HBCU league votes to cut non-NCAA football contests

The SWAC is changing its football scheduling model, a move that could impact the wider HBCU landscape as the conference moves away from certain nonconference games outside the NCAA structure.

SWAC commissioner Charles McClelland said this week that the league's 12 member schools voted to stop playing nonconference football games against teams outside NCAA Division I and Division II beginning with the 2027 season.

He made those comments during Wednesday's SWAC TV broadcast of the conference golf championship.

"No longer are we going to play games that don't count," McClelland said.

League leaders believe the change will create stronger matchups. They also believe it will give fans better games to watch each fall.

McClelland said the decision came from the membership as a whole. He added that athletic directors agreed this was the best path for the conference moving forward.

"It's going to allow our teams to have more competitive games," McClelland said. "It's going to allow our fans to have more competitive games to go watch and go support."

SWAC football move affects future HBCU schedules

Current schedules for 2026 will not be affected by the new rule.

Southern is still set to host Louisiana Christian on Sept. 19. Bethune-Cookman is also scheduled to host Virginia University of Lynchburg that same day. Later in the season, Arkansas Baptist is scheduled to travel to Alcorn State on Oct. 10.

Both Bethune-Cookman and Alcorn State are expected to use those contests as homecoming games.

Several SWAC programs played non-NCAA opponents in 2025 as well. Arkansas-Pine Bluff beat Lincoln University (Calif.) and Westgate Christian University. In 2024, UAPB also routed Arkansas Baptist.

Elsewhere, Alcorn State, Mississippi Valley State and Prairie View A&M each faced Lincoln last season. Texas Southern defeated Virginia-Lynchburg, while Grambling State handled Langston.

Those results often turned into one-sided games.

Now the SWAC appears ready to move in a different direction. McClelland suggested a formal announcement will come later, but the message is already clear: the conference wants more meaningful football games for its schools, its fans and its HBCU brand.

The post HBCU league votes to cut non-NCAA football contests appeared first on HBCU Gameday.

HBCU Gameday

This story was originally published April 17, 2026 at 4:49 AM.