​BIRMINGHAM — There was change in the air at the Sheraton Hotel in Birmingham when the 12 SWAC football teams filed in for the annual SWAC Football Media Day on Wednesday, July 15.Before the media festivities began, Alabama State football learned it was voted to finish in first in the SWAC East over Jackson State in the preseason poll. Under coach Eddie Robinson Jr., Alabama State has always been consistently one of the premier SWAC football teams, but rarely a favorite over Jackson State.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement”Buy your tickets, because we believe we’re going to be there and we’re going to earn it,” Robinson said during an interview with SWAC TV at SWAC Football Media Day in Birmingham on Wednesday, July 15.Robinson was referencing the HBCU National Championship, the Cricket Celebration Bowl in December. It wasn’t meant to be a jab at any SWAC opponent, but a vote of confidence in his squad that it has earned the hype this offseason.The Hornets were only a tiebreaker away from a chance at playing for the SWAC title in 2025, and have often been labeled as the third-best team in the SWAC East behind teams like Jackson State and Florida A&M. But when the lights came on at the 12 different tables set up around the conference room Wednesday, the Hornets drew all the attention — fielding questions that often involved winning the SWAC in 2026.The Hornets received 131 points in the preseason poll, with 16 first-place votes — only second behind Prairie View A&M’s 19.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement”I’ll tell the guys if you don’t wake up everyday thinking about what could’ve been last season, you’re in the wrong place,” Robinson said. “Everyday we are focused on getting a little bit better because it’s a big picture approach.”That big picture is not only a SWAC title, but an HBCU National Championship. And that mindset is very much instilled in the team.”We will be there on August 29 when the season opens, and we will be there on December 12 when the season’s over,” starting quarterback Andrew Body said.BLACK COLLEGE FOOTBALL POLL: Alabama State football earns top 10 ranking in first Black College Football PollAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBURNING QUESTIONS FOR SWAC MEDIA DAY: Burning questions for Alabama State football ahead of SWAC Football Media Days1 / 41Alabama State head football coach Eddie Robinson, Jr., speaks during the SWAC Football Media Day in Birmingham, Ala., on Wednesday July 15, 2026.(Mickey Welsh / Advertiser)Jaeden Day covers high school sports, Alabama State football and Auburn recruiting for the Montgomery Advertiser/USA Today. You can find him on X at dayjaeden12, or reach him at JDay@montgome.gannett.com.This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: The buzz at SWAC Football Media Day was swarming around Alabama State football