HBCU program VUL is leaning into a familiar formula for its upcoming football slate: load up on NCAA opponents—especially fellow HBCUs—despite competing outside the NCAA as a member of the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA).
Virginia University of Lynchburg released a schedule graphic that features a heavy dose of Division I FCS and Division II competition. The Dragons routinely build schedules that include NCAA teams, and this year’s lineup is no different. It is highlighted by four FCS HBCU matchups, multiple Division II opponents, and a few non-NCAA programs along the way.
VUL opens the season Aug. 29 against Hampton, an FCS HBCU that has become a recognizable name on national schedules over the last decade. The Dragons then return Sept. 5 to face Roanoke College before stepping back into HBCU competition with a Sept. 12 matchup against Morgan State, another FCS HBCU.
The mid-September stretch continues with Bethune-Cookman on Sept. 19, giving VUL a third FCS HBCU opponent in the first month of the season. A week later, Sept. 26, the Dragons take on Bluefield University, a NAIA school (but not the HBCU). It then shifts into an October stretch that mixes NCAA opponents with a non-NCAA matchup.On Oct. 3, VUL is scheduled to face S.C. Central, a non-NCAA program and not an HBCU. The Dragons then jump back into FCS competition Oct. 10 against Norfolk State, another program that has seen the Dragons on its schedule in recent seasons.
The back half of the slate continues with NCAA Division II opponents. VUL is set to face Clayton State on Oct. 17 and Newberry College on Oct. 24, then visits Livingstone College—an HBCU program—on Oct. 31. The Dragons continue on the road Nov. 7 at Savannah State, a Division II HBCU, before wrapping up Nov. 21 against Chicago State.
For VUL, the schedule reflects a program operating in the NCCAA while still seeking the visibility and measuring-stick opportunities that come with lining up against NCAA Division I and Division II opponents—particularly within the HBCU landscape.