It’s hard to believe that Thanksgiving is around the corner, and with that milestone in sight, the 2025 college football regular season is nearly over. There’s no shortage of drama within the FCS as the MEAC and SWAC conference races are still up for grabs at this point, with a date to the annual Celebration Bowl on the line as we head into the final weeks of November. Sadly, a number of FCS programs in both the MEAC and SWAC have underperformed to say the least and this season will not be missed for them. Here is this week’s Fab Five and Flop Five.
HBCU Fab Five (as of November 19)
1. Jackson State (8-2 Overall, 6-1 SWAC)
After a decisive 28-13 win over Bethune-Cookman this week, the Jackson State Tigers regain their top spot in the Fab Five. With one regular season game left against Alcorn State, JSU should pull off another win and no doubt clinch the SWAC East title. That would give the Tigers a chance to play Prairie View A&M for the outright conference title and an invitation to the Celebration Bowl.
2. Alabama State (8-2 Overall, 6-1 SWAC)
A big 43-3 victory over Mississippi Valley State on Saturday sets the tone for the SWAC East title race between ASU and Jackson State. The Hornets will have to face UAPB and Tuskegee in their final regular season games before any conference title games can be played and an upset on the part of UAPB would tip the scales in favor of Jackson State. A win next week and a Jackson State loss will seal Alabama State’s postseason hopes of reaching the SWAC title game.
3. Delaware State (8-3 Overall, 4-0 MEAC)
Whatever you think of first-year head coach DeSean Jackson, the undeniable fact is that the DSU Hornets are for real this season. A 26-13 win over Howard on Saturday seals the deal as the Hornets will face South Carolina State for the MEAC conference title next weekend. Going from a one-win team to a shot at a conference title and a postseason bowl bid shows how this program is on the rise.
4. South Carolina State (8-3 Overall, 4-0 MEAC)
The Bulldogs seem to be almost an afterthought in the MEAC conference discussion, with Delaware State receiving the bulk of the attention, but South Carolina State is equally for real. I’m looking forward to this game being televised on ESPN+ next Saturday. Games like this are the very reason why I’m attracted to HBCU football so much – this game is going to be a lot of fun to watch.
5. Prairie View A&M (8-3 Overall, 6-1 SWAC)
While the big SWAC storyline comes out of the East part of this conference, PVAMU has methodically clinched the SWAC West. The Panthers await their opponent for the conference title and a shot at the Celebration Bowl.
HBCU Flop Five
1. Alabama A&M (4-7 Overall, 1-6 SWAC)
The Bulldogs can’t seem to get a break and dropped yet another game on Saturday, where they lost 26-23 to Florida A&M. While AAMU isn’t the worst team in FCS HBCU football, their slide this season has made the 2025 campaign one to forget for players, coaches, and fans alike.
2. Arkansas-Pine Bluff (4-7 Overall, 2-5 SWAC)
Repeat just about everything I said in the previous ranking and it rings true for UAPB. However, a game against Alabama State could give them the chance to be a season-spoiler against the Hornets and finish out the 2025 season on a positive note.
3. Mississippi Valley State (1-9 Overall, 0-6 SWAC)
Getting blown out 43-3 by Alabama State on Saturday was truly indicative of how bad the Delta Devil season has been this year. All a program can do is finish out the season and move on to off-season recruiting to build up the program for next year.
4. Norfolk State (1-10 Overall, 0-4 MEAC)
Despite this program’s dismal record, I honestly think that first-year head coach Michael Vick may be on to something for the future of this program. While the losses keep piling up, the NSU Spartans are losing close games, with the latest loss a 35-28 heartbreaker to Morgan State. I wouldn’t be surprised if Norfolk State has a turnaround season in 2026.
5. Southern University (1-10 Overall, 0-7 SWAC)
The Jags would love to bury this season deep in the record books. Losing ten games and a head coach, there are tough times all around for college football in Baton Rouge (with a nod to fellow miserable traveler LSU right now as well). At least there’s a bit of redemption with a televised game over Thanksgiving weekend against archrivals Grambling State. With both teams long out of the SWAC conference running, these teams are playing simply for pride, but don’t discount this game if you’re looking for good old-fashioned college football at its best.
Photo Credit to Prairie View A&M University Athletics
