NORFOLK, Va., Sept. 1, 2023 – All six Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) football programs are in action this week, the first full slate of the 2023 college football season, with defending co-champion Howard kicking things off on Friday night.
 
Here is a glimpse at this week’s contests.
 

Howard Bison (0-0, 0-0 MEAC) vs. Eastern Michigan Eagles (0-0, 0-0 MAC)
Friday, Sept. 1 ? Rynearson Stadium ? Ypsilanti, Mich. ? 6:30 p.m.
TV: ESPN+ ? Live Stats

 
The Bison are coming off a 2022 season that saw them go 4-1 in MEAC play and win a share of the conference championship – their first title since 1993. Head coach Larry Scott enters his fourth season, and the campaign starts on Friday with a contest at Eastern Michigan. The Eagles went 9-4 last season and defeated San Jose State 41-27 in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. Eastern Michigan enters its 10^th season under head coach Chris Creighton, and the Eagles were picked to finish second in the MAC West Division. Eastern Michigan is 3-0 all-time against Howard, with the most recent match-up coming in 2013.
 

Bowie State Bulldogs (0-0, 0-0 CIAA) vs. Delaware State Hornets (0-0, 0-0 MEAC)
Saturday, Sept. 2 ? Alumni Stadium ? Dover, Del. ? 1 p.m.
TV: ESPN+ ? Live Stats

 
The Lee Hull era of Delaware State football kicks off Saturday afternoon at Alumni Stadium, as the Hornets play host to Bowie State, a perennial power in the CIAA. Delaware State is 3-1 all-time in the head-to-head series, having won the last three match-ups (the most recent coming in 1984, when the Hornets won 70-8). Hull comes into his first season with the Hornets, but he has previous MEAC head coaching experience following a stint at Morgan State – where in 2014, he won a share of the MEAC title and earned the league’s bid to the NCAA FCS playoffs. The Bulldogs, under the direction of second-year head coach Kyle Jackson, have been picked to finish second in the CIAA this season, a year after going 6-4 overall and 5-3 in league play.
 

Virginia State Trojans (0-0, 0-0 CIAA) vs. Norfolk State Spartans (0-0, 0-0 MEAC)
Saturday, Sept. 2 ? Dick Price Stadium ? Norfolk, Va. ? 2 p.m.
TV: ESPN+ ? Live Stats

 
Norfolk State will be at home to kick off year three under head coach Dawson Odums, welcoming in-state rival Virginia State for the Labor Day Classic on Saturday. The Trojans lead the all-time series 30-22-2, though the Spartans have won nine of the last 10 meetings. This will be the first meeting between the two teams since 2019 (when Norfolk State won 44-21), and Virginia State is entering its second season under head coach Dr. Henry Frazier III. The Trojans went 6-4 overall and 5-3 in the CIAA last season, and they were picked to finish fifth in the league this year.
 

Winston-Salem State Rams (0-0, 0-0 CIAA) vs. No. 19/19 North Carolina Central Eagles (0-0, 0-0 MEAC)
Saturday, Sept. 2 ? O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium ? Durham, N.C. ? 4 p.m.
TV: ESPN+ ? Live Stats

 
Defending Black college football champion North Carolina Central begins its title defense at home on Saturday, squaring off against in-state foe Winston-Salem State in the third CIAA-MEAC match-up of the weekend. The Eagles, under fourth-year head coach Trei Oliver, are coming off a 10-win season, a MEAC championship, and the Cricket Celebration Bowl trophy, and they also return the reigning MEAC Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year in quarterback Davius Richard and defensive back Khalil Baker. NCCU, ranked No. 19 in both the Stats Perform and AFCA Coaches preseason polls, leads the all-time series with WSSU, 24-22, including a 41-0 win last season.
 

Morgan State Bears (0-0, 0-0 MEAC) vs. No. 16/18 Richmond Spiders (0-0, 0-0 CAA)
Saturday, Sept. 2 ? Robins Stadium ? Richmond, Va. ? 6 p.m.
TV: FloFootball

 
As the Bears enter their second season under head coach Damon Wilson, they do so with a tough test on the road against perennial FCS contender Richmond. The Spiders come into the 2023 season ranked No. 16 (AFCA Coaches) and 18 (Stats Perform) in the preseason polls, and this year will be their seventh season under head coach Russ Huesman. Richmond went 9-4 overall and 6-2 in the CAA in 2022 before advancing to the second round of the NCAA FCS playoffs. This will be the second all-time meeting between the two programs, with Richmond having defeated the Bears in the 2014 NCAA FCS playoffs, 46-24.
 

South Carolina State Bulldogs (0-0, 0-0 MEAC) vs. Charlotte 49ers (0-0, 0-0 AAC)
Saturday, Sept. 2 ? Jerry Richardson Stadium ? Charlotte, N.C. ? 7:30 p.m.
TV: ESPN+ ? Live Stats

 
South Carolina State will hit the road again this weekend, looking to bounce back after falling to Jackson State in the Cricket MEAC/SWAC Challenge this past weekend. The Bulldogs, in their 22nd season under head coach Oliver “Buddy” Pough, will head to Charlotte, N.C., to take on the 49ers in their season opener in what will be the first-ever meeting between the two teams. Charlotte is in its first season under head coach Biff Poggi, who comes to the 49ers after serving as associate head coach at Michigan, and the program is coming off a 3-9 season in 2022, which was its last in Conference USA (the 49ers are entering their first season in the American Athletic Conference [AAC]).

 
About the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) is in its 53^rd year of intercollegiate competition with the 2023-24 academic school year. Located in Norfolk, Va., the MEAC is made up of eight outstanding historically black institutions across the Atlantic coastline: Coppin State University, Delaware State University, Howard University, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Morgan State University, Norfolk State University, North Carolina Central University and South Carolina State University. For more information about the MEAC, visit www.MEACSports.com.