Sports
HBCU football games to watch in Week 5
Homecomings, key SIAC and SWAC games and S.C. State looks to stay undefeated.
Fans watch the Morehouse-Edward Waters football game Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, at B.T. Harvey Stadium in Atlanta. Edward Waters won 46-38. (Natrice Miller for the AJC)
AJC
By Wilton Jackson – For The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
1 hour agoBy October, an HBCU football Saturday starts to feel a little different. The bands, alumni and game-day traditions still frame the scene, but conference races are tightening and every possession begins to carry a little more weight.
Week 5 brings an SIAC showdown between Kentucky State and Edward Waters, unbeaten South Carolina State back to Orangeburg, South Carolina, and a Jackson State-Alabama A&M matchup in Mobile, Alabama, that could say plenty about the SWAC East race. The season has moved beyond introductions, and Saturday offers another chance to learn which teams are built to stay in the postseason conversation.
The yard comes alive as homecoming season hits October, with homecoming games Saturday for the following schools:
- Bluefield State
- Grambling State
- Livingstone College
- Miles College
- Morris Brown
- Southern
- West Virginia State
Three Week 5 questions worth following
- Which SIAC contender makes the bigger statement in Jacksonville, Florida? Edward Waters survived Morehouse 46-38 for another conference victory and now returns home for a matchup with Kentucky State, another team that enters Week 5 unbeaten in SIAC play. With the conference race beginning to take shape, Saturday offers both programs an opportunity to strengthen their place among the league’s early contenders.
- Is Alabama A&M ready to challenge unbeaten Jackson State? Alabama A&M improved to 4-1 with a 40-21 road victory against Florida A&M, while Jackson State moved to 4-0 by beating Southern 35-17 for its eighth consecutive victory in the series. Their Gulf Coast Challenge matchup in Mobile gives the Bulldogs a chance to measure their strong start against a Jackson State team that has yet to lose and already owns a SWAC victory.
- How long can South Carolina State keep this unbeaten run going? The Bulldogs moved to 5-0 with a 31-21 road victory over Bethune-Cookman after opening the season with an 87-0 win over Savannah State.
NOTE: Kickoff times below are in ET. Cross-conference HBCU games appear once.
Georgia Division II HBCUs
- Fort Valley State (1-3) at Central State (2-3), 1 p.m. — McPherson Stadium, Wilberforce, Ohio.
- Clark Atlanta (1-4) at Benedict (3-1), 2 p.m. — Charlie W. Johnson Stadium, Columbia, South Carolina.
- Allen (2-2) at Savannah State (0-4), 6 p.m. — Theodore A. Wright Stadium, Savannah.
- Morehouse (1-4) vs. Tuskegee (2-2), 7 p.m. — Cramton Bowl, Montgomery, Alabama.
Saturday
- Johnson C. Smith (3-1) at Bluefield State (0-5), 1 p.m. — Mitchell Stadium, Bluefield, West Virginia.
- Fayetteville State (2-3) at Livingstone (2-3), 1 p.m. — Alumni Memorial Stadium, Salisbury, North Carolina.
- Virginia State (4-1) vs. Lincoln (Pa.) (1-3), 1 p.m. — Rochester Community Sports Complex, Rochester, New York.
- Elizabeth City State (0-4) at Virginia Union (4-1), 1 p.m. — Hovey Field, Richmond, Virginia.
- Shaw (4-1) at Bowie State (1-3), 1 p.m. — Bulldog Stadium, Bowie, Maryland.
- Morgan State (3-1) at Villanova (2-3), 1 p.m. — Villanova Stadium, Villanova, Pennsylvania.
- Kentucky State (4-1) at Edward Waters (4-1), 2 p.m. — Nathaniel Glover Community Field & Stadium, Jacksonville, Florida.
- The Citadel (1-3) at South Carolina State (5-0), 2 p.m. — Oliver C. Dawson Stadium at Willie Jeffries Field, Orangeburg, South Carolina.
- Norfolk State (3-2) at Robert Morris (2-2), 2 p.m. — Joe Walton Stadium, Moon Township, Pennsylvania.
- Lane (0-5) at Miles (2-3), 3 p.m. — Sloan-Alumni Stadium, Fairfield, Alabama.
- Alcorn State (3-2) at Grambling State (2-2), 3 p.m. — Eddie G. Robinson Memorial Stadium, Grambling, Louisiana.
- Prairie View A&M (2-3) at Mississippi Valley State (1-4), 3 p.m. — Rice-Totten Stadium at Chuck Prophet Field, Itta Bena, Mississippi.
- Hampton (1-4) vs. Howard (1-3), 3 p.m. — Audi Field, Washington.
- Delaware State (3-2) at Albany (1-3), 3:30 p.m. — Bob Ford Field at Tom & Mary Casey Stadium, Albany, New York.
- Alabama State (3-1) at Bethune-Cookman (2-2), 4 p.m. — Daytona Stadium, Daytona Beach, Florida.
- Jackson State (4-0) vs. Alabama A&M (4-1), 5 p.m. — Ladd-Peebles Stadium, Mobile, Alabama.
- Campbell (4-1) at North Carolina Central (2-3), 6 p.m. — O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium, Durham, North Carolina.
- Texas Southern (1-3) at Florida Atlantic (3-1), 6 p.m. — Howard Schnellenberger Field at Flagler Credit Union Stadium, Boca Raton, Florida.
- Arkansas-Pine Bluff (2-2) at Southern (2-3), 7 p.m. — A.W. Mumford Stadium, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Week 5 byes
- Albany State
- Winston-Salem State
- Florida A&M