Alabama State (7-5, 6-3)

Key returning players: WR Nick Andrew (48 receptions, 627 yards, 7 TDs); FS Kejuan Riley (7 INTs, 63 tackles; preseason SWAC All-Conference).

Outlook: The Hornets rediscovered their sting in 2010 as they posted their highest victory total since 2004 (10-2) and reached the SWAC Championship Game for the third time in school history. Offense was the Hornets’ biggest headache last season. Coach Reggie Barlow brought in veteran offensive coordinator Fred Kaiss to inject more punch in their attack, which was in the bottom four in the conference in virtually every statistical category. A modicum of improvement should be enough to keep the Hornets atop the SWAC East. Greg Jenkins, a transfer from Troy University, is the frontrunner at quarterback with Devin Dominguez, the 2010 starter, and Demetric Price providing depth. Dominguez pitches on the Hornets’ baseball team and didn’t go through spring drills, leaving the door open for Jenkins. Defense catapulted the Hornets into the SWAC championship picture last season, ranking in the top three in the SWAC in eight categories and in the top 20 in the FCS in six categories. It will play a key role in their fortunes this season. The Hornets’ defense is strong on all levels. With returning starters Kynjee Cotton and Quinn Bohannon anchoring the line, DeMarques Taylor and Leland Baker leading the linebacker corps and Riley and Donovan Masline patrolling the secondary, there shouldn’t be a drop off.

Fast Fact: Barlow, who had been on the hot seat practically from the start of his four-year tenure, and worked without a contract last season, signed a four-year deal during the offseason with two years guaranteed. In addition to throwing money at Barlow, Alabama State is putting money into it facilities. The Hornets have a new $6 million football building that includes a 5,000- square foot weight room and a players’ lounge equipped with PlayStation and Nintendo games and four flat screen TVs. Next fall they will move into a 30,000-seat on-campus stadium.

Alcorn State (5-6, 4-5)

Key returning players: QB Brandon “Air Canada” Bridge (2,086 yards passing, 19 TDs, 2,687 yards total offense); RB Gabriel Nash (186 carries, 646 yards, six TDs).

Outlook: Pairing Coach Melvin Spears with Bridge could be a marriage made in football heaven. Spears, who coached Grambling State to a SWAC title in 2005, loves to see the ball in the air, and Bridge is a quarterback who can wing it. Ole Miss transfer WR Andrew Harris will give Bridge another dangerous target. Nash and Arnold Walker, who was injured most of last season, is a formidable tandem at running back. The offensive line could be problematic for the Braves. Senior C Isaac Williams returns, but the other starters will be new. Luckily, Bridge is mobile enough to elude the rush and minimize the Braves’ inability to protect him. But it remains to be seen if they will be able to open up running lanes and keep opponents loading up on the passing game. The Braves must retool their defense after losing a number of starters. That may not be such a bad thing since they allowed 29.0 points a game, third worst in the conference. However, with Spears’ pass-happy offense, the defense doesn’t have to stop opponents; it just needs to slow them down a bit.

Fast Fact: The revolving door for coaches on the Reservation swung open again as Spears replaced Earnest Collins Jr. after just one season. Collins left Alcorn State to return to Northern Colorado, his alma mater, after surprisingly leading the Braves into contention in the SWAC East race. Spears, who played for the Braves under Hall of Fame coach Marino H. Casem, is Alcorn’s fourth coach in four seasons.

Alabama A&M (3-8, 3-4)

Key returning players: QB Deaunte Mason; LB Willie Fuller (preseason All-SWAC, six sacks, nine tackles for loss in 2010); RB Kaderius Lacey (142 carries, 710 yards, 5.0 per carry)

Outlook: The Bulldogs are coming off their worst season since joining the SWAC and just their second losing record in Coach Anthony Jones’ nine-year tenure. They return 12 starters, five on offense, five on defense and two specialists. Injuries at quarterback wreaked havoc with the Bulldogs’ offense in 2010. Mason missed four games with a nagging groin injury that hampered him in several other contests. His return to health will provide a significant offensive boost to a unit that was ninth in passing (155.6). David Isabelle, a transfer from Alabama-Birmingham, is expected to see playing time as well. Justin Jones played well at times as Mason’s replacement. PK Chance Wilson is one of the most accurate kickers in the conference and allows the Bulldogs the luxury of not having to force things once they are in the red zone. Defense will be Alabama A&M’s strength, and the strength of the defense will be the line with eight returnees. The Bulldogs were No. 3 in the conference in rushing defense in 2010, and they figure to formidable against the run once again.

Fast fact: Coach Anthony Jones, entering his 10th season at Alabama A&M, is the elder statesman among SWAC coaches. Jones has the highest winning percentage in school history (.609), and he is second to legendary Bulldogs coach Lewis Crews on the career winning list with a 64-41 record. He has led Alabama A&M to four appearances in the SWAC Championship and a conference title in 2006.

Texas Southern (9-3, 8-1; SWAC Champions)

Key returning players: RB Marcus Wright 1,212 yards rushing (8 TDs, 2010 first team All-SWAC and preseason All-SWAC); DE Marquis Jackson (18 tackles for loss, 8 sacks, preseason All-SWAC).

Outlook: The celebration for the Tigers’ first-ever outright SWAC championship didn’t last long as Johnnie Cole was relieved of his head coaching duties four months after capturing the crown ahead of an NCAA investigation. The good news for TSU fans is that not much will likely change under interim coach Kevin Ramsey, who was the Tigers’ defensive coordinator for two seasons under Cole. The Tigers 212 Degrees Defense was one of the stingiest in the FCS in 2010, and it figures to continue to make things uncomfortably hot for opposing offenses. The front four, led by Jackson, returns in tact and is the Tigers’ greatest strength. The linebacker corps took a big hit with the graduation of All-American MLB Dejuan Fulghum (currently with the Detroit Lions). Tyler Crane, who played defensive end last season, returns to his natural position as Fulghum’s replacement and no drop off is expected. The secondary is experienced with, All-SWAC performer Zach Gallow returning and Kydarian Wilkins fully recovered from an injury that cut short his 2010 season. The running game was the hub of the Tigers’ offense, and it is strong once again. Wright and Martin Gilbert (preseason All-SWAC) give the Tigers the conference’s most formidable running back tandem. Juniors Dantavious Parker, a transfer from Troy State who sat out last season but worked with Ramsey, and Harry Brown are battling for the starting quarterback job. The winner needs only to be able to hand the ball off and avoid mistakes with Wright and Gilbert doing the heavy lifting.

Fast fact: Texas Southern’s defense was tops in the FCS last season, ranking No. 1 in four categories. The Tigers led the nation in total defense (204.9 yards a game), pass efficiency (78.9), tackles for loss (9.3 per game) and sacks (3.7 per game).

Grambling State (9-2, 8-1)

Key returning players: LB Cliff Exama (2010 Boxtorow All-American, 106 tackles three INTs; DL Jomarcus Savage (five sacks, 12 tackles for loss, All-SWAC).

Outlook: The G-Men enter the 2011 season in a familiar position – picked to capture the SWAC championship by the conference’s coaches and Sports Information Directors. Never mind that they lost the most prolific rushing tandem in the FCS with the graduation of RBs Frank Warren and Cornelius Walker (1,958 combined yards); they don’t have an experienced quarterback and they lack proven receivers. The G-Men should however have a strong defensive unit and solid offensive line. But that’s unlikely to be enough to get them over the hump. Exama leads the defensive unit that was No. 3 in the SWAC in points allowed (19.3) and No. 2 against the run (113.8 yards a game). Antonio Leonard, Anotine Rogers and Savage give Grambling a formidable defensive line. The weak link is the secondary, which was riddled for 230.4 yards a game. Bruna Foster, Jabari Powell and Dominic Bell return for their senior seasons with a chip on their shoulders after a lackluster showing last year. The strength of the offense is along the line with center Julian Wyndon and first team All-SWAC performers Sanford Banks and Bennie Peoples returning. D.J. Williams, the son of Coach Doug Williams, and Frank Rivers will vie for the starting quarterback job. The running back spots are still open.

Fast Fact: Coach Doug Williams returns for his second stint as coach of the G-Men The former Grambling All-American quarterback, who was MVP of Super Bowl XXII for the Washington Redskins and is a member of College Football Hall of Fame, guided the G-Men to three consecutive SWAC titles in the final threes seasons of a six-year tenure that ended following the 2003 season when he became a personnel executive with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Prairie View (7-4, 6-3)

Key returning players: CB Moses Ellis (2010 Boxtorow All-American, 8 INTs, No. 1 in FCS, SWAC Defensive Player of the Year); WR Spencer Nelson (25 catches, 323 yards).

Outlook: The Panthers will have different look with just 10 returning starters – four on offense and six on defense – and a new head coach after Henry Frazier III left for North Carolina Central. The cupboard isn’t bare as Frazier left behind 43 lettermen for former defensive coordinator Heishma Northern, his hand-picked successor. The Panthers will feature the passing game more under Northern than they did when Frazier was at the helm. But in order to do that, they must find a dependable quarterback. Senior Jonathan Troast is the frontrunner. He started the first two games of the 2010 season while K.J. Black recovered from knee surgery and went 1-1. The running game is also unsettled. Newcomer Ladarraye Groover and veteran Jeremy Waddy are vying to replace 3,000-yard career rusher Donald Babers at running back. Nelson is the Panthers’ only experienced receiver. Deandre Cooper, a one-time defensive back who missed a season and half and switched to wide receiver, will be counted on to help shore up the receiving corps. LBs Raheem Cardwell and Marcus White, along with Ellis, are counted to help the Panthers’ defense maintain the high level of play that is has achieved in recent seasons.

Fast fact: Should Troast open the season at quarterback against Bethune-Cookman in the MEAC/SWAC Challenge, he would be the first Prairie View QB to start back-to-back openers since Chris Gibson opened the ’06 and ’07 seasons as the first-stringer. Mark Spivey started under center in 2008. Jay Bluford got the nod in 2009 but gave way to K.J. Black early in the season. Troast started the 2010 season opener by default while Black recovered from offseason knee surgery.

Arkansas-Pine Bluff (5-6, 4-5)

Key returning players: LB Jer-ryan Harris (129 tackles, 8 sacks ; 2010 SWAC Freshman of the Year and first team All-SWAC); PK Chris Ewald (10-17 FGs, 34-37 PATs 64 points)2008 All-SWAC).

Outlook: The Golden Lions will feature a new look on offense with the arrival of defensive coordinator Eric Dooley from Southern University and the graduation loss of QB Josh Boudreaux and WR Raymond Webber, the conference’s top pass-catch combination in 2010. Sophomores C.J. Branch and Ben Anderson are vying to replace Boudreaux. RBs Adrian Moore (328 yards rushing) and Justin Billings (388 yards rushing, conference best 6.8 yards per carry) give the Golden Lions a pair of explosive runners. Preseason All-SWAC offensive tackle Terron Armstead and C Chris Wilson anchor the line. Harris will be surrounded by several new faces on defense, particularly on the line where Ibrahim Abdulai and Arthur Thomas have departed. Brandon Thurman and Theodore McNeil are counted on to take up the slack

Fast Fact: Golden Lions coach Monte Coleman could very well be known as Mr. Washington Redskin. He played 16 seasons for them for parts of three decades, the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s. He is one of only three Redskins to play at least 16 seasons with the franchise (Sammy Baugh, 16 seasons, and Darrell Green, 20 seasons, are the others). Coleman is second on the team’s all-time list for games played with 217, and he played in four Super Bowls, winning three.

Southern (2-9, 1-8)

Key returning players: QB Dray Joseph (1,117 yards passing 5 TDs); RB Sylvester Nzekwe (248 yards rushing, 5 Ts).

Outlook: The Jaguars’ motto for 2011, Rebuild. Revive. Restore, accurately describes the task Coach Stump Mitchell faces in his second season. One of the most storied programs in black college football, Southern was last in the SWAC West in 2010 and predicted to repeat this season. Mitchell’s job is to rebuild the Jaguars’ fan base, revive interest and restore the winning tradition. To do that, the Jaguars must correct the plethora of problems that afflicted them in 2010. QB Joseph started as a true freshman and figures to improve. WRs Michael Berry, a freshman, and Jared Green, a transfer from the University of Virginia and the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Darrell Green, are counted on to add much-needed explosiveness to the passing game. The offensive line is a bright spot with three starters returning, including 2010 second-team All-SWAC pick Chris Browne. Defensively, the Jaguars hope to improve on their middle of the pack performance of last season. One of the things they did well was pressure the quarterback – they had 26 sacks in 2010 – and that shouldn’t change with senior Kedy Enabulele and sophomore Kadeem Lewis returning. Sophomore Anthony Balancier spearheads the linebacker corps. The secondary is young, but sophomore Virgil Williams and juniors Mycah Bell and Levi Jackson should all benefit from the experience they gained last year.

Fast fact: The Jaguars are coming of the worst record in school history, but with a little luck they could have easily had a winning record. Three of the Jaguars’ losses were by a total of 13 points. They lost to Jackson State 49-45 after going ahead 38-34 with 2:59 remaining in the game and leading 45-41 with 19 seconds to play. They lost to Alabama State 21-19 after trailing 21-10 at the start of the fourth quarter when they failed on a two-point conversion when they scored with 16 seconds left.