Fabulous 15: Great weekend for HBCU football in our state

We literally lost sleep this week trying to figure out the pecking order for our latest Fabulous 15 “All-North Carolina” college football rankings.

We use special metrics for this unique ranking, which take into account all 34 of our state’s gridiron programs who play across four NCAA divisions, the NAIA and junior college.

Knowing there is great disparity between all of our teams, we instead ask this over-arching question to formulate the Fabulous 15: Which teams are having the most special seasons within their own particular realm?

For our preseason Fab 15, we looked at expectations and buzz around the various programs in the Old North State. With teams like NC State, Appalachian State, Lenoir-Rhyne, North Carolina Central and Western Carolina grabbing a hefty helping of conference and national attention, we led our initial Fab 15 with that group.

But now games have started, though not for all of our teams. And some of the teams that did play games opened against opponents either significantly above or below their weight class.

—> READ MORE: This week’s Statewide Standings

What to make of all this when applying the “specialness” factor and trying to rank everyone as fairly as possible? Can a loss (Western Carolina’s) be more special than a win (NC State’s)? There aren’t always straightforward answers.

Hence the reason this writer tossed-and-turned for several hours late Monday night wrangling over how to sort everything out.

In the end, we decided to give the 12 North Carolina teams who won week one games an automatic berth into the Fabulous 15 rankings.

Just win, baby. Nothing says special in football like a “W” next to your name and a zero in the loss column.

As for the final three spots, we opted not to punish those teams who didn’t play by dropping them down or out. So Lenoir-Rhyne, Fayetteville State and Brevard, you’re still Fabulous for now — and holding the same spots you occupied in our preseason rankings.

Yes, Western Carolina you put up a valiant fight against NC State (especially considering how dreadful your conference partners Chattanooga and Furman looked in their games against Power 4 opponents). But you’ll have to battle your way back into these rankings. Same for you, UNC Pembroke despite your gritty effort against a top-flight Wingate squad.

Elon, Mars Hill, Davidson: You each have the potential to spend a long season amid the Fabulous 15. But we’re going to put you outside the rankings for now in favor of teams on the north side of .500 and wish you well on the road back to Fabulous-ness.

As for HOW we ranked this week’s Fabulous 15 once we settled on the teams, this too was a tricky matter (more late-night restlessness).

We sought to evaluate how special each victory was to its particular fan base, the quality of play, the level of opponent vanquished and the amount of buzz the triumph generated around the football landscape.

This has produced a much different Fabulous 15 list than you saw in the preseason. And things likely will remain volatile for a few weeks more as kingdoms rise and kingdoms fall, and the puzzle that is the 2024 college football season takes shape around our state.

Without further ado — and because this writer needs a nap!– here is this week’s edition of our Fabulous 15.

Remember, our Fabulous 15 rankings are sponsored by the The North Carolina Sports Network — home to the David Glenn Show, the Fifth Quarter podcast and a host of other features showcasing sports and more across the Old North State.

Fabulous 15 | After Week 1

1. North Carolina Central (FCS | 1-0)

Impressive win. Noted opponent. Nationally televised ESPN audience. NFL stadium venue. Yes, this all qualifies North Carolina Central to take the top spot in this week’s Fabulous 15.

The Eagles dispatched of Alabama State 31-24, getting 128 yards and two TDs from J’Mari Taylor, later named the HBCU national player of the week by BOXTOROW and MEAC offensive player of the week. The Hornets were picked to win the SWAC’s Eastern Division. NC Central was voted first in the MEAC. Could this be a Celebration Bowl preview?

2. Johnson C. Smith (D2 | 1-0)

The Golden Bulls also enjoyed a nationally televised audience on ESPNU, dispatching of Tuskegee 21-13 in Sunday’s Red Tails Classic, a game to honor the Tuskegee Airmen from WWII. Transfer Quavaris Crouch, who starred on a Charlotte high school team (Harding), rumbled for 161 yards and a touchdown. JCSU beat an opponent coming off a seven-win season in 2023, capping a solid day for our state’s HBCU programs.

3. Wingate (D2 | 1-0)

The Bulldogs gave new coach Rashaan Jordan a win in his debut, going on the road to beat UNC Pembroke 17-12. The defense rose up on several occasions to keep the high-scoring Braves off the scoreboard, including an interception on the UNCP’s final offensive play.

4. Lenoir-Rhyne (D2 | 0-0): The Bears, too, have a new coach and new uniforms but familiar expectations to be among the top teams in the South Atlantic Conference. Lenoir-Rhyne welcomes Bowie State to open the season Saturday in Hickory.

5. Appalachian State (FBS | 1-0)

The second play of the game went for an 83-yard touchdown, and the Mountaineers spoiled the coaching debut of former Gardner-Webb chief Tre Lamb, who is now at East Tennessee State. Can the upset kings of college football (Michigan, Texas A&M) bag another giant prize this weekend in Death Valley? We’ll be channeling serious Armanti Edwards energy App State’s way on Saturday night at Clemson.

6. Duke (FBS | 1-0)

The Blue Devils built an identity as a physical, defensive minded team under Mike Elko. That continued in Manny Diaz’s first game as head coach. Duke recorded eight sacks and 16 tackles-for-loss against Elon. An impressive debut against a quality FCS foe.

7. East Carolina (FBS | 1-0)

You could almost hear the collective sigh of relief coming out of Greenville. Yes, the Pirates were playing an FCS foe. But to watch a quarterback (Jake Garcia) throw four touchdown passes in the same game and to see the scoreboard hit 42 points had to be a relief. The Pirates averaged a mere 17.3 points per game a year ago and only threw seven TD passes the whole season. The whole season!

8. NC State (FBS | 1-0)

Our preseason No. 1 takes a hard dip this week. But remember our Fab 15 criteria: Which teams are having the most special seasons? The Pack trailed Western Carolina in the fourth quarter. A beat writer has already penned an article saying the “luster has come off” this NC State team. That doesn’t rate high on the special-ness meter, thus the precipitous fall in these particular rankings.

But the Pack did win. And Western Carolina is better than most give credit for. And they’ll be right back at No. 1 if they beat Tennessee on Saturday night in Charlotte. (Now do you see how the Fabulous 15 works?)

9. North Carolina (FBS | 1-0)

The Heels won, barely, escaping Minnesota when the Gophers shanked a field goal at the buzzer. UNC’s season opener may have hearkened fans back to the days of Dick Crum football in the late 1970s and early ’80s — stingy defense (Minnesota only had 244 total yards), punishing running backs (Omarion Hampton 129 yards) and timely special teams (Noah Burnette four field goals, plus the Minnesota miss at the end).

The schedule does set up well for UNC, with winnable games all the way to the match-up at Florida State in early November. But dare the Heels dream big again after the past two seasons of letdowns following hot starts?

10. Fayetteville State (Division II | 0-0): It had to be tough watching most of the rest of the CIAA play this past weekend, especially with rivals like Winston-Salem State, JCSU and Shaw getting all this positive attention. The Broncos will jump right into the fire this week, though, with a game against UNC Pembroke, a regional rivalry. We haven’t forgotten about you, FSU.

11. Wake Forest (FBS | 1-0)

The slow-mesh lives on, and the Demon Deacons overcame a slow to start to take care of business against North Carolina A&T. Transfer Hank Bachmeier came on in relief at quarterback, and the Deacs snapped a five-game losing streak dating back to last October. Saturday’s ACC game vs. Virginia looms as an early barometer of whether the Deacs will stick among the Fabulous teams.

12. Winston-Salem State (D2 | 1-0)

After a summer of bold takes on social media from fans, the Rams lived up to preseason hype and dispatched of their first foe, Bluefield State, in easy fashion. Can WSSU be bullies again in the CIAA after a near decade of leaner results? The jury is still out on that question, but pieces seem to be in place on both sides of the ball.

13. Shaw (D2 | 1-0)

The mighty Bears never made it into our Fabulous 15 rankings a year ago. And after losing their season opener every year since 2013, we weren’t about to leave them out this week. A nice win for the program (17-13 over Elizabeth City State) and a great first step toward upward mobility in the CIAA.

14. Brevard (D3 | 0-0)

The Tornados don’t actually kick their season off until Sept. 14. Brevard has been picked fourth in its conference and returns a solid arsenal of offensive and defensive talent. Guess that means we’re still under a Tornado Watch. A Tornado Warning will be issued when an actual Brevard game breaks out later this month.

15. Louisburg (JUCO | 1-0)

The Hurricanes often play in obscurity as our state’s lone junior college program. But they fill an important niche for players from our region seeking another route into a four-year program. Wins may not always be the most important thing at the JUCO level, but Louisburg has enjoyed its fair share. Saturday brought a 30-0 shutout of the Georgia Warhawks, a post-graduate program from Lawrenceville.

Keep Your Eye On

The aforementioned WCU Catamounts, Elon Phoenix, Davidson Wildcats and Mars Hill Lions. Catawba also is pointed in the right direction as a program. If Charlotte beats UNC on Saturday, the 49ers definitely will join the Fab 15. D3 action kicks off with the Soup Bowl between Greensboro and Guilford. Can the winner of that game serve up a spot in the Fab 15?