HBCU Football Is Back — What the Division I Week 0 Scoreboard Told Us
Twenty of 21 Division I HBCU programs played. The MEAC went 5–1, seven active SWAC teams won, South Carolina State scored a school-record 87 points, and the first weekend of 2026 gave us plenty of early signals.
By MFNGraphics • August 30, 2026 • 8 min read
Division I HBCU programs in action
Combined opening-week record
College football is back, and Division I HBCU football did not ease into the 2026 season.
There were blowouts, late-game escapes, new coaching eras, conference-on-conference matchups and one comeback that may have changed the way Texas Southern is viewed before September even begins.
This was only opening weekend. It already gave us plenty to talk about.
Division I HBCU programs played
Combined record across those 20 programs
MEAC opening-week record
Record for the 11 SWAC teams in action
The Division I HBCU Week 0 Scoreboard
Every opening-week game involving a Division I HBCU program, with Bethune-Cookman the lone idle team.
The number that stopped the scroll
South Carolina State opened its title defense with a school-record 87–0 win over Savannah State. The Bulldogs led 52–0 at halftime, finished with 627 total yards and rushed for 423.
Eight different players reached the end zone, and South Carolina State scored on all 11 red-zone trips. The result was not simply a blowout; it was a reminder that the defending HBCU national champion intends to look like one immediately.
The league nearly swept the board
Delaware State survived Stony Brook. Morgan State beat North Carolina A&T. Norfolk State and South Carolina State posted shutouts. Howard won the MEAC/SWAC Challenge.
The only MEAC loss came when North Carolina Central surrendered a double-digit lead to Texas Southern.
Seven wins — and one result that changed the conversation
Texas Southern’s 42–30 comeback over North Carolina Central was the standout. Alabama State, UAPB, Florida A&M, Grambling, Alcorn and Jackson State also opened 1–0.
Southern, Mississippi Valley State, Alabama A&M and Prairie View A&M start from 0–1.
The Tigers changed the mood in one half
North Carolina Central led 14–0 after the first quarter and 24–14 at halftime. Texas Southern answered by winning the second half 28–6.
Cam’Ron McCoy threw three touchdown passes, Athean Renfro Jr. rushed for 163 yards and a touchdown, and Jordan Thompson returned a blocked punt 34 yards for a score. Texas Southern finished with 462 total yards and 277 on the ground.
One game does not make a contender. Beating a projected MEAC power after trailing by 14 is still the kind of opener that immediately raises expectations.
Norfolk State finally got the kind of night it needed
Michael Vick’s second season opened with a 56–0 shutout. Norfolk State scored on eight consecutive possessions, rushed for 306 yards and held Winston-Salem State to 106 total yards.
It was NSU’s first season-opening win since 2018 and first shutout since 2019.
Photo: Norfolk State University Athletics
Jackson State survived the game Tennessee State almost stole
Jackson State trailed 17–7, rallied, then watched Tennessee State retake a 24–23 lead in the fourth. Andrew Ivaniciuc’s fourth field goal put JSU ahead 26–24 with 2:31 left, and the Tigers survived the final Tennessee State threat.
Jabari Jones had 117 receiving yards, including an 88-yard touchdown, while Nate Blount IV rushed for 101.
Photo: Jackson State University Athletics
A few coaches got the opening chapter they wanted
Howard: Ted White won his debut at his alma mater, beating Alabama A&M 31–24 on ABC behind 315 passing yards from Ja’Shawn Scroggins.
Florida A&M: Quinn Gray opened with a 20–7 win over Albany State, the program he led to the 2025 SIAC championship.
Hampton: Van Malone’s first game produced a 45–0 shutout and snapped the Pirates’ six-game losing streak.
Southern: Marshall Faulk’s debut started fast, but Alabama State scored the final 20 points of a 30–17 Hornets win.
Two games can start separating Week 0 noise from real trends
South Carolina State vs. Florida A&M
The defending HBCU national champion meets a Rattlers team that opened the Quinn Gray era with a win.
Texas Southern at Prairie View A&M — Labor Day Classic
Texas Southern arrives with a comeback win over NCCU. Prairie View gets an immediate chance to reset after losing at Tarleton State.
The first scoreboard is not a verdict. It is a set of clues.
Opening-week scores can lie. Mismatches inflate numbers, and new systems can look cleaner in August than they do once conference play arrives.
But Week 0 still gave us useful signals: South Carolina State looks ready to defend its place at the top; the MEAC opened with depth; Texas Southern may be ahead of schedule; Howard’s new staff already owns a signature first win; Norfolk State finally has momentum; and Jackson State can survive a close one.
For now, the scoreboard is enough. HBCU football is back.
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