The SIAC Football title game is set for Saturday, Nov. 14, when Benedict College hosts Kentucky State University in Columbia, South Carolina. It is one of two Division II HBCU conference championships decided on the same day, with the NCAA Division II Football Championship selection show scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 15, at 6 p.m. ET.
The matchup gives the Week 10 Black College Football Poll more meaning, too. The poll released on Nov. 9 placed Benedict and Virginia Union at the top of the Division II rankings, adding another layer to a weekend that could help shape the playoff picture.
A busy championship weekend in Division II
Two Division II HBCU football conference championships will be decided on Saturday, but the action starts before then. Friday night brought the CIAA’s inaugural Friday Night Blitz, with Virginia State University and Fayetteville State University opening the weekend at Durham County Memorial Stadium in Durham, North Carolina.
On Saturday, Virginia Union University and Johnson C. Smith University will meet for the CIAA championship in Durham, while Benedict and Kentucky State will decide the SIAC championship in Columbia. That gives the weekend four of the six participating teams in the division’s championship games, with the NCAA Division II playoff selection show coming the next day.
What the SIAC title game means
For Benedict and Kentucky State, the championship is the immediate focus. For everyone else watching the Division II HBCU race, the outcome matters because the field is narrowing quickly. With the playoff selection show set for Nov. 15, the weekend results will help define the next step for the teams that spent the season building toward this point.
In other words, the SIAC Football championship is not just a title game. It is also part of the final push before the NCAA Division II Football Championship picture becomes official.
