South Carolina State at Furman
South Carolina State (3‑0) at Furman (2‑1) — no line posted yet, but the model favors South Carolina State (67%).
How they got here
Last three games
South Carolina State · 3-0
Picked #129 in the preseason · now #123 — about right.
Three straight wins — but still hunting a ranked opponent.
W 66–0 vs Virginia State #279 of 669
W 31–13 @ Florida A&M #215 of 669
won by 18 as a 19.5-point favorite
W 87–0 vs Savannah State #298 of 669
Last three games
Furman · 2-1
Picked #202 in the preseason · now #203.
2-1 in its last three, capped by a 7-point win over Mercer as a 15.5-point underdog.
W 20–13 @ Mercer #164 of 669
won by 7 as a 15.5-point underdog
L 9–56 @ TennesseeTop 25 #33 of 669
lost by 47 as a 49-point underdog
W 20–3 vs Anderson (SC) #329 of 669
What’s at stake
South Carolina State
- South Carolina State needs 5 more wins in the final 8 to reach bowl eligibility.
- South Carolina State is coming off a 66-point win.
Furman
- Furman needs 5 more wins in the final 8 to reach bowl eligibility.
- A win would be one of Furman’s biggest of the season — a 80-spot gap in the power ratings.
The series
Furman leads the series 2-1
3 meetings since 2013 · Furman won the last meeting
- 2015Furman 17–3
- 2014South Carolina State 17–7
- 2013Furman 30–20
Face-off
What each fanbase carries into this one.
South Carolina State
The chipThe fanbase carries the swagger of champions now. The chip isn't grievance—it's proof. South Carolina State walked into the biggest game in HBCU football and won in 4 OT. No chip needed when you're the reigning HBCU National Champion.
What this game touches
The pre-2025 drought. South Carolina State had won HBCU titles before but hadn't reached the Celebration Bowl in years. The 2025 season (10–3, 5–0 MEAC) ended a long championship absence and silenced doubters about whether the Bulldogs could compete at the highest level of Black college football. The wound was impatience; the cure was 4 OT in December.
Furman
The chipThe FCS and the nation underestimate private Southern programs. Furman proved it in 1988. The Paladins want to prove it again.
What this game touches
Unable to replicate 1988 national championship; consecutive near-misses in 1985 and 2001 without a second title. Furman won the 1988 NCAA Division I-AA national championship under Jimmy Satterfield, defeating Georgia Southern 17–12. The Paladins have never won a second title, though they reached runner-up games in 1985 (lost to Georgia Southern) and 2001 (lost to Montana 13–6). The 2001 loss was particularly agonizing: the Paladins posted a 12–3 record and had knocked out Georgia Southern's 39-game home playoff win streak, only to fall short at the national final. Over 37 years since 1988, Furman has become a 'perennial almost'—consistent but never quite breaking through to another championship.
Conditions
92°F · 4 mph wind
Furman is worth +43.3 points more at home than on the road since 2018 — top tenth of FBS, 100th percentile.
100% at home, 10% on the road against FBS opponents (1–0 home, 1–9 away).
Our model gives every stadium the same flat 2.3-point home edge (why); the books use about 3. Against the closing line this stadium reads -2.2 at home vs. away over 52 games — inside the ±8.3 noise, so the flat number is the honest one here.
Night kickoff — historically worth about half a point more to the home side against the number, and not much more than that. The visitors travel about 134 miles to get here.
Recent games
Furman
- Wk 1Wvs Anderson (SC)20-3
- Wk 1Lat Tennessee9-56
- Wk 2Wat Mercer20-13
South Carolina State
- Wk 1Wvs Savannah State87-0
- Wk 1Wat Florida A&M31-13
- Wk 2Wvs Virginia State66-0