The dog days of wishing it was HBCU football season are upon us which means it’s the perfect time to rank and rate anything we can think of as we countdown the days to kickoff.
We at HBCU Gameday recently released our inaugural staff poll for FCS HBCU Football. So when I stumbled across an article by Craig Haley on theanalyst.com on the strength of schedule for all 130 FCS football teams.
I was immediately intrigued to see how the strength of schedule numbers matched up with our predictions going into the 2022 HBCU football season.
As I combed through the Stats Perform FCS rankings, I knew it was a must that I parse out the HBCU football data on strength of schedule and give the HBCU Gameday fans the rankings within the rankings… For the culture.
The Stats Perform FCS strength of schedule rankings “provides the combined win percentage of each school’s Division I opponents (opponents from D-II and levels below are not included in the percentages).”
Check out the strength of schedule rankings for HBCU football below and head over to theanalyst.com powered by Stats Perform and check out the full FCS strength of schedule rankings.
HBCU FCS strength of schedule rankings
Win percentage based on 2021 records of then-Division I-classified opponents (FBS and FCS)
HBCU Rank – 1 FCS rank – 9 Win pct. – .571 (72-54) – DI opponents – 11
Bethune-Cookman (SWAC)
HBCU Rank – 2 FCS rank – 19 Win pct – .558 (63-50) – DI opponents – 10
Mississippi Valley State (SWAC)
HBCU Rank – 3 FCS rank – 22 Win pct – .547 (64-53) – DI opponents – 10
Texas Southern (SWAC)
HBCU Rank – 4 FCS Rank – 31 Win pct. – .538 (50-43) – DI opponents – 8
Arkansas-Pine Bluff (SWAC)
HBCU Rank – 5 FCS rank – T44 Win pct. – .509 (58-56) – DI opponents – 10
North Carolina A&T (Big South)
Notable: The Aggies have to survive a September schedule of rival North Carolina Central in Charlotte, at North Dakota State, at Duke and South Carolina State.
HBCU Rank – 6 FCS rank – 47 Win pct. – .505 (54-53) – DI opponents – 9
Tennessee State (Ohio Valley)
HBCU Rank – 7 FCS rank – 48 Win pct. – .504 (64-63) – DI opponents – 11
Norfolk State (MEAC) — .504 (64-63), 11
HBCU Rank – 8 FCS rank – 50 Win pct. – .500 (58-58) – DI opponents – 10
Alabama A&M (SWAC)
HBCU Rank – 9 FCS rank – 56 Win pct. – .495 (52-53) – DI opponents – 9
Southern (SWAC)
HBCU Rank – 10 FCS rank – 66 Win pct. – .487 (55-58) – DI opponents – 10
Alabama State (SWAC)
HBCU Rank – 11 FCS rank – 73 Win pct. – .477 (53-58) – DI opponents – 10
Hampton (CAA)
HBCU Rank – 12 FCS rank – T80 Win pct. – .465 (53-61) – DI opponents – 10
South Carolina State (MEAC)
Notable: The reigning MEAC and Celebration Bowl champion doesn’t play a home game until Oct. 8.
HBCU Rank – 13 FCS rank – 82 Win pct. – .464 (51-59) – DI opponents – 10
Howard (MEAC)
HBCU Rank – 14 FCS rank – 86 Win pct. – .456 (52-62) – DI opponents – 10
Florida A&M (SWAC)
HBCU Rank – 15 FCS rank – 87 Win pct. – .455 (51-61) – DI opponents – 10
Morgan State (MEAC)
HBCU Rank – 16 FCS rank – T90 Win pct. – .448 (56-69) – DI opponents – 11
Grambling State (SWAC)
HBCU Rank – 17 FCS rank – 104 Win pct. – .430 (52-69) – DI opponents – 11
Jackson State (SWAC)
HBCU Rank – 18 FCS rank – 113 Win pct. – .408 (40-58) – DI opponents – 9
Delaware State (MEAC)
HBCU Rank – 19 FCS rank – 115 Win pct. – .405 (51-75) – DI opponents – 11
Alcorn State (SWAC)
HBCU Rank – 20 FCS rank – 123 Win pct. – .382 (47-76) – DI opponents – 11
Prairie View A&M (SWAC)
HBCU Rank – 21 FCS rank – 129 Win pct. – .364 (36-63) – DI opponents – 9
North Carolina Central (MEAC)