Coaches vote SCSU gridders No. 1 in historic poll

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HBCU Football
Coaches vote SCSU gridders No. 1 in historic poll
By BASN Wire Services
Dec 22, 2009

NEW YORK (BASN) -- For years, many entities have produced various HBCU football polls. For the first time this year, the coaches had a say.

One week after being named Black College Football national champions in the final BoxToRow.com/BASN HBCU Media Poll, the Bulldogs of South Carolina State representing the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, have now received that same nod from HBCU FCS coaches as well.

However, the coaches' final vote was a bit closer.

In fact, only five points (145-140) separated Buddy Pough's bunch (10-2) from the Panthers of Prairie View A&M (9-1) in the final BoxToRow.com/BASN FCS HBCU Coaches Poll presented by Classics Sports Radio Network released on Monday.

Both teams had been 1-2 for most of the second half of the season. SCSU had been tabbed as the No. 1 team in both BTRC/BASN preseason polls.

Both teams went undefeated in respective conference play with SCSU posting eight-straight wins against MEAC competition. As a matter of fact SCSU has won 19-straight conference games dating back to 2007.

Prairie View A&M produced nine wins versus fellow Southwest Athletic Conference opponents including a 30-24 victory over Alabama A&M in the SWAC Championship Game.

Both teams did share one common opponent -- Grambling State.

Ironically, both the Bulldogs and Panthers defeated the Tigers by three points. The two-time MEAC champions defeated GSU 34-31 in the season opening MEAC-SWAC Challenge in Orlando.

Just over a month later, the Panthers would nip the Tigers 35-32 in the State Fair Classic in Dallas. It was one of the team's signature victories in a season that saw them win their first SWAC title since 1964.

Florida A&M (8-3) and Grambling State (7-4) finished third and fourth in the poll. SWAC runner-up Alabama A&M (7-5) rounded out the top five at number five.

The rest of the poll included Norfolk State (7-4) at six, Morgan State (6-5) seventh, Texas Southern (6-5) eighth, Southern (6-5) comes in at nine, and Hampton (5-6) rounds out the top ten.

All 23 of the HBCU FCS coaches were eligible to vote on a week-to-week basis and in the final poll.

FINAL BOXTOROW.COM/BASN HBCU COACHES FCS TOP 10 POLL presented by Classics Sports Radio Network

(Records through December 12)

Rank School W-L Pts LW

1. South Carolina State (10)    10-2     145       1
2. Prairie View A&M (5) 9-1     140      2
3. Florida A&M                            8-3     115       3
4. Grambling State                  7-4       91       5
5. Alabama A&M                      7-5       86       8
6. Norfolk State                          7-4       70       6
7. Morgan State                          6-5       44       9
8. Texas Southern                    6-5 34     NR
9. Southern                                  6-5    32 4
10. Hampton                                5-6   10    NR

Others receiving votes: Arkansas-Pine Bluff (5-5) 7, North Carolina A&T (4-6) 4, Bethune-Cookman (5-6) 2, Mississippi Valley State (3-6) 2, Delaware State (4-6) 1, Alcorn State (3-6) 1.