Week 7 HBCU Football Polls: 2022 HBCU-Pro Sports Media Association
The HBCU Sports-Pro Media Association members voted and released its Week 7 HBCU Football’s Major and Mid-Major poll results.
Jackson State returned to the field after a bye week this past Saturday and continued its dominant performance over SWAC opponents with a 48-8 victory over Bethune-Cookman University in Jacksonville, Fla. The Tigers (6-0) remained the undisputed top team in the Major Division of the HBCU-Pro Sports Media football poll. North Carolina Central (5-1) also returned to action following a bye week and remained in second place after winning a 59-20 contest against Morgan State in Thursday night’s national spotlight game for its first conference win of the year.
The Florida A&M Rattlers (5-2) won its 5th consecutive game of the season after overcoming a competitive Grambling State team 20-16 and took sole possession of 3rd place in the poll thanks in large part to Southern University. The Jaguars moved into 4th place in the poll and first-place in the SWAC West after defeating Alcorn State 21-17. The Braves (3-3) were tied for 3rd with Florida A&M last week, but dropped to 7th place following the loss.
Hampton University (4-2) moved up three places this week to 5th place after winning its first Colonial Athletic Association game, 38-37 over SUNY Albany in overtime. The Delaware State Hornets (4-2) played homecoming spoilers for Norfolk State with a 28-7 road win. It was the Hornets first conference opening win, as well as its first conference road win, since both last occurred in 2014. Del State moved up one spot from 7th to 6th place.
Rounding out the Top 10 was Prairie View A&M (3-3) who dropped two spots to 8th place during its bye week. Alabama State (4-3) rebounded from its homecoming loss last week to defeat Mississippi Valley State at home 24-9 to remain in 9th place. North Carolina A&T State University (3-3) stayed put at 10th after a 45-7 win over Edward Waters.
In the Mid-Major football poll, the top two teams both remained unbeaten after impressive road victories against divisional conference foes. Virginia Union (7-0) picked up a few more first-place votes after defeating the three-time defending CIAA champion Bowie State Bulldogs 27-24 in overtime. The Panthers handed Bowie State, who dropped from 5th to 8th place, its first home defeat since 2016 and first CIAA home defeat since 2014.
The Benedict College Tigers (7-0) defeated defending SIAC champion Albany State Golden Rams in a Top 25 showdown 24-20. It’s the second time the Tigers beat a division rival for its homecoming game. They received a first-place vote, but primarily moved up from 3rd place to 2nd among the voters, while Albany State (5-2) dropped from 2nd to 4th place.
Fort Valley State (6-1) moved from 6th place to 3rd after a 56-28 win over Morehouse. Fayetteville State (5-2) moved from 7th place to 5th after a 44-7 road win on homecoming at Livingstone College. Tuskegee University (5-2) won its 5th consecutive game after defeating Central State 49-34 in a game that featured over 1,200 yards of total offense.
Previously unbeaten Langston University (5-1) dropped its first contest of the season 53-28 at Texas Wesleyan. The Sooner Athletic Conference showdown was a NAIA Top 20-ranked matchup. The Lions dropped from 4th to 7th place in the polls.
Lane College (4-3) crashed Miles University’s homecoming with a 35-32 victory and entered the Top 10 in 9th place. Virginia State (4-3) lost a shootout with divisional foe Chowan 43-40 and dropped from 9th to 10th place.
Pollsters comprise a cross-section of HBCU media members, including eight different media organizations. These voters cover all four HBCU football-playing conferences, and reside in 12 different states.
Poll Results – Week 7:
MAJOR DIVISION (20 Voters)
- Jackson State
- North Carolina Central
- Florida A&M
- Southern University
- Hampton University
- Delaware State
- Alcorn State
- Prairie View A&M
- Alabama State
- North Carolina A&T
Others Receiving Votes (points in parentheses): South Carolina State (11)
Dropped Out of Top Ten: None
MID-MAJOR DIVISION (20 Voters)
- Virginia Union
- Benedict College
- Fort Valley State
- Albany State
- Fayetteville State
- Tuskegee University
- Langston University
- Bowie State
- Lane University
- Virginia State
Others Receiving Votes (points in parentheses): West Virginia State (14), Kentucky State (11)
Dropped Out of Top Ten: West Virginia State
About the HBCU Pro-Sports Media Association
Founded in 2020, the HBCU-Pro Sports Media Association is an organization that includes (but not limited to) journalists, photographers, broadcasters, reporters, editors, and sports-information directors dedicated to the coverage and support, both on and off the field, of historically black college sports and HBCU alumni athletes who become professionals. For more information, log onto www.hbcuprosportsmedia.com.
Prepared by HBCU-PSMA member Bryan Fulford, Black College Sports Network