Another week of high-stakes HBCU football has led to a new team joining the top five! Check out the latest HBCU football power rankings from Stan Becton below.
These are the 10th rankings of the regular season. The rankings will be done weekly throughout the regular season, sorting each HBCU football team at the FCS level based on their performances this season. Nicknamed "The Road to Atlanta," the weekly power rankings lead to the annual meeting of HBCU football's two best teams at this year's Celebration Bowl held in Atlanta.
See the latest power rankings below.
The Road to Atlanta: 2025 Week 11 HBCU football power rankings
1. Jackson State | SWAC | 6-2 (4-1) | Prev: 1
Jackson State holds on to the top spot after beating Florida A&M on the road by 25 points without its starting quarterback. That's an impressive win.
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2. Alabama State | SWAC | 6-2 (4-1) | Prev: 2
Alabama State picked up a top-five HBCU football win over Prairie View A&M. The Hornets showed that they were a complete team, with the defense and run game stepping up after star quarterback Andrew Body went down with a hand injury. I said last week that it was a razor-thin margin between Alabama State and Jackson State. That remains the case this week, with JSU on top thanks to head-to-head.
3. Delaware State | MEAC | 6-3 (2-0) | Prev: 3
Delaware State moved to 2-0 in MEAC play after a neutral site win over Norfolk State on a short week of practice. That win in those circumstances is almost as impressive as head coach DeSean Jackson's MEAC opening win.
4. North Carolina Central | MEAC | 6-3 (1-1) | Prev: 5
North Carolina Central beat Howard, bouncing back from a conference loss last week. The Eagles had a big day from quarterback Walker Harris, passing for four touchdowns while rushing for another.
🔮: 2025 FCS playoff bracket predictions entering the final month of the season
5. South Carolina State | MEAC | 6-3 (2-0) | Prev: 6
South Carolina State is now the winner of four straight, off to a 2-0 start in MEAC play. The Bulldogs get into the meat of the MEAC schedule across their final three games.
6. Prairie View A&M | SWAC | 6-3 (4-1) | Prev: 4
I wanted to keep Prarire View A&M in the top five after losing to my now top team in HBCU football, but when considering South Carolina State is on a four-game win streak, it's hard to say the Panthers are trending in a sharper upward direction than the top MEAC teams. Nonetheless, PVAMU is a team that's talented enough to rejoin the top five at any moment.
7. Grambling State | SWAC | 6-3 (3-2) | Prev: 7
Grambling State held off Alabama A&M and is now on a three-game win streak. The Tigers are now guaranteed to finish with a winning record, and it's reasonable to think Grambling will win out this year.
9. Bethune-Cookman | SWAC | 5-4 (4-1) | Prev: 9
Bethune-Cookman won a close one against Mississippi Valley State, holding off a rally from the Delta Devils. The Wildcats are still alive in the SWAC East race.
9. Texas Southern | SWAC | 4-4 (3-2) | Prev: 8
Texas Southern lost to an Alcorn State team that hasn't been very good for most of the year. The loss ended what was a four-game win streak in Houston.
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10. Alabama A&M | SWAC | 4-5 (1-4) | Prev: 10
Alabama A&;M has lost four of its last five games, but hangs on to a top-10 spot for now.
| RANK | TEAM |
|---|---|
| 1 | Jackson State |
| 2 | Alabama State |
| 3 | Delaware State |
| 4 | North Carolina Central |
| 5 | South Carolina State |
| 6 | Prairie View A&M |
| 7 | Grambling State |
| 8 | Bethune-Cookman |
| 9 | Texas Southern |
| 10 | Alabama A&M |
| 11 | Howard |
| 12 | Arkansas-Pine Bluff |
| 13 | Florida A&M |
| 14 | Alcorn State |
| 15 | Tennessee State |
| 16 | North Carolina A&T |
| 17 | Hampton |
| 18 | Morgan State |
| 19 | Southern |
| 20 | Norfolk State |
| 21 | Mississippi Valley State |
PAST POWER RANKINGS: Preseason | WK 2 | WK 3 | WK 4 | Wk 5 | Wk 6 | Wk 7 | Wk 8 | Wk 9 | Wk 10
11. Howard | MEAC | 4-5 (1-1) | Prev: 11
Howard is another team that has lost four of its last five games. Howard's first MEAC loss means it'll be behind in any potential tiebreaker scenarios in the future.
12. Arkansas-Pine Bluff | SWAC | 3-5 (2-3) | Prev: 16
Arkansas-Pine Bluff picked up its second SWAC win of the year, beating a Southern team on the downfall. A head-to-head win over Alcorn keeps the Golden Lions above the Braves.
*Arkansas-Pine Bluff's win over Westgate Christian is not a win.
13. Florida A&M | SWAC | 3-5 (2-2) | Prev: 12
Florida A&M's winning streak is over after falling at night to Jackson State. The Rattlers fall below Arkansas-Pine Bluff because Florida A&M's margin of victory over common opponents is 13 points, while Arkansas-Pine Bluff's is 23 points.
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14. Alcorn State | SWAC | 3-6 (2-3) | Prev: 18
Alcorn State has gone from looking like the worst team in HBCU football to winners of back-to-back SWAC games over Mississippi Valley State and Texas Southern. I previously had Texas Southern in my top 10, giving the Braves a signature win this season.
15. Tennessee State | OVC-Big South | 2-7 (0-5)| Prev: 13
Tennessee State falls after a blowout loss to Lindenwood. The Tigers are still looking for their first conference win.
16. North Carolina A&T | CAA | 2-7 (2-3) | Prev: 14
North Carolina A&T drops two spots after a blowout loss to Towson.
17. Hampton | CAA | 2-8 (0-6) | Prev: 17
Hampton had a bye last week.
18. Morgan State | MEAC | 3-6 (0-2) | Prev: 15
Morgan State still hasn't beaten a DI opponent, and this week's loss to South Carolina State wasn't as close as the score indicated.
MORE RANKINGS: AFCA Coaches Poll | STATS PERFORM
19. Southern | SWAC | 1-8 (0-5) | Prev: 19
Southern lost by 19 points for its seventh straight loss.
20. Norfolk State | MEAC | 1-8 (0-2) | Prev: 20
Norfolk State fought hard in Philadelphia, but ultimately fell short in a primetime MEAC matchup against Delaware State.
21. Mississippi Valley State | SWAC | 1-7 (0-4) | Prev: 21
Mississippi Valley State remains winless after falling to Bethune-Cookman.
🏈: Recapping the 2024 HBCU football season
📲 B/R:
📚 Football History: Top MEAC/SWAC Challenge moments | Individual stars | | Recapping 2022 | Recapping 2021
Championships: Jackson State wins 2024 Celebration Bowl | Tennessee State, NC Central win tennis title | Football title history | Track champions
🏟 Classics: Every HBCU Football Classic's history | Florida Classic | Bayou Classic | Can't miss atmospheres
🏀 HBCU hoops: Pac-12/SWAC series |1980s Alcorn State | NBA draft picks | Hall of Famers
👀 March Madness: Men's history | Women's history | Two HBCU wins in 2021 | HBCU vs. HBCU | Tournament upsets
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