HBCU vs. FBS: 2024 Spotlight Games

Stats Perform is bringing a greater spotlight to athletes, students and stories at Historically Black Colleges and Universities through a partnership with Urban Edge Network. Included in the 2024 college football season are both HBCU FCS Player and Team of the Week awards and a season-ending HBCU FCS National Player of the Year Award, each presented by HBCU+.

Every season, many HBCU teams take their show on the road against FBS opponents, gaining high competition, exposure and a financial game guarantee to help keep their athletic departments sustainable.

While most are considered tune-up games, there have been a handful of times over the years when HBCUs have pulled an upset against the higher-classification opponent. Former North Carolina A&T coach Sam Washington famously said, “Tell ’em to bring me my money,” after his Aggies defeated East Carolina back in 2018 – the most-recent HBCU vs. FBS win.

The MEAC has had much more luck being competitive over the years than the SWAC. It’s been 39 years since Grambling State took down Oregon State to secure an FBS win for the conference.

Is this the year for more upsets?

Let’s take a look at some HBCU vs. FBS matchups early this season that command a spotlight, with some having the potential to be intriguing late.

Howard at Rutgers (Aug. 29)

This is the first look at the Bison, the defending MEAC champions. They boast the conference’s preseason offensive (running back Jarett Hunter) and defensive (safety Kenny Gallop Jr.) players of the year, and will look to gauge where they are as a program against Big Ten competition. The Scarlet Knights may look at the Bison as a good tune-up before they ratchet up the competition, but overlooking them would be a mistake. Let’s not forget Howard was considered a massive 45-point underdog before it pulled an 43-40 upset of UNLV to start the 2017 season.

Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Arkansas (Aug. 29)

The 2023 season was not great for the Golden Lions, as they only won two games. One was a 35-34 victory over Texas Southern in the season finale. Now UAPB looks to build on that great finish early in this new season with a good performance against a quality SEC program. UAPB lost to Tulsa 42-7 to start last season and now it steps up in class in-state to take on Arkansas, which will look to start fast and overwhelm the Golden Lions. The visitors will try to keep this HBCU vs. FBS game competitive and possibly steal it late.

Grambling State at Louisiana (Aug. 31)

Grambling kicks off a season with high expectations by taking on one of the best Group of Five programs. This game will be an excellent barometer for the Tigers, who eventually hope to prove they are ready to win the SWAC title. Last season, they were dominated at LSU 72-10. One key is what players like preseason SWAC offensive player of the year Myles Crawley learned from that game that will help them be more competitive against the Ragin’ Cajuns.

Florida A&M at Miami (Sept. 7)

Two seasons ago, FAMU traveled to North Carolina and put a scare into the Tar Heels faithful early in the game. Last season, they followed up a season-opening win over Jackson State with a close, 38-24 loss against South Florida. Now they will head to Miami to take on the Hurricanes in Week 2. Can they continue to close the gap on FBS programs or will they be humbled by the ‘Canes, now led by former FCS quarterback Cameron Ward, the 2020 Jerry Rice Award recipient at UIW? 

Texas Southern at Rice (Sept. 7)

Last season, these two teams played in Week 3 and Rice put up 42 points in the first half of a 59-7 romp. This season, they are meeting a week earlier, and the Tigers will be looking to show how much they have closed the gap from last season’s performance. Their new coach, two-time NFL Pro Bowl cornerback Cris Dishman, knows defense, and it starts with his team with linebacker Jacob Williams.

Alcorn State at Vanderbilt (Sept. 7)

Alcorn State has aspirations of getting back to the season-ending Celebration Bowl for the first time since 2019, and a matchup against an SEC East member is just the type that provides the Braves with a sense of how they may stack up against the SWAC’s best teams. Last season, Vanderbilt handled Alabama A&M from the SWAC fairly easily. Will the Braves fare better under new coach Cedric Thomas?

Morgan State at Ohio U. (Sept. 14)

Morgan State nearly upset another MAC opponent, Akron, early last season. The Bears led that game 21-17 with less than a minute remaining until a fumble resulted in a Zips touchdown, and the home team escaped with a 24-21 victory. Morgan State is back with what it hopes will be another suffocating defense, with veterans at all three levels. The difference this season may come on offense, where they should be much improved with more explosive elements.

South Carolina State at Georgia Southern (Sept. 14)

South Carolina State did not fare well in two HBCU vs. FBS contests last year, losing 24-3 to Charlotte and 48-13 to Georgia Tech. Legendary Bulldog Coach Buddy Pough later retired after 21 years as the Bulldogs coach. Chennis Berry, the new coach, will try to return the program to the excellence during Pough’s prime years. He will get a good test in an area he knows well when they travel to Statesboro to take on Georgia Southern. He’s a graduate of Savannah State, so a competitive game against the Eagles could go a long way in strengthening recruiting relationships.

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