Mississippi Valley State (0-1) at Alabama State (1-0) — no line posted yet, but the model favors Alabama State (1-0) (89%).
What’s at stake
Alabama State
- Alabama State football is the program that won a Black College National Championship in 1991 (11-0-1 under Houston Markham, capped by a 36-13 Heritage Bowl win over North Carolina A&T) and is now building toward that standard again. Alumnus Eddie Robinson Jr. enters his fifth season in 2026 off a 10-2, 2025 SWAC East co-championship — the program's first 10-win season since 2004 — and Alabama State was picked to win the SWAC East at 2026 Media Day.
Mississippi Valley State
- Mississippi Valley State is still shaking off a 34-point loss.
The series
Alabama State leads the series 15-2
17 meetings since 2007 · Alabama State has won the last 4
- 2025Alabama State 41–3
- 2024Alabama State 54–17
- 2023Alabama State 20–3
- 2022Alabama State 24–9
- 2021Mississippi Valley State 44–31
Face-off
What each fanbase carries into this one.
Mississippi Valley State
The chip · vs the blue bloodsFans here believe mississippi Valley State has produced two Hall of Famers and 25+ NFL alumni, proving the program is capable of developing elite talent. The chip is that the program knows it can field NFL-quality players but has never translated that into a SWAC championship; the standard is set by what leaves, not what stays.
What this game touches
The eternal SWAC championship drought. Mississippi Valley State is one of two SWAC teams to have never won a conference championship. The program has produced Hall of Famers (Jerry Rice, Deacon Jones) and over 25 NFL alumni, proving the talent exists; but championship success has remained elusive. Terrell Buckley enters year one tasked with breaking the spell.
Alabama State
The chipFans here know Alabama State has already won at the highest HBCU level once, in 1991, and spent decades hearing that history without a matching season to point to. The 2025 breakthrough is treated as proof the program can still play that kind of football, not a fluke.
What this game touches
The 34-year gap since 1991. Alabama State's 1991 Black College National Championship team (11-0-1 under Houston Markham, Heritage Bowl champion) remains the standard every Hornets team since has been measured against. The program added a SWAC title in 2004 but did not return to consistent SWAC East contention until Eddie Robinson Jr.'s build produced back-to-back-to-back winning seasons (2023-2025) and a 10-2 breakthrough in 2025.
Conditions
Alabama State is 64% at home, 38% on the road since 2018 (23-13 home, 13-21 away).
Recent games
Alabama State
- Wk 1Wvs Southern30-17
Mississippi Valley State
- Wk 1Lat Nicholls10-44
Conference standings
- Alabama State#11-0
- Mississippi Valley State#60-0