NCAA.com preseason HBCU rankings spotlight 2026 FCS contenders

Alabama State opened the 2026 HBCU preseason power rankings at No. 1, with Jackson State at No. 2 and South Carolina State at No. 3, and the order said as much about the road to Atlanta as it did about last fall’s final standings. Stan Becton said the rankings are the first of the season and will track his ballot in the inaugural Black College Football Poll throughout the regular season.

What it takes to reach the Celebration Bowl in Atlanta is no mystery: a settled quarterback, enough line play to survive conference weekends, depth to handle the classic-game grind, and a schedule that leaves room to build momentum. Alabama State checked the first box by bringing back Andrew Body, the 2025 Stats Perform HBCU National Player of the Year, after a 10-2 season. The Hornets also added wide receiver Franck Pierre from Alabama A&M and can lean on Jamarie Hostzclaw in the backfield, while Eddie Robinson Jr. and safety Ta'Shaun Sims anchor a defense built to keep games tight.

Jackson State’s case starts with continuity. The Tigers finished 2025 at 9-3 and won the SWAC East, and quarterback Jared Lockhart enters 2026 with a full offseason as the starter after injuries shaped parts of last season. That matters in a league where one missed stretch can send a contender from controlling its division to chasing it. Jackson State has the profile of a team that can survive the weekly pressure of the SWAC, but it still has to prove that stability turns into a clean run to December.

South Carolina State brings a different argument. The Bulldogs finished 9-3, won the 2025 Celebration Bowl, and did it in one of the season’s most dramatic finishes, rallying from a 21-point first-half deficit to beat Prairie View A&M 40-38 in four overtimes. That win gave South Carolina State its second Celebration Bowl title and reinforced why the game in Atlanta remains the annual meeting of the HBCU season’s two best teams. Still, quarterback turnover leaves questions after Billy Atkins IV and Ryan Stubblefield moved on, even if the schedule offers help with North Carolina Central and Delaware State both coming to Orangeburg late in the year.

NCAA.com’s 2026 HBCU homecoming and classic schedule underscores how crowded the path will be, with classics, homecomings, the MEAC/SWAC Challenge and the Celebration Bowl all carrying real weight in the national conversation. The 2026 college football season starts Thursday, Aug. 27, and for these programs the race to Atlanta will begin long before December.