By Chris Stevens
HBCU Sports
Reprinted – by Texas Metro News
Photo: Clark Atlanta Football/Twitter
HBCU football Week 12 will possibly see two division champions crowned as well as three conference champions crowned, making for one exciting weekend to watch closely. In a season of ups and downs, your intrepid HBCU Sports predictions analyst is ready to be surprised again by upsets and unexpected outcomes, and maybe a few sure things.
Before unveiling Week 12’s picks, here’s a brief recap of the struggle that was Week 11.
Last Week’s Record: 18-9
2024 Overall Record: 213-86-1
Best Pick: Southern 23, Bethune-Cookman 21 (Southern won 25-23 in six overtimes)
Worst Pick: Johnson C. Smith 21, Livingstone 17 (Livingstone won 15-10)
Game Of the Week: Clark Atlanta (7-2-1, 6-2 SIAC) at Miles College (8-2, 8-0 SIAC), SIAC Championship Game, Sat. Nov. 16, 12 p.m. EST, ESPN+
Neither one of these teams was picked to make it this far, but Miles felt like the much safer bet than Clark Atlanta to get to the SIAC title game. That makes the Panthers’ story all the more sensational; CAU had not won a football game since October 15, 2022. Under Teddy Keaton’s guidance, along with a few of his standouts from Allen coming along for the ride, Clark has turned into the best story in Black College Football.
In order to continue that story in the Division II playoffs, they’ll have to beat a sharp Miles team led by former NFL defensive back Sam Shade. The Golden Bears have the conference’s top defense, allowing just 16.5 points per game and an SIAC-high 23 takeaways. Miles is also the league’s top rushing offense, so their game plan will be clear: keep the ball out of CAU’s hands.
It worked in a 49-28 win at Panther Stadium last month, but there’s that saying about lightning’s ability to strike twice. And Clark Atlanta has proven adept at dodging those bolts for most of the season. Should be a great game.
Prediction: Miles 24, Clark Atlanta 20
Co-Game of the Week: Virginia State (7-3, 6-1 CIAA) vs. Virginia Union (7-3, 6-1 CIAA), CIAA Championship Game, Salem Stadium, Salem, Virginia, Saturday, Nov. 16, 3 p.m. EST, HBCUGo
The improbable happened last weekend as Johnson C. Smith collapsed, and Virginia State won what turned out to be Act I of the 2024 rivalry game 35-28 to make the CIAA championship an all-Old Dominion affair. It seems fitting that these two teams will close the book on the title game being played in Virginia.
There’s a small chance that Union, their spot in the title game already secured, wasn’t sweating a VSU win, but they’ll definitely need to be on their Ps and Qs with a spot in the NCAA Division II tournament on the line.
Virginia State will have to contend with that explosive Trojan offense (featuring national player of the year candidate Jada Byers) while hoping quarterback Romelo Williams, running back Jimmyll Williams, and receiver Malik Hunter can duplicate last week’s outstanding effort.
Whoever wins this one will earn their spot in the D-II big dance. The other will likely lament missed opportunities earlier and on Saturday that kept them from receiving that invitation.
Prediction: Virginia Union 20, Virginia State 17
South Carolina State (7-2, 3-0 MEAC) at Morgan State (5-5, 2-1 MEAC), Saturday Nov. 16, 4 p.m. EST, ESPN+
South Carolina State’s first year under Chennis Berry has proven to be a star-crossed one. The Bulldogs are on a five-game winning streak and are the last unbeaten team in the MEAC.
A win at Morgan State would clinch a trip to the Celebration Bowl, but the Bears have turned up on the offensive end, averaging 36 points a game in their last two victories. A Bear win would force a three-way tie between themselves, SCSU and (provided they beat Howard) North Carolina Central heading into the season’s final week.
This will be a chess match of epic proportions as Morgan’s relentless defense will be countered by South Carolina State’s express train offense, led by the engineer, quarterback Eric Phoenix.
In a season where any and everything has happened, Morgan State could pull off this upset. South Carolina State’s hot streak doesn’t look to be in any danger of cooling off before, and possibly after, Atlanta.
Prediction: South Carolina State 27, Morgan State 17
Jackson State (8-2, 4-0 SWAC East) at Alabama State (5-4, 3-1 SWAC East), Saturday Nov. 16, 3 p.m. EST, ESPN+
The Tigers have won six straight games to vault ahead of everyone in the SWAC and have a chance to clinch their third Eastern Division title in four years at Alabama State this weekend.
The hard-luck Hornets, set back by injuries and inconsistent play, have a faint chance to force a three-way tie atop the division, but JSU’s power running game led by Irv Mulligan and a defense that ranks second in the conference behind their own will make that chance slim.
Prediction: Jackson State 31, Alabama State 20
Division I
Norfolk State 23, Delaware State 17
North Carolina Central 21, Howard 20
Tennessee State 35, Gardner-Webb 24
Towson 28, North Carolina A&T 14
Richmond 30, Hampton 24
Grambling State 23, Alabama A&M 20
Florida A&M 25, Mississippi Valley State 16
Southern 27, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 24
Prairie View A&M 31, Alcorn State 27
Division II/NAIA
Charleston 33, West Virginia State 17
Kentucky State 26, Shorter 19
Indianapolis 34, Lincoln (Mo.) 14
Langston 29, Wayland Baptist 21
Texas College 32, Nelson 20
