The conference title race is up for grabs this week as North Carolina Central heads to Howard. The South Carolina State versus Morgan State matchup comes into focus with an NCCU loss, and Delaware State or Norfolk State will snap a losing skid as they faceoff this weekend.
 
Here is a look at this week's matchups.
 
This week’s matchup against Norfolk State and Delaware State will give one of the teams their first conference win of the season. Norfolk State is coming off a loss to Norfolk Carolina Central, 38-24, extending their losing skid to five games. Despite several players under the weather last week, quarterback Cameron Sapp led the Spartans offense, connecting on 14-of-30 passes with 192 yards and two touchdowns. In their last outing, Delaware State fell to Morgan State, 27-24. Marquis Gillis paced the Hornet’s rushing attack with 81 yards and one touchdown in the defeat. The Hornets are harboring a losing streak, currently enduring four straight losses. Delaware State holds an 18-6 lead in the all-time series.   
Morgan State heads to Orangeburg, South Carolina, this week boasting a two-game win streak, including a 34-17 win over Delaware State in their last outing. Freshman quarterback Tahj Smith threw two touchdowns in his first career start.  The Bears are in a three-way tie for third place in conference standings, and despite a five-game losing skid this season, Morgan State can close out the season with a winning record with wins against South Carolina State and Howard. South Carolina State also sits 2-1 in conference play and notched a 27-23 win over Howard in their last game. Freshman running back Jawarn Howell rushed for a career-high 238 yards with three touchdowns to secure the FCS national and MEAC Player of the Week accolades. The victory was also momentous as legendary Head Coach Buddy Pough notched his 150^th career win over the Bison. This a pivotal game for the two programs as the winner will move to 3-1 in MEAC play and could still be in the hunt for the conference title should North Carolina Central fall to Howard. South Carolina State leads the all-time series matchup, 9-2.
   
Seventh-ranked North Carolina Central’s conference fate is in their hands this week as they take on Howard in Washington, DC. NCCU, the only remaining undefeated team in conference play, will clinch the MEAC title with a win over Howard this weekend. A loss keeps the Eagles in the championship race but opens the door for additional teams to compete for the title. The Eagles moved to seventh place ranking in both the AFCA and Stats Perform FCS polls last week, the highest national ranking in school history. Last week, NCCU defeated Norfolk State 38-24, their fifth straight win. Defensive back Kole Jones and kicker Adrian Olivo earned conference honors this week for their efforts against Norfolk State. Howard is still in the hunt for the conference title should they hold off the Eagles this week. The Bison lost to South Carolina State 27-24 in their last outing, recording their first conference defeat of the season. Quarterback Quinton Williams, the conference leader in passing, threw for 193 yards and two touchdowns on 16 completions. The Bison look to improve to 3-1 in the conference and give the Eagles their first loss in the conference. The Eagles lead 8-0 the series. 

1. NCCU beats Howard, NCCU clinches regular season title. If NCCU loses to Howard and defeats Delaware State, NCCU would need SCSU to win their final two games to secure the title (three-team tiebreaker with Howard, NCCU and SCSU) OR if Howard loses their last game, NCCU secures title. 

1. Howard wins both of their remaining games vs. North Carolina Central and vs. Morgan State, and South Carolina State loses one of their final two games (vs. Morgan State or vs. Norfolk State)

1. South Carolina wins both of their remaining games vs. Morgan State and vs. Norfolk State, and North Carolina Central loses their final two games vs. Howard and vs. Delaware State.

1. Morgan State wins their remaining games vs. South Carolina State and vs. Howard, and North Carolina Central loses their final two games vs. Howard and vs. Delaware State.