BALTIMORE, Md. (Sept. 21, 2026) - Morgan State football moved up five spots to No. 5 in the latest Black College Football Division I FCS Poll following its dominant 41-26 victory over Towson on Saturday in the Battle for Greater Baltimore.
The Bears improved to 3-1 overall with the victory, snapping a 17-year losing streak to the Tigers and earning their first win over Towson since 2009. Morgan State received 210 points to secure the No. 5 position and is one of four Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) programs represented in this week's Division I FCS poll.
South Carolina State retained the No. 1 ranking as a unanimous selection, receiving all 26 first-place votes and 520 total points. Delaware State is ranked No. 4, North Carolina Central is No. 10, while Howard and Norfolk State also received votes.
Morgan State made a statement in its second road game of the season, scoring 41 points while producing 369 yards of total offense, including 246 through the air.
The Bears' defense played a major role in the historic victory, limiting Towson to just 61 rushing yards. As a unit, Morgan State recorded seven tackles for loss, five sacks, seven quarterback hurries, and two pass breakups, consistently applying pressure and disrupting the Tigers' offense throughout the contest.
The Bears have now won three of their last four games and will look to continue their momentum when they travel to take on the Villanova Wildcats on Saturday, Oct. 3.
Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Villanova Stadium. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+, with additional radio coverage provided by WEAA 88.9 FM.
The Black College Football Poll is the first officially endorsed national poll dedicated exclusively to HBCU football programs competing at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and NCAA Division II levels.
The poll is jointly sanctioned by the MEAC, Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA), and Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAC), providing a unified national ranking of HBCU football programs across both divisions.
Black College Football Poll
NCAA Division I (FCS)
| Rank |
Institution |
Record |
Points |
| 1 |
South Carolina State |
4-0, 0-0 |
520 (26) |
| 2 |
Jackson State |
3-0, 0-0 |
346 |
| 3 |
Alabama State |
2-1, 1-0 |
330 |
| 4 |
Delaware State |
2-2, 0-0 |
216 |
| 5 |
Morgan State |
3-1, 0-0 |
210 |
| 6 |
Prairie View A&M |
1-3, 1-0 |
184 |
| 7 |
Alabama A&M |
3-1, 0-0 |
182 |
| 8 |
Grambling State |
2-1, 0-0 |
122 |
| 9 |
Alcorn State |
2-2, 1-0 |
68 |
| 10 |
North Carolina Central |
2-2, 0-0 |
46 |
First-place votes in parentheses.
Others Receiving Votes: Bethune-Cookman 44, Howard 38, Norfolk State 38, Southern 12, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 10.
FOLLOW MORGAN STATE ATHLETICS IN CYBERSPACE
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• Visit
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ABOUT MORGAN
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified
high research (R2) institution offering more than 150 baccalaureate, master's degree, doctorate, and certificate programs. As Maryland's
Preeminent Public Urban Research University, and the only university to have its entire campus
designated as a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Morgan serves a multiethnic and multiracial student body and seeks to ensure that the doors of higher education are opened as wide as possible to as many as possible. For more information about Morgan State University, visit
www.morgan.edu.
