The 2023 American Football Coaches Association FCS Preseason Poll is out and North Carolina Central football and Florida A&M football are the only two HBCUs on the list. North Carolina Central is ranked 19th and FAMU is ranked 25th on the AFCA FCS Preseason Coaches Poll per a statement by afca.com. This is the second poll that the two black college football contenders have made this preseason.

Earlier this month, CBS Sports conducted a poll and ranked North Carolina Central 17th and Flordia A&M 23rd. Jackson State, ranked 11th in the CBS Sports poll, was not featured on the top 25 list but they received 37 votes in the poll

The AFCA started conducting the FCS polls in 2018 and issues a weekly poll based on game results throughout the season. The polls have been used to determine who makes the FCS playoffs. The rankings are determined by the FCS Board of Coaches, which features 30 voters that represent each conference in FCS including independent schools.

This is the first year since the inception of the poll that two HBCUs have been ranked in the top 25 preseason polls. North Carolina A&T was the only HBCU ranked in 2018 (14th), 2019 (19th), and 2021 (24th) and Jackson State was the only HBCU ranked last year (7th).

North Carolina Central looks to continue the winning momentum that they had in 2022 as they went 9-2, including a huge win in the Cricket Celebration Bowl over Jackson State 41-34. Florida A&M had an amazing season, finishing 9-2 but didn't make it to the SWAC Championship or the FCS Playoffs playoffs. The Rattlers look to dominate and become the black college national champions this season.