While a lot of rankings remained the same, as the contenders separate from pretenders in HBCU football, two teams — Florida A&M and Alcorn State — are trending upward. See more in the latest HBCU football power rankings from Stan Becton.
These are the 11th 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 12 HBCU football power rankings
1. Jackson State | SWAC | 7-2 (5-1) | Prev: 1
Jackson State won another game with Jared Lockhart at quarterback. The Tigers are continuing to find ways to win without quarterback Jacobian Morgan, keeping their SWAC East hopes alive.
EVERYTHING HBCU: Schedule, scores, updates and more from the 2025 HBCU football season
2. Alabama State | SWAC | 7-2 (5-1) | Prev: 2
Speaking of keeping SWAC East hopes alive, Alabama State did just that with a win over Texas Southern. The Hornets also had a backup quarterback playing, with Te'Sean Smoot controlling the game as the special teams unit scored 14 points of its own.
3. Delaware State | MEAC | 7-3 (3-0) | Prev: 3
Delaware State won a nail-biter on a short week against Morgan State. The Hornets are one win away from setting up a winner-take-all matchup for the MEAC crown.
4. North Carolina Central | MEAC | 7-3 (2-1) | Prev: 4
North Carolina Central continues to control what it can control, beating Norfolk State to stay alive in the MEAC race.
CLINCHING SCENARIOS: See how the MEAC and SWAC titles can be clinched this week
5. South Carolina State | MEAC | 7-3 (3-0) | Prev: 5
South Carolina State dominated Howard 42-12 to stay undefeated in MEAC play.
6. Prairie View A&M | SWAC | 7-3 (5-1) | Prev: 6
Prairie View A&M responded from a 5-0 deficit with 48 straight points. The Panthers are a win away from winning the SWAC West.
7. Grambling State | SWAC | 7-3 (4-2) | Prev: 7
Grambling State picked up a good win over Bethune-Cookman to guarantee itself a winning record for the first time since 2019. Yet, there's nowhere for the Tigers to rise in these rankings after every top-seven-ranked team won last week.
SWAC TITLE INFO: Date, time, location, TV channel, history for the 2025 SWAC Football Championship Game
8. Bethune-Cookman | SWAC | 5-5 (4-2) | Prev: 8
Just like Grambling State had nowhere to rise, Bethune-Cookman has nowhere to fall. The Wildcats lost just a one-possession game to Grambling, and no other team ranked from No. 9 to No. 12 won its game.
9. Florida A&M | SWAC | 4-5 (3-2) | Prev: 13
Florida A&;M has won three of its last four games after defeating Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
🗓️: November FCS football games that could have playoff and conference impact
10. Texas Southern | SWAC | 4-5 (3-3) | Prev: 9
Texas Southern lost its second straight SWAC game to eliminate itself from SWAC West contention. While running back Athean Renfro is one of the best in the SWAC, the rest of the team has to step up their game if the Tigers want to finish strong.
| 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 | Florida A&M |
| 10 | Texas Southern |
| 11 | Alabama A&M |
| 12 | Alcorn State |
| 13 | Howard |
| 14 | Arkansas-Pine Bluff |
| 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 | Wk 11
11. Alabama A&M | SWAC | 4-6 (1-5) | Prev: 10
Alabama A&M allowed 48 unanswered points against Prairie View A&M in its third straight loss. The Bulldogs have lost five of their last six.
12. Alcorn State | SWAC | 4-6 (3-3) | Prev: 14
Even though Alcorn State lost to Arkansas-Pine Bluff earlier this season, the Braves move in front of the Golden Lions after winning three straight SWAC games. There's something to be said for late-season momentum as Alcorn State has won four of its last five games.
13. Howard | MEAC | 4-6 (1-2) | Prev: 11
Howard suffered an embarrassing defeat to South Carolina State, not finding the endzone until late in the fourth quarter. The Bison have won just one game since a 3-1 start to the year.
14. Arkansas-Pine Bluff | SWAC | 3-6 (2-4) | Prev: 12
Arkansas-Pine Bluff lost at home to Florida A&M, missing out on a chance to join the top 10 this week.
*Arkansas-Pine Bluff's win over Westgate Christian is not a win.
15. Tennessee State | OVC-Big South | 2-8 (0-6)| Prev: 15
Tennessee State might not win a conference game at this rate, losing another one to UT Martin.
MORE RANKINGS: AFCA Coaches Poll | STATS PERFORM | FCS Committee Rankings
16. North Carolina A&T | CAA | 2-8 (2-4) | Prev: 16
North Carolina A&T lost to Stony Brook 38-12 last week. The Aggies only rushed for 41 yards in the loss.
17. Hampton | CAA | 2-9 (0-7) | Prev: 17
Hampton lost to Maine, its fourth straight loss of the year. Things won't get easier for the Pirates with CAA playoff contenders on the schedule next.
18. Morgan State | MEAC | 3-7 (0-3) | Prev: 18
Morgan State missed a game-winning field goal attempt that could've knocked off Delaware State. However, the Bears won't move up because of a what-if. They'll need to win a DI game first.
19. Southern | SWAC | 1-9 (0-6) | Prev: 19
Southern lost its eighth straight game to fall to 1-9 on the season.
20. Norfolk State | MEAC | 1-9 (0-3) | Prev: 20
Norfolk State kept it competitive against North Carolina Central, but it wasn't enough.
21. Mississippi Valley State | SWAC | 1-8 (0-5) | Prev: 21
Mississippi Valley State was no match for the top team in HBCU football.
🏈: 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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