Jackson State tops final HBCU football power rankings of the 2024 season

The 2024 HBCU football season is over, and it's time to take a look at the final HBCU football power rankings from NCAA Digital's Stan Becton.

These rankings have been done weekly throughout the regular season, as I sorted each HBCU football team at the FCS level based on their performances. 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 in Atlanta.

All previous rankings are from before the final regular season week (Week 13).

See the final power rankings below.

The Road to Atlanta: 2024 Final HBCU football power rankings

PAST POWER RANKINGS: Preseason | WK 2 | WK 3 | WK 4 | WK 5 | Wk 6 | Wk 7 | Wk 8 | Wk 9 | Wk 10 | Wk 11 | Wk 12 | Wk 13

1. Jackson State | SWAC | 12-2 (8-0) | Prev: 1

Jackson State is the 2024 Celebration Bowl champion with a 12-2 record, one FCS loss and a nine-game win streak. The Tigers are the clear-cut No. 1 choice.

THEE CHAMPS: Jackson State tops South Carolina State to win the 2024 Celebration Bowl

2. Tennessee State | OVC | 9-4 (6-2) | Prev: 4

Tennessee State picked up a great ranked win to close the regular season before pushing Montana to the brink in the playoffs. That earns the Tigers the No. 2 spot over the loser of the Celebration Bowl.

3. South Carolina State | MEAC | 9-3 (5-0) | Prev: 2

South Carolina State could argue for the No. 2 spot, but I drop the Bulldogs to No. 3 after losing the Celebration Bowl. The Bulldogs dominated the MEAC, but it's the loss to Florida A&M that's the difference between No. 2 and No. 3.

4. North Carolina Central | MEAC | 8-3 (4-1) | Prev: 3

North Carolina Central comes in at No. 4 after finishing the season 8-3.

5. Southern | SWAC | 8-5 (7-1) | Prev: 5

Southern won the SWAC West, but couldn't get past Jackson State in the SWAC Championship Game. Yet, a 7-0 regular season record in SWAC play keeps the Jaguars in the top five to close the season.

2024 HBCU football: Recapping the 2024 HBCU football season from start to finish

6. Alcorn State | SWAC | 6-6 (5-3) | Prev: 6

Alcorn State beat Prairie View A&M and Texas Southern late in the season, before losing the Soul Bowl. Those wins land the Braves at No. 6.

7. Texas Southern | SWAC | 5-6 (4-4) | Prev: 8

Texas Southern closed the season with back-to-back wins. The Tigers bookended a successful start to the season that saw a Labor Day Classic win.

8. Alabama State | SWAC | 7-5 (5-3) | Prev: 10

Alabama State finished second in the SWAC East, but consecutive losses in November keep it from moving higher on this list.

ALL-HBCU: The top HBCU football players, by position, from the 2024 season

9. Prairie View A&M | SWAC | 5-7 (3-5) | Prev: 7

Prairie View A&M beat Florida A&M by 19 points, so the Panthers rank above the Rattlers in the final rankings.

10. Florida A&M | SWAC | 7-5 (5-3) | Prev: 9

Florida A&M comes in at No. 10 one year after winning the Celebration Bowl. The Rattlers lost three SWAC games, the most since they joined the conference.

11. Morgan State | MEAC | 6-6 (3-2) | Prev: 12

Morgan State finished 6-6 this year, but only four wins were over DI opponents and none of the DI wins were over teams with winning records. That keeps the Bears out of the top 10.

12. Alabama A&M | SWAC | 6-6 (4-4) | Prev: 11

Alabama A&M won three of its last four games after starting the season 1-4 against the FCS. However, it was too much ground for the Bulldogs to make up as they made a push for the top 10.

13. Grambling State | SWAC | 5-7 (2-6) | Prev: 15

Grambling State couldn't win the close game this year. That was the theme of their season. If the Tigers use the offseason to flip the script of its five one-score SWAC games, they could be a division contender next year.

14. Hampton | CAA | 5-7 (2-6) | Prev: 13

Hampton finished 3-1 against FCS HBCUs, with two of the games being blowouts. The Pirates still fell short of their first winning season since 2018, struggling in CAA play.

15. Norfolk State | MEAC | 4-8 (2-3) | Prev: 14

Norfolk State beat Howard and Delaware State in conference, but it wasn't enough to keep head coach Dawson Odums his job. The Spartans have a floor here at 15, but they're closer to a bottom-tier team than they are to a top-10 team.

2024 Games: MEAC/SWAC Challenge

16. Howard | MEAC | 4-8 (1-4) | Prev: 16

Howard had a dud of a season after a Celebration Bowl trip a year ago, only winning one MEAC game.

17. Bethune-Cookman | SWAC | 2-10 (2-6) | Prev: 17

Bethune-Cookman lost five one-possession games this year, impressive for a team that only won two games.

18. Arkansas-Pine Bluff | SWAC | 3-9 (2-6) | Prev: 18

Arkansas-Pine Bluff finished with two DI wins, but its last four games keep the Golden Lions as the lowest-ranked SWAC team.

19. Mississippi Valley State | SWAC | 1-11 (1-7) | Prev: 19

The upset of the year might've been Mississippi Valley State knocking off Florida A&M. That was the only win for the Delta Devils, and it lands them at No. 19.

PAST FINAL RANKINGS: 2023 | 2022 | 2021

20. Delaware State | MEAC | 1-11 (0-5) | Prev: 20

Delaware State went winless in the MEAC and Lee Hull is out. However, a DI win keeps the Hornets out of the last spot.

21. North Carolina A&T | CAA | 1-11 (0-8) | Prev: 21

Back-to-back one-win seasons led North Carolina A&T to fire coach Vincent Brown and led the Aggies to the bottom of the rankings.

🌟 HBCU Sports 🌟

🏈: 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