(Source HBCU):
The American Football Coaches Association released its annual FCS preseason rankings ahead of the start of the 2023 season, and it features two favorites for HBCU national championship.
Reigning Celebration Bowl champion North Carolina Central is ranked No. 19, and Florida A&M is No. 25 in the poll.
NC Central is coming off a season in which they finished with a 10-2 record and claimed their first MEAC title since 2016 en route to its first Black College National Championship at the Division I level.
Meanwhile, in their second season in the SWAC, Florida A&M recorded a third straight nine-win season, finishing 9-2 overall.
According to the SWAC preseason predicted order of finish, the Rattlers enter the 2023 season as the favorite to claim its first SWAC East Division title.
Absent from the FCS preseason rankings are the reigning two-time SWAC champion Jackson State Tigers, who have a combined record of 23-3 record in the past two seasons.
Although the Tigers went through significant roster and program changes in the offseason, they have not lost a conference game since the 2021 spring season.
