By james art CHARLOTTE, NC – We’re down to the final three weeks of the 2024 CIAA football season, and the top teams continue to claw their way into the top two. There are five exciting games coming up this weekend, highlighted by a matchup between Johnson C. Smith’s still-undefeated Golden Bulls and third-ranked Winston-Salem State.
All games can be streamed here:
Johnson C. Smith @ Winston-Salem State (1 p.m.)
Coming off its seventh straight win, Johnson C. Smith looks to remain undefeated, but will have a tough task this weekend when they head to Winston-Salem State. The Rams defeated Livingston last weekend in a battle for third place and will look to overtake the Golden Bulls in the standings with a win. WSSU has won 13 of the last 14 games against JCSU, but the Golden Bulls defeated the Rams in last season’s matchup, 35-31. The game will be streamed live on HBCUGo.
Virginia Union @ Bowie State (1 p.m.)
Virginia Union looks to keep its conference record perfect this weekend as they head to Bowie State. The Panthers are winners of four straight and could potentially move into sole possession of first place this weekend, but will have to do so against a Bulldog team coming off a monster 54-0 win over Bluefield State.
Lincoln (PA) @ Elizabeth City State University (1 p.m.)
Coming off a big loss at Virginia Union, Lincoln (Pa.) will look to right the ship this week as they face Elizabeth City State, which has lost four in a row. The Lions’ offense has shown flashes of success on both sides of the ball as ECSU has held opponents to fewer than 20 points on three occasions this season. The Vikings hold a 12-3 advantage in the series since 2008.
Show @ Fayetteville State (2:30pm)
Shaw and Fayetteville State will look to climb above .500 this week as they square off on FSU’s home turf. The Bears have lost two in a row, but took undefeated JCSU to the wire last week, being narrowly defeated, 21-14. The Broncos have won every other game this season since Week 1 and will be looking to get back into the win column this week after enjoying their bye week. These two teams are no strangers, having met 21 times since 1976. Fayetteville State had the upper hand, winning 15 of those games.
Virginia State @ Bluefield State (6 p.m.)
Virginia State will look to extend their winning streak to three games this week as they head to Bluefield State. The Trojans are coming off a convincing 36-7 win over ECSU and are currently fourth in the conference standings. They face a Bluefield State team that was shut out by Bowie State last week, 54-0. This will be only the teams’ third meeting, with VSU winning the previous two.