With one game left in the season winning the next game is mandatory for a few DII HBCU programs. The 2024 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) football championship race will be decided this week, with four teams still in contention and one slip-up can shift the entire conference.
Let's look at the current scenarios for the conference in week 10.
Championship Scenarios
Miles College (7-2, 7-0 SIAC) locked up the No. 1 seed after last week's win over Morehouse. They travel to Tuskegee for homecoming, but the result won't affect their position. Miles holds the tiebreaker over Fort Valley State after beating Clark Atlanta 49-28 in Week 7.
Fort Valley State (6-3, 6-1 SIAC)controls its own destiny. A win over Albany State will secure the No. 2 seed. If they lose, they’ll be eliminated, as Albany State would have the head-to-head tiebreaker. With their SIAC lead rusher Brandon Marshall they are facing a well-engineered team that almost matches up perfectly.
Under new head coach Teddy Keaton, Clark Atlanta has had a remarkable season. With David Wright under center, the Panthers (6-2-1, 5-2 SIAC) boast a powerful passing attack that has given teams trouble this season. The last two years saw the Panthers only win three total games and are now eyeing a championship berth.
They must beat Morehouse and hope Fort Valley State loses to have a chance at the championship. If those results happen, Clark Atlanta, Fort Valley State, and Albany State would all finish with 6-2 records, but Clark Atlanta holds the tiebreaker over Fort Valley State and has a better opponent win percentage than Albany State.
Meanwhile, Albany State is aiming to return to the championship game after falling 47-10 to Benedict College in last season's trophy match-up. To make a return to Atlanta, the Rams (5-4, 5-2 SIAC) need to beat Fort Valley State and hope for losses from Tuskegee, Clark Atlanta, and Fort Valley State. If those conditions happen, Albany State could tie with Tuskegee in opponent win percentage, and the highest-ranked team in the regional standings would earn the No. 2 seed. If neither team is ranked, a draw by lot will decide the spot.
Tuskegee (5-4, 5-2 SIAC) needs to beat a high-powered Miles Program as well as hope for losses from Fort Valley State, Clark Atlanta, and Allen University. If all those results fall into place, Tuskegee would have a higher opponent win percentage than Albany State and could make the championship. A similar scenario with losses from Fort Valley State, Clark Atlanta, and Edward Waters would also give Tuskegee a shot, with the No. 2 seed determined by regional rankings or a draw by lot if neither team is ranked.
With so many possible outcomes and a few key matchups, Week 10 is shaping up to be an exciting finish to the SIAC football season. By Saturday, two teams will emerge as leaders and secure their spots in the championship game.
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