S.C. State, B-CU: 2 shots at breaking MEAC skid

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina  -- The time for “campaigning” for more favorable representation in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision playoffs by the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference is over.

With two teams in the field of 24 for the first time since 2010, Bethune-Cookman and South Carolina State have turned their attention toward ending the conference’s 16-game losing streak in the playoffs this weekend in the Palmetto State. The Wildcats will get a second crack this Saturday in Conway at Coastal Carolina in a rematch of last year’s first-round matchup, while the 25th-ranked Bulldogs play host to Furman.

“I’ve stopped trying to campaign,” said Bethune-Cookman head football coach Brian Jenkins, who was outspoken about the MEAC deserving an at-large berth. “I’ve just put my focus towards taking care of business we need to take care of since we’re one of the teams that was automatically selected. But I’ll tell you what? I think it also speaks volumes that the selection committee and many others are starting to take notice in selecting us as well as South Carolina State as one of the top teams, as well as Tennessee State.

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