Copyright Baton Rouge Advocate
This week's Southwestern Athletic Conference football power rankings have another huge change for a second-consecutive week. In Southern interim coach Fred McNair's second game at the helm, the Jaguars lost 40-21 at Arkansas-Pine Bluff. The seventh-straight loss marks the current longest in the conference. Jackson State bounced back in the win column in a road contest against FAMU, but Tigers' fans are still concerned about starting quarterback JaCobian Morgan being out for at least two more weeks. Listed below are this week's SWAC power football rankings before Week 11 games kick off. 1. Alabama State Record: 6-2 overall, 4-1 SWAC Previous rank: 1 Last week: 31-28 win at Prairie View This week: vs. Texas Southern, 2 p.m. Saturday Extra points: Alabama State, like Jackson State, has dealt with an injury to its starting quarterback Andrew Body. Coach Eddie Robinson Jr. said Body suffered a shoulder injury, and he's hoping the QB can return to action this season. Redshirt freshman Te'Sean Smoot completed 4 of 6 passes for 9 yards in ASU's 31-28 win over Prairie View. 2. Jackson State Record: 6-2 overall, 4-1 SWAC Previous rank: 2 Last week: 41-16 win at FAMU This week: at Mississippi Valley State, 2 p.m. Saturday Extra points: Coach T.C. Taylor expressed his satisfaction in JSU's response after losing against Grambling in Las Vegas and losing starting quarterback JaCobian Morgan. Taylor challenged freshman quarterback Jared Lockhart to lead the team to more drives ending in touchdowns, and he responded with a 31-point second half led by a strong rushing attack. 3. Prairie View Record: 6-3 overall, 4-1 SWAC Previous rank: 3 Last week: 31-28 loss vs. Alabama State This week: at Alabama A&M, 2 p.m. Saturday Extra points: Coach Tremaine Jackson wants Prairie View to cut down on its turnovers after having four last week against Alabama State. Despite the Hornets' No. 1 ranking, Jackson doesn't give his program the moral victory for only losing by 3 points. History is on PVAMU's side against Alabama A&M with a 5-2 all-time record against AAMU. 4. Grambling Record: 6-3 overall, 3-2 SWAC Previous rank: 4 Last week: 13-10 win vs. Alabama A&M This week: vs. Bethune-Cookman, 2 p.m. Saturday Extra points: The defense carried Grambling to a victory over Alabama A&M last week, as the group allowed zero third-down conversions and finished with eight sacks and 13 tackles for losses. The unit will need a similar performance this week against the third-highest scoring team in the conference, Bethune-Cookman, who average 31.3 points per game. 5. Bethune-Cookman Record: 5-4 overall, 4-1 SWAC Previous rank: 5 Last week: 42-34 win vs. Mississippi Valley State This week: at Grambling, 3 p.m. Saturday Extra points: Mississippi Valley State gave Bethune-Cookman a scare this past weekend, as the Delta Devils nearly came back from a 21-7 deficit. Coach Raymond Woodie said the secondary needs to tighten up its coverage. This week, BCU takes on Grambling, a program the Wildcats have won five of the six last matchups against. 6. FAMU Record: 3-5 overall, 2-2 SWAC Previous rank: 7 Last week: 41-16 loss vs. Jackson State This week: at Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 2 p.m. Saturday Extra points: Coach James Colzie wants FAMU to get more early-down yardage to avoid third-and-long situations. He also wants to improve the kick return flaws shown in last week's loss to Jackson State. Despite UAPB quarterback Christian Peters ranking in the SWAC's top three for passing, Colzie wants his team to stop the run first. 7. Alcorn State Record: 3-6 overall, 2-3 SWAC Previous rank: 10 Last week: 33-14 win at Texas Southern This week: vs. Southern, 3 p.m. Saturday Extra points: Alcorn is coming of a win at Texas Southern, but coach Cedric Thomas wants his offense to convert more on third down. Alcorn State leads the all-time series against Southern, 41-30. Thomas said he's appreciative of Southern interim coach Fred McNair because he's hired Thomas twice in his career. "But like the kids say," Thomas said. "He's the opps [opposition] right now." 8. Texas Southern Record: 4-4 overall, 3-2 SWAC Previous rank: 6 Last week: 33-14 loss vs. Alcorn State This week: at Alabama State, 2 p.m. Saturday Extra points: Texas Southern is 1-9 all-time against Alabama State. Coach Cris Dishman said he hopes to establish a culture in Houston like Robinson Jr. has built in Montgomery. Following last week's loss against Alcorn State, the Tigers are looking for their fifth win in six games. 9. Arkansas-Pine Bluff Record: 4-5 overall, 2-3 SWAC Previous rank: 9 Last week: 40-21 win vs. Southern This week: vs. FAMU, 2 p.m. Saturday Extra points: UAPB defeated Southern, a program it had beaten just once in the previous 10 meetings, last week. Now, UAPB looks to get its first win ever over FAMU. Rattlers coach James Colzie said his team will prepare to stop the run. UAPB coach Alonzo Hampton acknowledged his team's offensive success starts on the ground. 10. Alabama A&M Record: 4-5 overall, 1-4 SWAC Previous rank: 8 Last week: 13-10 loss at Grambling This week: vs. Prairie View, 2 p.m. Saturday Extra points: This week, the Bulldogs look to remain undefeated at home against No. 3 Prairie View. PVAMU holds the all-time advantage over AAMU, 10-8. Alabama A&M will be looking to rebound after blowing a 10-0 lead against Grambling. Coach Sam Shade attributes the loss to special teams and defensive flaws. 11. Mississippi Valley State Record: 1-7 overall, 0-4 SWAC Previous rank: 12 Last week: 42-34 loss at Bethune-Cookman This week: vs. Jackson State, 2 p.m. Saturday Extra points: MVSU enters this weekend with a 5-64 all-time record against No. 2 Jackson State. Delta Devils junior quarterback Josh Brown made up for a majority of the team's offense last week against Bethune-Cookman, as he accounted for 418 passing yards, a touchdown, an interception and two rushing touchdowns. 12. Southern Record: 1-8 overall, 0-5 SWAC Previous rank: 11 Last week: 40-21 loss at Arkansas-Pine Bluff This week: at Alcorn State, 3 p.m. Saturday Extra points: Interim Southern head coach Fred McNair faces his alma mater and former employer, Alcorn State, this weekend after a disappointing outing at Arkansas-Pine Bluff. McNair wants the Jaguars to stop giving up explosive plays on defense and establish the run game offensively to give Southern a better chance to win.
