HBCU Hour Black College Football Poll
Black College Football Polls

2026 Preseason Black College Football Poll

Browse Published Polls

2026 Poll Timeline

Viewing the 2026 Preseason official rankings.

Current Poll

Black College Football Poll

NCAA Division I (FCS)

Top 10 rankings with 2025 overall and conference records.

NCAA Division I FCS Black College Football Poll rankings
Rank Movement Institution Conference Record Points (FPV)
#1 South Carolina State MEAC (10-3, 5-0) 185 (36)
#2 Prairie View A&M SWAC (10-4, 7-1) 165 (2)
#3 Jackson State SWAC (9-3, 7-1) 149 (4)
#4 Alabama State SWAC (10-2, 7-1) 141 (6)
#5 North Carolina Central MEAC (8-4, 3-2) 107
#6 Delaware State MEAC (8-4, 4-1) 98
#7 Grambling State SWAC (7-5, 4-4) 63
#8 Bethune-Cookman SWAC (6-6, 5-3) 46
#9 Texas Southern SWAC (6-5, 5-3) 42
#10 Florida A&M SWAC (5-7, 4-4) 32

Others Receiving Votes

  • Alcorn State15
  • Howard13
  • Alabama A&M13

Black College Football Poll

NCAA Division II

Top 10 rankings with 2025 overall and conference records.

NCAA Division II Black College Football Poll rankings
Rank Movement Institution Conference Record Points (FPV)
#1 Johnson C. Smith CIAA (10-2, 6-1) 168 (12)
#2 Benedict SIAC (10-3, 7-1) 157 (20)
#3 Albany State SIAC (12-2, 8-0) 156 (4)
#4 Virginia Union CIAA (9-3, 7-0) 154 (7)
#5 Kentucky State SIAC (9-3, 7-1) 112
#6 Fayetteville State CIAA (6-4, 6-1) 91
#7 Virginia State CIAA (6-4, 4-3) 66
#8 Allen SIAC (6-5, 5-3) 60
#9 Edward Waters SIAC (5-5, 4-4) 53
#10 Tuskegee SIAC (4-7, 3-7) 17 (1)

Receiving Votes

  • Livingstone (5-5, 3-4)10

Season Record

Poll Archive

Browse every published weekly poll throughout the 2026 season.

1 published poll available. New official releases will appear here.

2026 Season

1 published poll

Recognition Beyond the Rankings

BCFP All-America Teams & Awards

The same division-based voting body that produces the weekly polls also recognizes the leading teams, student-athletes, freshmen, and coaches in Black college football.

Division-Based Honors

Preseason and postseason All-America teams

Separate NCAA Division I and NCAA Division II voting groups select Preseason and Postseason Black College Football All-America teams, with First Team and Second Team recognition in each division.

Individual Awards

Year-end excellence

  • Coach of the Year
  • Offensive Player of the Year
  • Defensive Player of the Year
  • Freshman of the Year

The Poll and the Process

ABOUT THE BCFP

What Is The BCFP?

Launched for the 2026 season, the Black College Football Poll is the first officially endorsed national poll dedicated exclusively to HBCU football programs competing at the NCAA Division I FCS and NCAA Division II levels.

The poll was created through a joint alliance of the MEAC, SWAC, CIAA, and SIAC. Its purpose is to give Black college football one conference-backed national stage for weekly rankings, All-America recognition, and major individual awards.

BCFP does not combine every HBCU into one list. It publishes a separate Top 10 for Division I FCS programs from the MEAC and SWAC and a separate Top 10 for Division II programs from the CIAA and SIAC, allowing teams to be evaluated within their NCAA competitive level.

Joint Commissioners’ Statement · Condensed

A unified stage for Black college football

The four commissioners described the alliance as a game-changing step toward unifying preseason and postseason polls and awards while elevating Black college football’s best teams and student-athletes.

How the Weekly Ballot Works

Every Top 10 position carries points

A nationwide panel of HBCU head coaches and selected media members who cover Black college football submits a Top 10 ballot each week of the regular season.

  1. 1st10 pts
  2. 2nd9 pts
  3. 3rd8 pts
  4. 4th7 pts
  5. 5th6 pts
  6. 6th5 pts
  7. 7th4 pts
  8. 8th3 pts
  9. 9th2 pts
  10. 10th1 pt

How teams are ranked: Points from every submitted ballot are combined. A team left off a ballot receives zero points from that voter, and the team with the highest official point total is ranked No. 1.

Example: One first-place vote and one third-place vote equal 18 points: 10 + 8.

How to read the table: “Points” is the official poll total. The number in parentheses is FPV—the number of first-place votes reported in the official release.

HBCU Hour republishes the official BCFP rankings, point totals, first-place-vote figures, and receiving-votes results exactly as released. HBCU Hour does not conduct the voting, calculate the totals, reorder teams, or certify the poll.

Official results source: Official Black College Football Poll release