MEAC
Delaware State at Morgan State -
Howard at Norfolk State -
North Carolina Central at Bethune-Cookman -
Savannah State at Florida A&M - Savannah State is flying high after a huge surprise overtime win over Bethune-Cookman last week. A win over Florida A&M would be their first time winning consecutive games as a MEAC member. In fact, they've never beaten anyone in consecutive years since being a MEAC member. They did surprise a bad Florida A&M team last year. Florida A&M hit rock bottom last week in their blowout loss to South Carolina State, after which FAMU head coach Alex Wood was highly critical of his winless team. They opened with losses to a top FBS team, FCS team and Division II team before last week's loss. Kenneth Coleman is having a decent year passing for FAMU, ranking fourth in the MEAC with 146 yards a game.
CIAA
Shaw at Elizabeth City State -
St. Augustine's at Virginia Union -
Winston-Salem State at Lincoln (Pa) -
Fayetteville State at Bowie State -
Livingstone at Virginia State -
Johnson C. Smith at Chowan -
SWAC
Alcorn State at Arkansas - This is the weekend that FBS SEC Arkansas has probably been looking to take their frustrations out on someone. Had this been last season, when Alcorn State had every part of their explosive offense ticking, this may have been at least interesting. But this year, ASU has sputtered a bit offensively, putting up 27 points a game versus the 30-plus they did last year. They have moved the ball, averaging 417 yards a game mainly with the SWAC's top rushing offense. They'll need all of that against a confident 3-1 Razorback team that's ranked 20th in the country.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Alabama State - These two teams mirror each other in a lot of ways. They rank next to other in many SWAC statistical categories, though Arkansas-Pine Bluff is a better passing team and Alabama State is a stronger run team. UAPB freshman quarterback Brandon Duncan leads the SWAC in passing with 273 yards a game and is the first SWAC passer this season to surpass 1,000 yards. Khalid Thomas is averaging 70 yards a game on the ground for Alabama State. There is one common opponent - Alabama State lost a close game to Alcorn State while UAPB defeated Alcorn State.
Mississippi Valley State at Jackson State - Jackson State, who got their first win of the season last week, is one of the better rush defenses in the SWAC. That's bad news for Mississippi Valley State, who has thew worst rushing offense in the conference as they average four yards - yes, four yards - rushing a game. In their four losses, MVSU hasn't been close in any game.
Grambling at Prairie View A&M - This is a matchup of two of the better SWAC teams. Both are 3-1 overall and are undefeated in conference play so far this season. Grambling only loss this season was to FBS Arizona in a game they could have easily won. They are led by quarterback Devante Kincaid who has thrown for more than 800 yards and eight TDs. Trey Green has been just as good for Prairie View, though he has thrown six picks this season. Grambling has the conference's second best defense so far in 2016 while PVAM has the third best offense. This is set up to be a good one.
Alabama A&M at Texas Southern - Alabama A&M needs to slow some teams down. In their three losses, they've given up an average of 51 points. Texas Southern has won two in a row and has scored 31 points in each game. Also their two losses have been by a combined eight points. A&M focuses on the run game with freshman running back Jordan Bentley is averaging 75 yards a game while quarterback De'Angelo Ballard adds another 53 yards a game. Texas Southern is led by Averion Hurts who has thrown for 709 yards and six TDs this season.
SIAC
UNC-Pembroke at Tuskegee - This will be one of the better Division II battles of the day around the country. Both teams are 4-0 and ranked among the top 25 teams in the nation. Tuskegee is ranked No. 11 while UNC-Pembroke is 21st. The Braves are led by quarterback Patrick O'Brien, who has thrown for 1021 yards and ten touchdowns already this season. This is a team that averages 39 points a game and also rushes for 168 yards a contest. Tuskegee boasts the nation's seventh best defense that only gives up 240 yards and 13.8 points a game. Quarterback Kevin Lacey leads a Tuskegee offense that leads the SIAC in scoring with 30.5 points per game. UNC-Pembroke won this matchup 29-17 last season, but that was a Tuskegee squad that was missing some key players with injuries. This time they are at full strength.
Fort Valley State at Alderson Broaddus - This probably isn't the Fort Valley State team you are used to. They've only won one game so far this season, but they've fallen to three really solid teams in Miles, Lane and Benedict. Defense has been an issue for FVSU as they rank near the bottom of the SIAC in total defense and scoring defense. Alderson Broaddus has had an up down season in which the offense has struggled. They have big problems running the ball.
Morehouse at Clark Atlanta - This battle of the Atlanta University Center is always competitive. This year even more so as Clark Atlanta is playing solid football. They are a solid rushing team that on defense is holding teams to around 300 yards of offense a game. Morehouse needs as win as they head into the annually toughest part of their schedule with Tuskegee and Albany State coming up over the next three weeks. A question is who will start at quarterback - incumbent Marquavious Johnson or UConn transfer Kievon Taylor. Also, last year's SIAC Newcomer of the Year, kick returner Amyr Smith, is back for the Maroon Tigers.
Miles at Albany State - This is a rematch of last season's SIAC Championship game that Miles won. But don't let this season's 1-3 Albany State record fool you. This is a loaded team that has tested itself against some of the best teams in Division II football this season. They've lost three fairly close games to Valdosta State, Tuskegee and West Georgia. So they are tested. They play stingy defense. Miles is coming off a big win over Morehouse, but take away Morehouse miscues and Miles was actually in a tussle. Miles plays solid defense, especially against the run.
Benedict at Gardner-Webb - The story for Benedict this year is defense. Last season, they were one of the nation's worst on defense. This year, they've been stellar, holding teams to 269 yards of offense, including 64 rushing per game this season. That will be important today as Gardner-Webb, an FCS team, is a good team that likes to run the ball with quarterback Tyrell Maxwell and running back Khalil Lewis. The issue for Gardner-Webb - defense. They give up 477 yards and 29 points a game. That's a good sign for Benedict, a team that rushes for close to 170 yards a game. The question is whether they can handle a team on the next collegiate level.
Central State at Kentucky Wesleyan - Take away a bad loss to Benedict and a defeat to FBS Dayton, and Central State has been competitive even though they are 0-4 this season. De'Michael Jackson is a star on the rise as he has averaged 112 yards rushing a game for CSU this season, helping the Marauders to control the ball and the clock and keeping them close in most games. For Kentucky Wesleyan they are looking to right an 0-4 start, but it's also homecoming weekend. Last year, Kentucky Wesleyan defeated Central State 35-7.
OTHERS
Edward Waters at Southeastern -
Tennessee-Martin at Tennessee State - This is the part of the season - Ohio Valley Conference play - where Tennessee State stumbles each year. It's the OVC opener for the Tigers and they haven't beaten UT-Martin the past couple of years. TSU also will now have Ronald Butler at quarterback as O'Shay Ackerman-Carter is now out for the year with an injury. TSU is 7-6 in games Butler has started.
Cheyney at East Stroudsburg -
Lane at Lincoln (Mo) - Lane will be looking to get their running game back on track after the offense was shut down against Tuskegee last week. Their "Marcus" offense - quarterback Marcus Reynolds and running back Marcus Holiday - were ineffective against Tuskegee, so they'll be looking to get back on track against a Lincoln (Mo) defense that has struggled in their four losses this season. Their defense has given up 33 points a game this season and more than 540 yards rushing in the past two games.
Langston at Arizona Christian -
Bacone at Texas College -
UVA College Wise at West Virginia State -
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