Saturday, Sept. 11, 2010, at 1 p.m., marks the first conference game of the season for the Howard Bison against the Hampton Pirates.

Editor's Note : Hampton defeated Howard 31-21. See story.

Coming into the game, Hampton is coming off a tough loss to Central Michigan, as they were shut out 33-0, starting their 2010 campaign 0-1. This is the first time they have been shut out since 1984 and the first time since 2003, when they lost their season opener.

Howard U. vs. Hampton U.

Considered one of the most competitive football rivalries in college football, the teams will be meeting for the 87th time. Last season, Howard was shut out 37-0.

Hampton has been dominating the series lately, winning the last 13 games. The last time Howard beat Hampton in a football game was Sept. 13, 1996, when they won 26-7 at the Urban League Classic.

Hampton is looking forward to competing for the Mid-Eastern Athletic Football Conference (MEAC) championship, as they won it 3 years in a row, from 2004-2006.  In its 40 years of existence in the conference, Hampton has won the MEAC five times, while Howard has only once twice.

Both teams, however, will enter this game without a win this season.

 Karim Alammuri writes for The Hilltop, the Howard University student newspaper, which originally published this article.