The MEAC will once again be on the outside, looking in at the FCS playoffs.
After weeks of speculation and reports, some stating that the MEAC would get an automatic bid, the conference announced on Wednesday that it would withdraw its request for an automatic bid.
It wasn’t because the conference didn’t want one. Things just didn’t work out that way.
The release below tells why:
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) has informed the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) that it will not meet the criteria to maintain its automatic qualifier (AQ) because the three programs, Howard, Delaware State and South Carolina State, playing this spring will not play each other as required by the NCAA/FCS.
The Bison and Bulldogs will not play each other this spring due to the District of Columbia’s restrictions on travel to and from the state of South Carolina. The cancellation of Howard’s contest against South Carolina State, originally scheduled for this coming Saturday, April 10, prevented the three teams from playing each other, as required to be eligible for the FCSs AQ.
The MEAC suspended its spring 2021 football season on Feb. 11 after six of the league’s nine programs opted out. Conference policy states that if 50% or more institutions cannot participate in any championship, the championship for that sport will be suspended.
South Carolina State is currently 2-1 after beating Alabama State on Saturday. Delaware State is also 2-1, sweeping its season series with HU but falling to SC State. The two teams are set to meet later this month in Dover, Delaware for a rematch.
Bethune-Cookman, Florida A&M, Morgan State, North Carolina Central, North Carolina A&T and Norfolk State all opted out of a spring season this winter. BCU, FAMU and A&T have all played in their final football contests as MEAC football programs as they will be moving on to different conferences.