Alabama A&M is the new No. 1 in the Data Driven HBCU Computer Poll. The Bulldogs moved up from third after routing Grambling State 61-31, and Jackson State slid from first to second despite beating Florida A&M to move to 6-1.

That move raises a fair question. Jackson State has the better record, and it beat Alabama A&M head-to-head. The Massey national ranking composite agrees with Thee Tiger fans and ranks Jackson State No. 1 among the 21 Division I HBCUs we track. The Massey composite blends multiple ranking systems into one ranking of every FCS program. Most are computer models, but it also includes human polls, and the number of systems grows through the week as more publish their ratings.

The two lists agree on most of the board. Where they split, the reasons trace back to a few specific features of our model, and the biggest one is at the very top.

Our Week 6 comparison takes a deeper look at how we built the poll and what each factor measures.

Our Rankings Next to the National Field

The three biggest gaps are highlighted.

Twelve of the 21 schools land within one spot of each other in the two rankings, and six land in exactly the same spot, including Morgan State at No. 3. The bottom three are identical: Texas Southern, Mississippi Valley State and Hampton.

Why Alabama A&M Is No. 1

This is the disagreement that matters most, so start with the case for Jackson State. The Tigers beat Alabama A&M head-to-head, and they have the better record at 6-1. The national composite rewards both, which is why it ranks Jackson State first.

Our model also counts head-to-head results, and it weighs losses to other tracked HBCUs more heavily. Alabama A&M still comes out on top because it has outscored its opponents more.

Alabama A&M has the best dominance score in our poll. Its adjusted point margin is +14.9 points per game. Jackson State’s is plus 6.8. In our formula, that gap outweighs the head-to-head result and Jackson State’s one fewer loss. National systems don’t carry a separate margin-of-victory factor like ours, so the head-to-head result and the record speak louder there.

In other words, the No. 1 debate comes down to a simple question. Should a head-to-head win settle it, or should a team that has won by more, more often, get the nod? The national computers lean one way. Ours leans the other.

Where Else We Differ

Grambling State: our No. 11, the composite’s No. 5

Grambling State is the biggest gap on the board, six spots. The difference is the 61-31 loss at Alabama A&M, which triggers our blowout penalty.

Grambling’s margins also don’t help it in our model. Its dominance and raw margin scores sit in the middle of the field. The national computers weigh more on Grambling’s 4-3 resume, including wins over Jackson State and Alcorn State.

Norfolk State and Alabama State: four spots higher in our poll

We have Norfolk State fifth and Alabama State sixth. The national composite has them ninth and 10th. Neither team has a lopsided loss that our penalties would pick up, so the gap comes from how the two systems value their results rather than from a single game. Our model’s head-to-head and strength-of-schedule factors grade both teams more generously than the national computers do.

The FCS Only Test

Last week’s FCS-only test compared Jackson State and Morgan State. This week we ran it for all 21 teams and rebuilt the full rankings, removing every non-FCS game from every part of the formula, including strength of schedule, margins, and head-to-head results.

The top five don’t move at all. Alabama A&M, Jackson State, Morgan State, South Carolina State, and Norfolk State hold the same spots with or without their non-FCS games, and Hampton stays at the bottom.

Two teams move the most. Arkansas-Pine Bluff drops four spots, from eighth to 12th. Three of its six games came against non-FCS opponents, including FBS Missouri, which leaves a 1-2 record on a three-game sample, tied with Norfolk State for the smallest in the table. Southern drops three spots, from 17th to 20th, after its wins over Kentucky State and Louisiana Christian are set aside, leaving a 1-3 record against FCS teams.

Grambling State and Bethune-Cookman both climb two spots, Grambling from 11th to ninth and Bethune-Cookman from 12th to 10th. Both lose a lopsided FBS loss from their profiles, Grambling’s at TCU and Bethune-Cookman’s at UCF. Every other team moves at most one spot, and eight schools land in the same place.

How they have played against FCS teams

The second table shows how each team has scored and moved the ball against FCS opponents only, listed in FCS-only rank order.

Alabama A&M is No. 1 either way, and the numbers show why. Against FCS teams, the Bulldogs score 39.7 points a game and allow 22.3. They gain 488.5 yards a game and allow 290.3, the fewest in the field, outgaining FCS opponents by nearly 200 yards a game.

South Carolina State allows 293.8 yards a game, second only to Alabama A&M. Alabama State allows the fewest points, 18.2 a game. Norfolk State gains 512.7 yards a game, second only to Alcorn State’s 533.4, though both numbers come from just three FCS games.

At the other end, the shootouts show up clearly. Alcorn State scores a field-best 42.6 points a game but allows 46.6, the most of any team. Grambling State allows 495.5 yards a game, the most in the field.

The Bottom Line

Our poll and the national computers agree on the shape of the race. Alabama A&M, Jackson State, Morgan State and South Carolina State are the top four in both, just in a different order.

The two biggest splits this week come from the same game. Alabama A&M’s 61-31 win over Grambling State pushed the Bulldogs past Jackson State in our poll and dropped Grambling six spots below where the national computers have it. Fans who think a head-to-head win should decide No. 1 are making the same argument the national computers make. In our formula, Alabama A&M’s margins carry more weight.

The next test comes Oct. 31, when Alabama A&M meets No. 6 Alabama State in the Magic City Classic.

See the full rankings and every team’s results on the 2026 football season dashboard.