HBCU Football Week 5 Top 10: South Carolina State, Kentucky State Lead DI, DII Rankings

HOUSTON -- South Carolina State leads Division I, while Kentucky State holds the top spot in Division II for the second straight week in the HBCU Legends’ consensus top-10 football rankings entering Week 5 of the 2026 season.

Both the Bulldogs and Thorobreds are ranked No. 1 in the BC+ model and on my personal ballot. Prairie View A&M and Virginia Union are second in their divisions.

South Carolina State is now 5-0 after beating Bethune-Cookman 31-21 on September 26. Kentucky State improved to 4-1 with a 24-16 win at Albany State.

HBCU Football Rankings Week 5: South Carolina State, Kentucky State Lead DI, DII Top 10 | HBCU Legends

Week 5 HBCU Division I Top 10

1. South Carolina State (5-0) | Mosley: 1 | BC+: 1
2. Prairie View A&M (2-3) | Mosley: 2 | BC+: 3
3. Alabama State (3-1) | Mosley: 4 | BC+: 2
4. Jackson State (4-0) | Mosley: 3 | BC+: 4
5. Delaware State (3-2) | Mosley: 5 | BC+: 5
6. Alcorn State (3-2) | Mosley: 7 | BC+: 8
7. Morgan State (3-1) | Mosley: 6 | BC+: 9
8. North Carolina Central (2-3) | Mosley: 9 | BC+: 7
9. Bethune-Cookman (2-2) | Mosley: Unranked | BC+: 6
10. Grambling State (2-2) | Mosley: 8 | BC+: 10

Texas Southern just missed making the top 10.

South Carolina State is in first place, followed by three strong SWAC teams.

South Carolina State left Daytona Beach still unbeaten and firmly atop both rankings after defeating Bethune-Cookman 31-21.

Prairie View A&M checks in at No. 2 after beating Grambling State 21-14 in the State Fair Classic at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. The Panthers’ 2-3 overall record does not tell the whole story: They are 2-0 in SWAC play following the rivalry victory.

Alabama State is No. 3 after a 41-15 win over Mississippi Valley State in Montgomery. Jackson State holds No. 4 after defeating Southern 35-17 in the Boom Box Classic.

This week, the BC+ ratings show Alabama State, Prairie View A&M, and Jackson State are separated by only about 0.3 points. This small difference means the teams are very close, even though the rankings list them separately.

Delaware State and Alcorn State deliver late

No. 5 Delaware State defeated Towson 33-28, scoring the winning touchdown with 42 seconds remaining. The victory kept the Hornets in the top half of the consensus rankings.

No. 6 Alcorn State outlasted Texas Southern 43-40 in overtime in Lorman, Mississippi. Fredrick Robertson scored his fourth touchdown on a 1-yard overtime run to secure the victory. Morgan State follows at No. 7 after a bye week.

North Carolina Central stays at No. 8 after a 42-9 loss at East Carolina. In the BC+ system, FBS guarantee games count for half and are judged by the expected score difference. The Eagles did better than the BC+ model expected.

Bethune-Cookman is ranked No. 9. Their 10-point loss to South Carolina State was closer than the BC+ projection of 11.9 points. The Wildcats are the only Division I top 10 team not on my ballot.

Grambling State rounds out the list at No. 10.

Alabama A&M warrants our attention outside the top 10 after defeating Florida A&M 40-21 on the road to improve to 4-1. The Bulldogs scored the game’s final 17 points.

I do not agree with Alabama A&M being ranked No. 13 by the BC+ model. The model relies heavily on strength of schedule, including wins over two Division II teams. The difference between the Bulldogs’ record and their ranking shows how much opponent quality matters in BC+.

Week 5 HBCU Division II Top 10

1. Kentucky State (4-1) | Mosley: 1 | BC+: 1
2. Virginia Union (4-1) | Mosley: 2 | BC+: 3
3. Johnson C. Smith (3-1) | Mosley: 3 | BC+: 4
4. Albany State (2-3) | Mosley: 8 | BC+: 2
5. Edward Waters (4-1) | Mosley: 4 | BC+: 7
6. Benedict (3-1) | Mosley: 7 | BC+: 5
7. Virginia State (4-1) | Mosley: 6 | BC+: 6
8. Tuskegee (2-2) | Mosley: 5 | BC+: 9
9. West Virginia State (1-2) | Mosley: 10 | BC+: 8
10. Central State (2-3) | Mosley: 9 | BC+: 11

Allen is just outside the top 10 after having a bye week.

Kentucky State claims both No. 1 rankings

Kentucky State defeated Albany State for the first time since 2003, winning 24-16 to improve to 4-1 overall and 3-0 in SIAC play. The Thorobreds produced 406 yards of offense and five sacks in the road victory.

With this win, Kentucky State is now No. 1 in both rankings. The latest BC+ ratings estimate the Thorobreds have a 4.2-point edge over Albany State in second place.

Virginia Union is No. 2 after shutting out Fayetteville State 14-0. The Panthers’ second consecutive shutout strengthened their case in the CIAA race. Johnson C. Smith holds No. 3 after a bye week.

Albany State is ranked No. 4, which is the biggest difference between the Division II ballots. BC+ puts the Golden Rams at No. 2, while my ballot has them at No. 8. The BC+ model values opponent quality and their eight-point loss to Kentucky State more heavily.

Edward Waters is No. 5 with a 4-1 record after defeating Morehouse 46-38 on the road. Benedict and Virginia State follow at Nos. 6 and 7, respectTheir BC+ ratings are only about 0.2 points apart, which is too close to make a strong distinction between them in this update.d update.

Tuskegee’s upset creates a rankings debate

Tuskegee is No. 8 in the consensus after defeating previously unbeaten Benedict 20-17 on Sept. 24 at Cleve L. Abbott Memorial Stadium. The Golden Tigers improved to 2-2, while Benedict fell to 3-1.

Benedict entered Thursday’s game 0-7 at Tuskegee, now 0-8, in the available series records dating to 1997.

Tuskegee is fifth on my ballot, but BC+ ranks the Golden Tigers ninth after the head-to-head adjustment. Benedict stays ahead in the consensus because the rankings look at the whole season, not just one game.

West Virginia State is No. 9, and Central State completes the Division II top 10.

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