Could HBCU Football Polls Change The Game?

Last Updated on May 28, 2026 1:27 AM CDT

There are a lot of narratives that draw college football fans into the sport. Longstanding rivalries, star players and campus traditions that withstand the test of time are a few things that make college football what it is.

Another thing that drives conversation and interest in major college football is rankings. Is a team that has yet to achieve anything ranked too high? Is a traditional powerhouse not getting the respect they deserve? Should a road victory against a tough in-conference opponent have been viewed more favorably?

While the subjective nature of rankings can be frustrating, they do create conversation. Four HBCU conferences are about to find out just how much chatter rankings will elicit.

The Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) and Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) have agreed to join together to be part of the Black College Football Poll and All-American Teams.

The former will debut this summer, as an initial pre-season poll will be released.

NEW: Starting in 2026, a new Black College Football Poll (BCFP) will rank the top HBCU teams.

Black All-American teams will also be selected 😳 pic.twitter.com/Rco8BP63z7

— College Transfer Portal (@CollegeFBPortal) April 22, 2026

“The Black College Football Poll and the Black College Football All-American teams have been formally endorsed and sanction by the two NCAA Division I conferences (SWAC and MEAC) along with the two NCAA Division II conferences (CIAA and SIAC),” an official statement read.

Similar to the polls fans know from major college football, the Black College Football poll will be updated on a weekly basis to let fans know where their teams generally stand in relation to others in HBCU conferences.

“We view this strategic alliance as a game changer for our respective leagues and undoubtedly a significant step in the right direction towards unifying our collective conferences as it relates to preseason/postseason polls and awards while simultaneously recognizing the best Black College Football teams and student-athletes at the highest level,” the statement continued.

Previously, exercises on the NCAA’s website were done to give fans a sense of the hierarchy of HBCU football, but supporters will get to see the real thing in a couple of months.

There will be a panel of head coaches and media members who will vote every week to determine the outcome of the poll. Reports indicate that the committee will vote on a top 10 each week, and the slot that each team is placed for each voter will give them a certain amount of points, which will be calculated in aggregate to form the rankings.

While the newly established poll rightfully garners the headlines, this voting committee will also have a major role in determining individual awards as well.

This body will present honors at the end of the season such as Coach of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year.

This is really cool to see! The folks at @Reddit_FCS added a weekly HBCU top 10 poll in 2022, and it’ll be great to see more coverage of some great teams. https://t.co/WCmhexMF0Q

— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) April 22, 2026

This represents a major step in the unification of four of the most influential HBCU sports conferences, and it’s going to be interesting to monitor their interaction moving forward. The conferences already have experience collaborating with one another and could have more joint initiatives planned down the road.