HBCU Football: 'Championship Saturday' for SIAC and CIAA
Two HBCU football conference championships will be decided on the playing field in Week 11. The SIAC and CIAA will have new titleholders by the end of the day.
Mile RB Donte Edwards; Credit: Miles Athletics
2021 SIAC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
The SIAC Football Championship between Miles College (6-4, 4-2 SIAC) and Albany State (9-1, 6-0 SIAC) will be held at Sloan-Alumni Stadium in Fairfield, AL on Miles' campus. The kickoff is set for 2 PM CT.
This season, Albany State defeated Miles with a 31-3 victory at Miles on Oct. 2 in Fairfield, Alabama. The Golden Rams have defeated the Golden Bears in five-consecutive games and three championship games.
ASU is heavily favored in the contest with a strong rushing attack and defensive effort against Miles.
"The Albany State University Golden Rams are the #1 ranked scoring defense in the SIAC. The "Dirty Blue" defense is only yielding an astonishing 5.2 points per contest. The "Dirty Blue" defense has held six opponents scoreless so far this season." ~ SIAC
Credit: SIAC
Prediction: Albany State finishes another impressive season with the SIAC Football Championship title.
2021 CIAA CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
Two teams who know one another quite well will square off in the 2021 CIAA Football Championship game at 1 PM ET when Bowie State University meets Fayetteville State University.
The 2021 CIAA Coach of the Year, Damon Wilson, will pit his Bowie State team's 8-1 (6-0 in conference, 4-0 in North Division) record against Fayetteville State's 7-1 (6-0 in conference, 4-0 in South Division) record.
The Bulldogs seek its third-consecutive CIAA football championship crown when they battle the Broncos for the fourth-straight time in the title game.
Fayetteville State sports the top-ranked defense in the conference, and Bowie State's defense is second.
The Broncos have the CIAA's second-ranked offense in the conference by averaging 32.9 points/game and 394.4 yards/game. Offensively, the Bulldogs are third with 32.3 points/game and a total of 383.3 yards per contest.
Credit: CIAA
Fayetteville State has a better passing offense at 237.9 yards/game versus Bowie State's 186.6 yards passing per game. If either needs to make a rally, the Broncos figure to be more established passing than the Bulldogs. However, Bowie State leads the conference in defensive efficiency with 11 (tied) interceptions, second in sacks at 35, and an 82.6 efficiency rating.
The game could turn out to become a defensive affair. Whoever should win the turnover battle and has the better rush attack may become the victor.
Prediction: Bowie State wins a close and exciting contest for the 2021 CIAA Football Championship trophy.