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The SWAC released its preseason favorites to win the conference, and Alabama State football found itself atop the list. The Hornets had regained the best player in HBCU football in quarterback Andrew Body, had a 10-win season the previous year, and boasted one of the best offenses in FCS football for 2025. However, the SWAC proved to be a ruthless beast.

Andrew Body missed his second consecutive game due to a bone injury in his non-throwing wrist, Alabama State suffered an upset against Bethune-Cookman in Daytona, and the offense currently ranks at No. 10 in the conference.

Alabama State coach Eddie Robinson Jr. acknowledged the need to focus on their own performance, telling the Montgomery Advertiser on the weekly SWAC coaches call: "You have to control where you are in the present. You can't worry about who else won and who did this. We have to win our game." After the Week 5 loss to Bethune-Cookman, the Hornets no longer had control over their destiny in the conference.

Currently, there are three teams with a 1-1 record in the SWAC, while only two remain undefeated: Jackson State and Bethune-Cookman.

The Hornets' clear path to the SWAC East title would require them to win their final six conference games, putting them at 7-1 in the SWAC. However, they would have to rely on losses by teams ahead of them, particularly Jackson State, Bethune-Cookman, and Alabama A&M. Alabama State's games against Alabama A&M on Oct. 31 and Jackson State on Nov.

14 carry high stakes that could have direct impacts on their chances of playing in a conference championship game. If Alabama State's games against Jackson State and Bethune-Cookman go as expected, it could give them head-to-head tiebreakers and knock other teams down in the standings.