GIVE THEM A HIGH FIVE! FAMU football near the top of FCS in end of regular season rankings
Florida A&M’s ascension through the Football Championship Subdivision Coaches Poll continues.
The Rattlers are the FCS’ fifth-best team at the end of regular season rankings. The top-five nod comes after FAMU went 10-1, including a nine-game winning streak.
FAMU secured its first 10-win season since 1999 by beating Bethune-Cookman 24-7 in last Saturday’s Florida Classic. It’s Willie Simmons’ first 10-win year in his nine-year head coaching career.
The Rattlers debuted at No. 25 in the FCS Coaches Poll preseason rankings before cracking the top 10 at No. 9 in Week 10. FAMU moved up to No. 7 in Week 11.
The rise through the ranks included surpassing fellow HBCU North Carolina Central, which dropped from No. 7 to No. 13 in two weeks after being upset by Howard in Week 11, ultimately losing the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. NCCU will compete in the FCS playoffs, traveling to No. 25 Richmond on Saturday, while Howard will compete in the HBCU Celebration Bowl as the MEAC’s representative.
FAMU is off this week and returns to action to host the Southwestern Athletic Conference Championship versus Prairie View A&M (6-5) on Ken Riley Field at Bragg Memorial Stadium on Dec. 2.
It’s the Rattlers’ first home postseason game since the 1998 NCAA Division I-AA (now FCS) Playoffs First Round.
SWAC Championship tickets go on sale to the general public on Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time via Ticketmaster.
The SWAC champion clinches a Celebration Bowl berth to face MEAC winner Howard in Atlanta on Dec. 16 to decide the Black College Football National Championship.
Gerald Thomas, III covers Florida A&M University Athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at gdthomas@tallahassee.com or on the app formerly known as Twitter @3peatgee.
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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FAMU Football: Rattlers near top of FCS in final regular season ranks
