With football season around the corner, HERO Sports dropped a list of the toughest schedules, putting North Carolina A&T and Hampton from CAA at the top for HBCU FCS teams. North Carolina A&T is ranked 49th on the list with Hampton being ranked 64th.

The Analyst released an article on June 19th showcasing the combined winning percentage for each FCS team's division I opponents on their schedule. North Carolina A&T's opponents combined winning percentage is .558 s the teams on their schedule had a combined win total of 72-57 last year. Hampton wasn't far behind, as their opponent's combined winning percentage is .508 and they had a combined win total of 65-63.

North Carolina A&T is entering its first year in the CAA from the Big South. The Aggies fared well in their previous conference last season, going 7-4 over and 6-1 versus Big South opponents. A 35-27 loss against Gardner-Webb prevented them from winning their first Big South Championship. North Carolina A&T looks to continue its winning ways under head coach Vincent Brown but is sure to face tough competition from Elon (8-4 overall, 6-2 in the conference in 2022), Rhode Island (7-4 overall, 5-3 in the CAA in 2022), Delaware (8-5 overall, 4-4 in the CAA in 2022).

Hampton, however, looks to find their way in the CAA as they start their second season in the conference. The Pirates went 4-7 overall and 1-7 in the CAA in 2022. Hampton also faces Elon and Rhode Island but also has to face William & Mary, who were the top team in the conference. William and Mary finished with an 11-2 overall and a 7-1 in the CAA in 2022. The Pirates did fare well against the CAA's top-ranked team, losing 20-14. Hampton also faces another tough opponent in Richmond (9-4 overall, 6-2 in the CAA in 2022), who finished the season as the third-best team in conference.

Both teams start their 2023 season in week one. North Carolina A&T faces FBS opponent University of Alabama at Birmingham on Thursday and Hampton faces off against Grambling in the Brick City HBCU Kickoff on Saturday.