Atlanta awaits: Celebration Bowl picture comes into focus

The countdown to the Celebration Bowl has begun, and with nearly three weeks before kickoff in Atlanta, the air around HBCU football feels heavier, louder and more electric than it has all season.

What started back in August under the hot lights of the MEAC/SWAC Challenge as a wide-open race has tightened into a furious final sprint, a chase for pride, legacy and the chance to walk into Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Dec. 13 to compete for an HBCU national championship.

Across the SWAC, the urgency thumps like a drumline warming up before a rivalry game. Jackson State, bruised but unbroken after a midseason stumble, has rediscovered its rhythm behind a punishing run game and a freshman quarterback who seems to grow older by the quarter. Alabama State, riding four straight wins, keeps knocking at the door with the persistence of a program refusing to fade.

Out west, Prairie View has already carved its name into the title game, a team reborn under head coach Tremaine Jackson — equal parts voice, vision and defensive grit — that is now watching the scoreboard to see where its journey leads.

The MEAC tells its own story, and it’s every bit as dramatic. South Carolina State, the defending champion, has shaken off the shadows and surged back with a veteran urgency that feels familiar, almost inevitable. And Delaware State? The team everyone picked to finish last has become the league’s most compelling plot twist. Eight wins. The nation’s most fearsome rushing attack. A belief system rebuilt from dust. When the Hornets and Bulldogs collide this weekend, it won’t just be another Saturday. It will be a season-defining reckoning.

This is the moment when rivalries sharpen, when leaders walk out of the locker room a little earlier, when bands tune up with purpose and entire fan bases hold their breath. The road to Atlanta is down to its final turns. By Saturday night, one team will have already punched its ticket to “The Benz,” waiting in the wings for whichever SWAC contender steps out of the conference’s Dec. 6 championship clash. Another will watch its season end just shy of the lights.

And so, the biggest question looms over every practice field, every locker room, every stadium tunnel: Who’s built to finish?

Jackson State (8-2, 6-1 SWAC)

Since a 26–24 loss to Grambling State on Oct. 25, Jackson State has answered with three decisive wins against SWAC East opponents, including road routs of Florida A&M (41-16) and Mississippi Valley State (42-3). The Tigers’ 28–13 victory against Bethune-Cookman last week featured three 100-yard rushers, reinforcing why JSU ranks second in the FCS in rushing offense (277.4 yards per game) behind Delaware State. The run game has carried the offense with starting quarterback JaCobian Morgan sidelined by a foot injury. However, freshman quarterback Jared Lockhart has steadied the Tigers, throwing for 862 yards, six touchdowns and two interceptions with a 64.7% completion rate. His growth, paired with JSU’s dominant rushing attack and improving defense, sets up a high-stakes regular-season finale Saturday against in-state rival Alcorn State known as the Soul Bowl.

The Braves ride a four-game win streak and lean on a physical ground game led by Jacorian Sewell and Reggie Davis, along with quarterback Jaylon Tolbert, who has produced 1,894 passing yards, 13 touchdowns and seven interceptions this season.

A spot in the SWAC championship game hangs in the balance. JSU can reach the title game with a win, even if Alabama State also finishes 7–1, thanks to the Tigers’ head-to-head victory. If JSU loses and Alabama State wins, the Hornets capture the SWAC East. If the Hornets fall to Arkansas-Pine Bluff, JSU claims the division outright. And if both teams lose and finish 6–2, the Tigers advance because of the tiebreaker.

Remaining schedule: Alcorn State (Saturday)

Key players: QBs Jared Lockhart and JaCobian Morgan; RBs Ahmad Miller, Donerio Davenport and Travis Terrell Jr.; WRs Nate Rembert and Jameel Gardner Jr.; DL Quincy Ivory and Jeremiah Williams; LBs Ashton Taylor and Reid Pulliam; and DBs Khamauri Rogers, BJ Washington and Kam Sallis

Alabama State (8-2, 6-1 SWAC)

The Hornets have won four straight since their early October loss to Jackson State, including a 31–28 victory against SWAC West champion Prairie View. The Hornets also rolled past Alabama A&M, Texas Southern and Mississippi Valley, staying on pace with JSU despite playing without star quarterback Andrew Body. Body still leads the SWAC in passing yards (2,112) and touchdowns (24), ranks eighth in rushing yards and is tied for the fewest interceptions with just one, even though he has not played since the Nov. 1 win against Prairie View.

In Body’s absence, Jacksonville State transfer Te’Sean Smoot has taken over the offense. However, Smoot has been supported by a physical ground game that ranks second in the SWAC at 222.2 yards per game, trailing only Jackson State. Running backs Jamarie Hostzclaw and Marcus Harris II have anchored the Hornets rushing attack, helping Alabama State maintain momentum; Body remains unlikely to return for Saturday’s matchup against Arkansas-Pine Bluff or next week’s Turkey Day Classic against Tuskegee.

The Hornets’ path to the SWAC title game — one that would mark their first appearance since 2010 — remains straightforward but dependent on help. Alabama State must first defeat UAPB, then hope Jackson State loses to Alcorn State. Any scenario in which both teams win or both teams lose eliminates Alabama State from contention, because JSU holds the head-to-head tiebreaker.

Remaining schedule: Arkansas-Pine Bluff (Saturday), Tuskegee (Nov. 27)

Key players: RBs Jamarie Hostzclaw and Marcus Harris II; WRs Jalen Jones, Ajai Harrell and Asa Gregg; LB Jalil Lenore; DTs Michael Joiner and Reshawn Watson; DE Patrick Smith Jr.; and S Ta’Shaun Sims, Deontre Morris and Keane Lewis

Prairie View A&M (8-3, 6-1 SWAC)

When Tremaine Jackson took over at Prairie View, he told an indifferent fan base he would build a program that competed for SWAC titles and would be playing in December. Nearly a full season in, he has delivered. Despite a few nonconference setbacks and one league loss, the Panthers clinched the SWAC West after a 56–9 win against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Their rise has leaned on a strong run game powered by Chase Bigmon, who ranks fifth in the SWAC with 786 rushing yards and six touchdowns, and Lamagea McDowell, who has 462 yards and seven scores. Quarterback Cameron Peters has also stabilized the offense, ranking fifth in passing yards (1,858) and second in both touchdowns (16) and efficiency (157.3).

Jackson’s defensive pedigree has produced one of the league’s best units. Prairie View leads the SWAC in scoring defense (16.6 points), total defense (281.2 yards) and pass defense (130.3 yards), while ranking fourth against the run. With a title-game berth secured, the Panthers close the regular season against Mississippi Valley State and await clarity on their championship opponent and whether they can host the game.

Prairie View’s chances of hosting are slim. Jackson State would host the SWAC title game if PV loses to Mississippi Valley and Jackson beats Alcorn State. If Prairie View wins and JSU loses, the Panthers would host. But if both PV and JSU lose and finish with identical SWAC records, the FCS Coaches Poll tiebreaker favors JSU, which sits at No. 15 while Prairie View is unranked. If the SWAC East opponent is Alabama State, the Hornets would host because of their head-to-head win against Prairie View.

Remaining schedule: Mississippi Valley State (Saturday)

Key players: RBs Chase Bigmon and Lamagea McDowell; QB Cameron Peters; WR Jyzaiah Rockwell; S Travor Randle; LBs Darrell Starling, Kennedy Parker and Sterling Roberts; and CBs Eric Zachery and Kamren Amao

South Carolina State (8-3, 4-0 MEAC)

Though South Carolina State entered the season as the reigning MEAC champion, the Bulldogs spent much of the year overshadowed by Norfolk State, Delaware State and North Carolina Central. That changed after their emotional 34–27 win against NCCU, a back-and-forth battle that reminded the league the Bulldogs remain the team to beat. In his second season, coach Chennis Berry now has South Carolina State positioned to claim a second straight outright MEAC title, something the program has not accomplished since 2008–09 campaigns under then-coach Buddy Pough.

Quarterback William Atkins IV leads an offense that tops the MEAC in passing and ranks near the top in scoring and total production. Although the Bulldogs sit fourth in rushing, their ground game still delivers in critical moments. Consider Josh Shaw’s decisive 30-yard touchdown run that sealed the win over North Carolina Central and a Bulldogs rushing attack that helped open the passing attack for Atkins.

Defensively, SCSU has bent at times, allowing 27.2 points per game, but the Bulldogs remain among the conference’s best in total, rush and pass defense, and they excel on third down. With momentum and championship experience behind them, the Bulldogs can clinch another MEAC crown — and keep their Celebration Bowl hopes alive — with a win against Delaware State on Saturday.

Remaining schedule: at Delaware State (Saturday)

Key players: RBs Tyler Smith and KZ Adams; QB William Atkins IV; WRs Jalen Johnson, Jordan Smith and Deyandre Ruffin; DE Michael Lun; DL Ka’von Chisolm; and DBs Jarod Washington, Brenyen Scott and Tyler Jones

Delaware State (8-3, 4-0 MEAC)

Picked to finish last in the MEAC entering the 2025 season, Delaware State has spent the fall proving that prediction wrong. First-year coach DeSean Jackson, who reminded everyone at MEAC media day of the program’s 2–21 record over the previous two seasons, promised change. DSU has delivered.

The Hornets have secured their first winning season since 2012 and their most victories since 2007, the year they last won the MEAC. Now 4–0 in league play with wins against North Carolina Central, Norfolk State, Morgan State and Howard, Delaware State enters Saturday’s matchup against defending champion South Carolina State with a chance to clinch its first Celebration Bowl berth.

Delaware State’s identity starts with its punishing run game, the top rushing attack in the FCS at 276.5 yards per game under position coach and former NFL star Clinton Portis. Quarterback Kaiden Bennett directs an offense that ranks second in scoring (33.6 points per game), first in total offense (442.9 yards per game), fourth in passing and first in first downs per game.

Defensively, the Hornets have allowed yards but tightened when needed. DSU ranks last in pass defense and near the bottom in total defense, yet leads the MEAC in scoring defense (24.5 points per game), fumbles recovered and red-zone defense, while sitting second in rush defense. Timely stops and takeaways have fueled a five-game win streak, but limiting explosive plays will be essential as the Hornets try to finish the job of earning their first MEAC title since 2007.

Remaining schedule: South Carolina State (Saturday)