Alabama A&M's rating surge outweighs Bethune-Cookman's better record

The records suggest a close call, Alabama A&M at 4-2 and Bethune-Cookman right behind at 3-2, but the ratings tell a different story. Alabama A&M carries a B grade across power, offense and defense, a full step above Bethune-Cookman's B- offense and C+ marks on power and defense, and sits 46th in FCS to Bethune-Cookman's 53rd, a seven-spot gap Versus has them seven spots apart in its rankings.

Alabama A&M's rise has been steady rather than sudden. The Bulldogs have improved their Versus power rating in each of the last five weeks and have outscored their last five opponents by an average of 20 points while going 4-1 in that stretch. Bethune-Cookman has its own case, having won its last meeting with this rival 41-34 last September and having lost only to teams with winning records this season, but neither team has played a strong schedule, with strength of schedule ranks of 107 and 111 in FCS.

This is a Southwestern Athletic Conference matchup and it counts in the standings, with Alabama A&M ranked No. 2 in the league and Bethune-Cookman No. 3. Versus projects Alabama A&M to win 31-24, a margin of seven points, giving the Bulldogs a 66 percent chance to take it as the favorite on home turf.