety Kemari Nix leads the defense with 23 tackles.

North Carolina Central (2-2) is back on the road at East Carolina, with kickoff at 4 p.m. on ESPN+, in just the second all-time meeting between the two programs. NC Central is coming off a 44-20 loss at Gardner-Webb, covered in last week’s recap, while East Carolina picked up its first win of the season last week, 20-17 over Old Dominion, after opening with losses to Alabama and Appalachian State. Head coach Trei Oliver is 18-18 on the road at NC Central and three wins shy of 50 for his career.

Hampton (1-3, 0-1 CAA) hosts No. 22 Campbell (3-1, 1-0 CAA) at Darling Stadium, with kickoff at 6 p.m., as the Camels make their first Top 25 appearance in program history. Campbell is coming off a 42-14 win over North Carolina A&T behind quarterback Kamden Sixkiller, who completed 23 of 25 passes for 341 yards and four touchdowns, and JJ Cowan, whose 90-yard touchdown run was the longest in Campbell’s modern history. Hampton, under head coach Van Malone, is looking to snap a 13-game CAA losing streak. Starting quarterback Jalen Woods and leading rusher Amari Pryear have both missed time with injuries, with Tre’Von Taylor filling in at quarterback last week, going 13 of 24 for 178 yards and two touchdowns in a 42-21 loss at Norfolk State.