CIAA football teams have spent the opening weeks of the 2026 season testing themselves against Division I HBCU opponents. Their coaches say those games bring opportunity, but they also carry a price that does not always appear in the final score.
Virginia State, Bowie State, Lincoln (Pa.) and Elizabeth City State have each played an FCS opponent. All four lost.
Still, the results ranged from Lincoln pushing Mississippi Valley State into the fourth quarter to Virginia State taking a 66-0 loss at South Carolina State.
The games are often labeled “money games,” though guarantee figures for these matchups were not available. During the premiere of CIAA Coaches Live, the coaches focused on other costs: player health, roster depth, travel, field position and the challenge of recovering before conference play.
Two of the clearest assessments came from coaches who know the Division I level well. Virginia State head coach Henry Frazier III and Bowie State coach Dawson Odums both previously coached in the MEAC and SWAC.
Virginia State absorbs the hardest lesson
Virginia State entered Orangeburg with a 2-0 record after scoring 86 points in its first two games. South Carolina State changed the mood quickly.
The defending HBCU national champion outgained Virginia State 480-114. The Trojans converted only 2-of-11 third-down opportunities in the 66-0 loss.
Frazier did not attempt to dress up the result. However, he made clear that his first concern went beyond the scoreboard.
He also revealed that he never wanted the South Carolina State game on Virginia State’s schedule. Frazier said he had begged the late Peggy Davis, the university’s former associate vice president for athletics, not to schedule the matchup.
Davis, who led Virginia State athletics for more than 27 years, died in October 2024. The game remained on the schedule, leaving Frazier to take a roster built for Division II competition into Orangeburg against the defending HBCU national champion.
“The most important takeaway for us is that we got out of the game healthy,” Frazier said during CIAA Coaches Live.
He believed the first half could have been more competitive. A Virginia State touchdown was called back, and the Trojans missed an open receiver on a deep throw. The game broke open after Frazier removed his starters.
“Once we pulled our starters in the second half, our backups turned the ball over five times,” Frazier said. “It was a wake-up call for our second and third-string guys that they are one play away from being on the field.”
Frazier is no stranger to these games. The former Bowie State quarterback and coach has also coached at Prairie View and North Carolina Central.
“With the roster increase for FCS and the amount of money you can give those guys and pay those guys,” Frazier said. “Those games are becoming more lopsided and unfair than they used to be in the 80s and 90s and 2000s like that.
That is one of the hidden risks when a CIAA football team plays up. The starters must survive the physical mismatch, while the rest of the roster can be exposed before conference play begins.
Bowie State faces an HBCU FCS road gauntlet
Bowie State has taken the most demanding route of the group. The Bulldogs followed a road game at Virginia State with consecutive FCS trips to Delaware State and Alabama A&M.
The official final at Delaware State was 21-6, despite the score being misstated during the coaches show. Bowie State produced 287 yards and possessed the ball for more than 33 minutes. Three empty red-zone possessions kept the Bulldogs from applying greater pressure.
Odums also saw the physical equation. Delaware State rushed for 224 yards, and Bowie State had to prepare immediately for another Division I opponent.
“It’s a daunting physical task, but it’s a tremendous opportunity to showcase Bowie State on a national stage,” Odums said. “We have to keep our squad healthy and execute at a high level.”
Odums understands both sides. He spent more than a decade leading FCS HBCU programs before taking over a Division II roster. His comments framed the trip as both a strain and a branding opportunity.
“When our bus rolls into their stadium, we represent our institution and program pride,” Odums said.
That balance will be tested again when Bowie State visits Alabama A&M on Sept. 19. The Bulldogs will enter Huntsville at 0-2, with CIAA play waiting the following week.
Lincoln pays for travel and hidden yardage
Lincoln delivered the most competitive CIAA performance against an FCS opponent. The Lions gained 345 yards, recorded 22 first downs and forced three turnovers against Mississippi Valley State.
They also pulled within 24-20 during the second half before falling 31-20 in the Chicago Football Classic.
Head coach Frank Turner said Lincoln traveled with the intention of winning. The trip also created a new logistical challenge because several players had never flown before.
“We went to Chicago with the mindset to win, not just compete,” Turner said. “Handling flight logistics for many guys flying for the first time was an obstacle, but their focus was outstanding.”
The larger problem came on special teams. Mississippi Valley State used a kickoff return, a blocked punt, a shanked punt and a 79-yard punt-return touchdown to control field position.
“Special teams hidden yardage,” Turner said when asked what decided the game.
Lincoln showed that a CIAA team can match an FCS opponent in several areas and still lose. The margin for error shrinks when playing up.
Elizabeth City State uses NCCU as a measuring stick
Elizabeth City State head coach Adrian Jones did not describe the same physical toll after a 27-6 loss at North Carolina Central. Instead, he focused on what the game revealed.
The Vikings committed 12 penalties, struggled to establish the run and left points on the field in the kicking game. Jones said his offense must begin matching the defense’s intensity.
“Against NC Central, we committed 12 penalties—you can’t win staying behind the chains like that,” Jones said.
The trip also carried personal meaning. Jones played at NCCU, recently entered its Hall of Fame and faced his former college roommate, Eagles head coach Trei Oliver.
“After the game, we shook hands and he shared great feedback on tendencies,” Jones said.
That gave the Vikings information they could carry into CIAA football play, even if the scoreboard offered little consolation.
Together, the four games show why the value of playing up cannot be measured by the check or the final margin alone.
Lincoln gained confidence. Elizabeth City State received a blunt evaluation. Bowie State found national exposure alongside a demanding schedule. Virginia State escaped healthy but saw its depth tested severely.
For CIAA programs, that is the real calculation. A Division I trip can bring visibility and resources, but the benefit must still outweigh the physical, logistical and competitive cost.
