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Stats Perform is bringing a greater spotlight to athletes, students and stories at Historically Black Colleges and Universities through a partnership with Urban Edge Network. Included in the 2024 college football season are both HBCU FCS Player and Team of the Week awards and a season-ending HBCU FCS National Player of the Year Award, each presented by HBCU+.
“Win and you’re in” – that phrase always sounds great near the end of the regular season for teams trying to make the postseason.
With the HBCU football regular season winding down in the FCS, the road to a conference championship and postseason bid has become much clearer in both the MEAC and SWAC.
In the SWAC, division leaders Jackson State (East) and Southern (West) only need to win one of their final two regular-season games to qualify for the conference championship game.
In the MEAC, South Carolina State would clinch the conference title and its bid to the Celebration Bowl with a victory at Morgan State on Saturday. However, if the Bulldogs lose to MSU, the MEAC scenario won’t be decided until after games on Nov. 23.
But heading into Saturday’s games, all three front-runners have control of their postseason destiny.
HBCU Football: Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
South Carolina State (7-2, 3-0 MEAC) must like its path as they travel to Baltimore to take on Morgan State. The Bulldogs have won six straight games under first-year coach Chennis Berry and are one spot outside the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll.
But Morgan State (5-5, 2-1) offers what should be the most-difficult defense they’ve faced in the MEAC schedule. If they defeat the Bears, they’re heading to Atlanta on Dec. 14 for what’s recognized as the HBCU football national championship game.
Ninth Celebration Bowl
- Date: Dec. 14 (noon ET, ABC)
- Site: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
- All-Time Wins: MEAC 6, SWAC 2
Behind quarterback Eric Phoenix, SCSU has been lethal through the air, averaging 362 passing yards with 10 touchdown passes through three conference games, up considerably from nonconference action. Expect the Bulldogs to try to spread out Morgan State defenders.
But the MEAC scenario doesn’t necessarily have to be that easy: An MSU win over SCSU will open up the title race. The Bears would then hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Bulldogs if those two teams finished atop the standings.
And then there’s North Carolina Central (6-3, 2-1), which is tied for second place with Morgan State entering the weekend. SCSU holds the head-to-head tiebreaker over NCCU, but NCCU already beat Morgan State to own that two-team tiebreaker. If that trio finished atop the standings with the same record, the tiebreaker favors South Carolina State (it has a final game on Nov. 23 is against Norfolk State).
Four- and five-team ties at 3-2 are still possible with Howard (4-6, 1-2) and Norfolk State (3-7, 1-2), but unlikely.
HBCU Football: Southwestern Athletic Conference
In the SWAC, No. 23 Jackson State has the easiest path to both hosting the conference championship game on Dec. 7, and ultimately advancing to the Celebration Bowl. The Tigers (8-2 6-0) have games remaining at Alabama State and Alcorn State, all but set to earn a third ticket to the SWAC title game in the last four seasons.
Notably, JSU’s loss at Grambling State on Sept. 21 was not a part of the conference schedule, so that keeps the Tigers unbeaten in the SWAC under coach TC Taylor. Their vanquishing of defending SWAC champion Florida A&M on Oct. 19 was key to their six-game winning streak.
Unlike the pass-centric offense of their 2022 conference champions, the Tigers have feasted on SWAC defenses via the ground game, averaging 270 yards with 15 rushing touchdowns in the six conference wins. Grad student Irv Mulligan has led the charge this season, with his 896 rushing yards far and away the most in the SWAC.
While their matchup also wasn’t part of the conference schedule, Jackson State defeated Southern 33-15 on Sept. 14, so even one more SWAC win would be enough for the Tigers to become host of the championship game.
26th SWAC Championship Game
- Date: Dec. 7 (2 p.m. ET, ESPN2)
- Site: Higher-seeded host school
- All-Time Wins: West Division 13 (Texas Southern’s 2010 title was vacated), East Division 11
The fact Southern (6-4, 5-1) controls its destiny in the West Division is surprising. The Jaguars were picked fourth in the SWAC preseason coaches poll behind Alcorn State, Prairie View A&M and Grambling State. They’ve already defeated Alcorn State and Prairie View heading toward a Nov. 30 matchup against rival Grambling in the Bayou Classic.
But first, Southern welcomes in Arkansas-Pine Bluff for the chance to punch a ticket to the SWAC championship game. UAPB has one of the conference’s better passing offenses, so the game could become a shootout, but the Jaguars have been better defensively than the Lions.
Southern has been balanced offensively in SWAC games, averaging 192.5 rushing yards with running back Kobe Dillon particularly coming on strong and 176.3 passing yards.
The Road to Atlanta
In short, the postseason picture could simplify on Saturday: With wins, Jackson State and Southern in the SWAC and South Carolina State in the MEAC would take the intrigue out of the final weeks of the regular season.
When all of the regular-season games are over in HBCU football, the MEAC champ has three weeks off before the Celebration Bowl, while the winner of the SWAC championship game would play in Atlanta just one week later.
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