Coaches vote South Carolina State gridders #1 in historic poll

by Tony McClean

NEW YORK (BASN) - For years, many entities have produced various HBCU football polls. For the first time this year, the coaches had a say.

One week after being named Black College Football national champions in the final BoxToRow.com/BASN HBCU Media Poll, the Bulldogs of South Carolina State representing the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, have now received that same nod from HBCU FCS coaches as well.
However, the coaches' final vote was a bit closer.

In fact, only five points (145-140) separated Buddy Pough's bunch (10-2) from the Panthers of Prairie View A&M (9-1) in the final BoxToRow.com/BASN FCS HBCU Coaches Poll presented by Classics Sports Radio Network released on Monday.

Both teams had been 1-2 for most of the second half of the season. SCSU had been tabbed as the No. 1 team in both BTRC/BASN preseason polls.

Both teams went undefeated in respective conference play with SCSU posting eight-straight wins against MEAC competition. As a matter of fact SCSU has won 19-straight conference games dating back to 2007.

Prairie View A&M produced nine wins versus fellow Southwest Athletic Conference opponents including a 30-24 victory over Alabama A&M in the SWAC Championship Game.

Both teams did share one common opponent -- Grambling State. Ironically, both the Bulldogs and Panthers defeated the Tigers by three points. The two-time MEAC champions defeated GSU 34-31 in the season opening MEAC-SWAC Challenge in Orlando.

Just over a month later, the Panthers would nip the Tigers 35-32 in the State Fair Classic in Dallas. It was one of the team's signature victories in a season that saw them win their first SWAC title since 1964.

Florida A&M (8-3) and Grambling State (7-4) finished third and fourth in the poll. SWAC runner-up Alabama A&M (7-5) rounded out the top five at number five.

The rest of the poll included Norfolk State (7-4) at six, Morgan State (6-5) seventh, Southern (6-5) eighth, Hampton (5-6) comes in at nine, and Alcorn State (3-6) rounds out the top ten.

All 23 of the HBCU FCS coaches were eligible to vote on a week-to-week basis and in the final poll.

Front Page

Football Index