Which HBCU football program has best shot at beating an FBS opponent in 2022?
Jackson State is one of six Division I HBCUs that will not face a Football Bowl Subdivision opponent this season.
Coach Deion Sanders said after last season's loss to Louisiana-Monroe that he doesn't believe in taking money from FBS in order to get beat. The ULM loss was JSU's only loss of the regularseason.
HBCU's are typically huge underdogs in games against FBS opponents. It has been four years since an HBCU has beaten an FBS opponent, according to NCAA.com.
But there have been a few notable upsets in the past few years.
In 2018, North Carolina A&T beat East Carolina en route to winning the third of its four Celebration Bowl titles. Howard beat UNLV in 2017 with Cam Newton's younger brother, Caylin Newton, playing quarterback. Tennessee State beat Georgia State in 2017.
So, which HBCU has the best chance to pull off an upset this year? Here's every Division I HBCU playing an FBS team, ranked from least likely to most likely to win.
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Bethune-Cookman
FBS opponent: Miami (Fla.)
Reason: Miami shut out Bethune-Cookman 63-0 the last time the teams met in 2019. Miami has won all five meetings by a combined 232-37. Bethune-Cookman is coming off of its first losing season since 2016.
Southern
FBS opponent: LSU
Reason: LSU, which is coming off of its first losing season since 1999, has plenty to prove in Year 1 of the Brian Kelly era. It's the first meeting in football between LSU and Southern, which are both located in Baton Rouge, and the Tigers aren't likely to drop it.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff
FBS opponent: Oklahoma State
Reason: Pine Bluff tied with Bethune-Cookman for the SWAC's worst record last year. Oklahoma State beat Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl last year.
Alabama State
FBS opponent: UCLA
Reason: Alabama State got demolished by Auburn 63-0 in its only Power-5 matchup last year. The result shouldn't be much different against this UCLA team.
South Carolina State
FBS opponent: South Carolina, Central Florida
Reason: The reigning Celebration Bowl champs upset Jackson State last year and were one of three HBCUs to have a player (Decobie Durant, L.A. Rams) selected in this year's NFL Draft. South Carolina does have a recent FCS loss to The Citadel in 2015, but the Gamecocks and UCF have big advantages against SCSU.
Florida A&M
FBS opponent: North Carolina
Reason: Florida A&M was one of the SWAC's best teams last year and represented the conference in the FCS playoffs. But North Carolina should have too much offensive firepower for this game to be close very long.
Texas Southern
FBS opponent: North Texas, Texas-San Antonio
Reason: Texas-San Antonio went 12-2 and won the C-USA championship last year. North Texas was the only C-USA team to beat the Roadrunners. Texas Southern was surprisingly competitive in a 48-34 loss to Rice last year.
Morgan State
FBS opponent: Georgia Southern
Reason: Georgia Southern went 3-9 last year and had a scare against FCS Gardner-Webb in last season's opener. Morgan State hopes new coach Damon Wilson, who was three-time CIAA Coach of the Year at the Division II level, can turn things around.
Tennessee State
FBS opponent: Middle Tennessee State
Reason: Eddie George's Tennessee State squad stays in the Middle Tennessee area for its only FBS matchup. TSU kept the deficit under three touchdowns the last time these teams met in 2019.
Grambling
FBS opponent: Arkansas State
Reason: Arkansas State gave up 48 points or more four times last season. If Hue Jackson is able to dial up enough offense, Grambling could stand a chance against a Red Wolves team that had only one FBS win last year.
Norfolk State
FBS opponent: Marshall, James Madison
Reason: James Madison was one of the better FCS teams for a while before joining the FBS ranks this year. JMU throttled the Spartans 75-14 in 2017 and won 17-0 in a lightning-shortened game the last time the teams met.
Howard
FBS opponent: South Florida
Reason: Since the UNLV upset, Newton has transferred twice and is now playing receiver at William and Mary. The Bison regressed to a 3-8 record last year. South Florida's record was worse at 2-10, but the Bulls still blew out their only MEAC opponent last year.
Alcorn State
FBS opponent: Tulane
Reason: Tulane scored 69 points against its only HBCU opponent, Morgan State, last year, but Alcorn should prove to be a tougher test for the Green Wave, who finished 2-10 last year.
North Carolina A&T
FBS opponent: Duke
Reason: North Carolina A&T struggled last year but is typically one of the biggest powerhouses in HBCU football. The Aggies have a pair of FBS wins within the past five years. Last year, Duke beat NCAT by 28, but this year could be closer.
Alabama A&M
FBS opponents: UAB, Troy
Reason: Alabama A&M is loaded with FBS transfers and is one year removed from being SWAC champions. The Bulldogs get two shots at non-Power 5 FBS opponents. The Bulldogs have the best shot at taking home the first FBS win by an HBCU program since 2018.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Which HBCU football team has best shot at beating 2022 FBS opponent?
