Takeaways from 2026 HBCU Football Polls, Week 9:
Coaches Poll
- 18th year of the BOXTOROW HBCU FCS Coaches Poll
- Alabama A&M Widens the Gap: Winning the high-stakes Magic City Classic earned the Bulldogs heavy praise. They claimed 12 of the 18 first-place votes to firmly hold onto the No. 1 spot
- The Bulldogs Still Threaten: South Carolina State remains a close No. 2 with 168 points, grabbing six first-place votes after their strong performance in the victory over Morgan State
- A Giant leap for UAPB: The Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions are the biggest winners of the week, surging six spots to No. 4 after soundly defeating Bethune-Cookman, and having won their last two games
- Tigers and Bears Plummet: Following a tough weekend, Bethune-Cookman slid six spots down to No. 10. Meanwhile, Morgan State plummeted completely out of the Top 10 accompanied by Grambling State.
- Fresh Blood in the Top 10: Delaware State sits at No. 6 and North Carolina Central re-enters the rankings at No. 9
Media Poll
- 20th year of the BOXTOROW HBCU Football Media Poll
- SC State Expands the Lead: South Carolina State secured a commanding 75 percent of the first-place votes to pull further away from Alabama A&M and firmly lock down the No. 1 ranking
- A Massive Top 10 Shakeup: The bottom half of the poll experienced absolute chaos this week. Four completely new programs—Arkansas-Pine Bluff, North Carolina Central, Alcorn State, and Johnson C. Smith—crashed the board to claim the final four spots, replacing 40 percent of last week’s Top 10 in a single weekend
- Golden Lions Make a Statement: Arkansas-Pine Bluff orchestrated the most impressive debut of the week. After sitting completely unranked in the Week 8 Media Poll, they capitalized on the massive turnover to vault straight onto the board at No. 7
- Wildcats and Trojans Drop Out: After sitting comfortably at No. 4 last week, Bethune-Cookman plummeted entirely out of the Top 10. Virginia State (formerly No. 5) also took a heavy hit, falling out of the poll
The HBCU FCS Coaches and Media polls are administered by BOXTOROW. The coaches poll, in its 18th year is voted on by the HBCU Football Championship Subdivision coaches, and the media poll, in its 20th year, is voted on by media members around the country who cover HBCU football.
2026 HBCU FCS Coaches Poll
Week 9
(Records through October 31, 2026)
| Rank | Team | W-L | Pts | Previous Rank |
| 1 | Alabama A&M (12) | 7-2 | 173 | 1 |
| 2 | South Carolina State (6) | 7-2 | 168 | 2 |
| 3 | Jackson State | 6-2 | 137 | 3 |
| 4 | Arkansas-Pine Bluff | 5-3 | 93 | 10 |
| 5 | Alcorn State | 5-4 | 92 | 8 |
| 6 | Delaware State | 5-4 | 59 | NR |
| 7 | Prairie View A&M | 4-5 | 58 | 9 |
| 8 | Alabama State | 4-4 | 51 | 5 |
| 9 | North Carolina Central | 4-5 | 48 | NR |
| 10 | Bethune-Cookman | 5-4 | 37 | 4 |
Others receiving votes: Morgan State (5-4) 25, Grambling State (4-4) 11, North Carolina A&T (4-5) 10, Texas Southern (3-5) 5, Howard (3-5) 3, Norfolk State (4-5) 2, Southern (4-5) 1
(1st place votes in parentheses)
2026 HBCU Football Media Poll
Week 9
(Records through October 311, 2026)
| Rank | Team | W-L | Pts | Previous Rank |
| 1 | South Carolina State (15) | 7-2 | 194 | 1 |
| 2 | Alabama A&M (4) | 7-2 | 181 | 2 |
| 3 | Jackson State | 6-2 | 148 | 3 |
| 4 | Benedict | 8-1 | 86 | 7 |
| 5 | Virginia Union (1) | 8-1 | 80 | 8 |
| 6 | Prairie View A&M | 4-5 | 57 | 9 |
| 7 | Arkansas-Pine Bluff | 5-3 | 54 | NR |
| T-8 | North Carolina Central | 4-5 | 47 | NR |
| T-8 | Alcorn State | 5-4 | 47 | NR |
| T-8 | Johnson C. Smith | 7-2 | 47 | NR |
Others receiving votes: Virginia State (7-2) 43, Delaware State (5-4) 37, Kentucky State (7-2) 31, Bethune-Cookman (5-4) 25, Central State (6-3) 7, Grambling State (4-4) 6, Alabama State (4-4) 5, Morgan State (5-4) 3, North Carolina A&T (4-5) 2, Edward Waters (6-3) 1.
(1st place votes in parentheses)
