Good morning, HBCU Nation. Grab your coffee, because today isn’t just another Wednesday on the offseason calendar — it’s a genuine landmark for Black college football.
The Big Story: Black College Football Poll Debuts Today
For the first time in the sport’s history, HBCU football has a single, conference-sanctioned national ranking. The Southwestern Athletic Conference, Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association, and Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference jointly announced back in April that they were launching the Black College Football Poll (BCFP) and Black College Football All-American Teams, and today marks the payoff: the inaugural preseason rankings and All-American teams officially drop.
What makes this different from the patchwork of media polls and outlet rankings that have tried to crown an HBCU champion in the past? According to the conferences’ announcement, the four commissioners themselves make up the poll’s governing body, meaning the ballots, methodology, and awards carry the full institutional weight of the leagues rather than sitting with a single outlet or independent panel. Voting will run weekly during the regular season through a panel of head coaches and select media members, using a standard 10-9-8… point system on each Top 10 ballot, with separate Division I and Division II tracks — so SWAC and MEAC programs won’t be lumped in against CIAA and SIAC teams.
The conferences are framing it as more than a scoreboard exercise. In a joint statement, the commissioners called it “a game changer for our respective leagues” and a major step toward unifying how HBCU teams and players get recognized nationally. SIAC Commissioner Dr. Anthony Holloman put it plainly on a recent podcast appearance — the poll had been years in the making, driven by a desire for HBCU conferences to control the narrative on how their own teams and players get recognized, rather than leaving that job to outside media.
Expect South Carolina State, fresh off its 2025 Celebration Bowl comeback win over Prairie View A&M, and Jackson State to headline the FCS-side conversation once ballots land — we’ll have the actual Top 10 as soon as it’s published.
SWAC Media Day Set for July 15 in Birmingham
Circle the date: the SWAC has announced the coaches and player representatives attending the 2026 Football Media Day, set for Wednesday, July 15, in Birmingham, officially kicking off the conference’s football season.
Two storylines to watch. It’ll mark the first SWAC Media Day appearance for new Florida A&M head coach Quinn Gray Sr., the former Rattlers quarterback returning to his alma mater after building a successful program at Albany State. And on the other side, Pro Football Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk will make his own Media Day debut as he begins his first season leading Southern.
The conference enters the day with real hardware on the line. Prairie View A&M captured the 2025 SWAC championship in Tremaine Jackson’s first season at the helm, Jackson State will be looking to reclaim the crown after coming up short last year, and Alabama State enters with renewed expectations following quarterback Andrew Body’s return from a brief transfer portal stint.
Around the Conferences
- CIAA: Commissioner Jacqie McWilliams Parker has locked in a lucrative contract extension — stability at the top for the nation’s oldest Black collegiate athletic conference.
- Coaching carousel: Alabama A&M has added a notable hire off the field, landing former Southern University band director Kiya Wimbush-Robinson — a reminder that in HBCU athletics, the band is every bit part of the program as the roster.