FCS CONFERENCE · 2025 SEASON
THE LONG WAIT · 2025
The MEAC and SWAC champions meet every December in Atlanta for the Celebration Bowl — the de facto HBCU national championship, which routinely draws 40,000+ fans and national broadcast attention that neither conference's FCS playoff path could generate. The MEAC leads the all-time Celebration Bowl series 7–3. North Carolina Central, Norfolk State, and Howard have all built programs that compete for the title. The MEAC's identity is inseparable from that game and the broader HBCU athletic tradition it represents.
Howard's recruiting profile rose nationally after Deion Sanders spotlighted HBCU football at Jackson State. Does any MEAC program carry that momentum into a Celebration Bowl title, or does the structural advantage return to the SWAC's deeper recruiting base?
Conference Standings · MEAC · 2025
| # | Team | Conf |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Carolina State | 5–0 |
| 2 | Delaware State | 4–1 |
| 3 | North Carolina Central | 3–2 |
| 4 | Howard | 2–3 |
| 5 | Morgan State | 1–4 |
| 6 | Norfolk State | 0–5 |
Conference record determines standing. Power = neutral-field pts vs. all-level average. Last 5 = most recent game results.
Projected Standings · MEAC · 2025
Odds of winning at least N conference games from current power ratings — full slate played out, not locked to results. AVG = expected wins; W–L = most-likely record.
| # | Team | W–L | PWR | AVG | ≥5 | ≥4 | ≥3 | ≥2 | ≥1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Favorites | |||||||||
| 1 | South Carolina State | 3–2 | +3.0 | 2.9 | 6 | 28 | 63 | 89 | 99 |
| Challengers | |||||||||
| 2 | North Carolina Central | 3–2 | +2.2 | 2.9 | 6 | 29 | 63 | 89 | 99 |
| 3 | Delaware State | 3–2 | +1.3 | 2.7 | 5 | 24 | 59 | 87 | 98 |
| The Field | |||||||||
| 4 | Morgan State | 2–3 | -0.7 | 2.3 | 2 | 15 | 44 | 77 | 96 |
| 5 | Howard | 2–3 | -1.8 | 2.3 | 2 | 14 | 43 | 77 | 96 |
| Rebuilding | |||||||||
| 6 | Norfolk State | 2–3 | -3.9 | 1.9 | 1 | 7 | 28 | 63 | 91 |
Conference Power · FCS
| # | Conference | Avg Power |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | MVFC | |
| 2 | Big Sky | |
| 3 | MEACYou are here | |
| 4 | UAC | |
| 5 | SWAC | |
| 6 | Southland | |
| 7 | CAA | |
| 8 | Patriot | |
| 9 | Big South-OVC | |
| 10 | Pioneer | |
| 11 | Southern | |
| 12 | NEC | |
| 13 | Ivy |
Round-robin power = strength of schedule-adjusted conference average, points vs. all-level average team. Record = MEAC's record vs. that conference across all games this season.
MEAC reads like a weekly gauntlet. The middle of the league is strong enough that contenders do not get many breathers.
The league stack, sorted by predictive strength. Power is shown as neutral-field points versus the all-level average team, while resume is shown on a 0-100 season score.
| Rank | Team | Record | Power | Resume | ATS | Wins vs Market | Recent Form |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #92 | South Carolina State | 10-3 | +12.6 | 92 | 6-6 | +1.96 | 4-0 over the last 4 (W11 W12 W13 W16) |
| #112 | North Carolina Central | 8-4 | +11.8 | 84 | 5-6 | -1.06 | 3-1 over the last 4 (W10 W11 L12 W13) |
| #137 | Delaware State | 8-4 | +10.9 | 74 | 5-5 | +1.60 | 3-1 over the last 4 (W10 W11 W12 L13) |
| #195 | Morgan State | 4-8 | +9.0 | 42 | 5-4 | -1.90 | 1-3 over the last 4 (L10 L11 W12 L13) |
| #213 | Howard | 5-7 | +7.9 | 37 | 6-5 | +0.58 | 1-3 over the last 4 (L10 L11 L12 W13) |
| #247 | Norfolk State | 1-11 | +5.7 | 16 | 2-9 | -3.12 | 0-4 over the last 4 (L10 L11 L12 L13) |