The last mile to Atlanta: The two-team race for the Celebration Bowl

The road to Atlanta has narrowed, but the stakes have only grown larger. Three teams now stand on the doorstep of the Celebration Bowl.

Inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium, beneath the lights and in front of a roaring crowd, the SWAC and MEAC champions will collide in a postseason clash that has become a cultural event as much as a championship game. And this year’s contenders bring storylines as rich and electric as the stage they’re chasing.

Reigning Celebration Bowl champion Jackson State has surged into its fourth SWAC title game in five years behind a bruising ground game, a rising freshman quarterback and the looming possibility of their veteran leader, JaCobian Morgan, returning under center. With the Soul Bowl win still echoing across Mississippi and “The Vet” serving once again as its fortress, JSU sits one win away from yet another trip to Atlanta. But the Tigers have a stout challenge awaiting them in the Magnolia State.

That opponent is Prairie View A&M, a team as hot as any in the country and guided by first-year head coach Tremaine Jackson. His fiery culture has transformed the Panthers into a balanced, dangerous force. Prairie View has spent the past month overwhelming opponents, piling up points, smothering offenses and leaning on a dynamic cast of playmakers, led by running back Chase Bingmon and quarterback Cameron Peters. With an offense that can strike from anywhere and a defense that dictates tempo, the Panthers enter the SWAC title game believing they can claim their first league crown since 2009 and punch their ticket to the biggest stage of the HBCU postseason.

Waiting on the MEAC side is South Carolina State, a program that has quietly reasserted itself atop the conference under 2025 MEAC Coach of the Year Chennis Berry. Though the Bulldogs will arrive in Atlanta rested after a three-week layoff, they carry a season’s worth of resolve and a desire to avenge last year’s Celebration Bowl loss. Armed with the MEAC’s most explosive passing offense, steady rushing depth and a defense that thrives on timely stops, SC State has reemerged as a team built for December football, hungry, seasoned and ready for the lights.

Whether it’s Jackson State’s pursuit of a dynasty or Prairie View’s resurgence under new leadership that meets South Carolina State — a team on a quest for redemption — only one team from the SWAC will make its path to Atlanta on Saturday afternoon. This year’s Celebration Bowl will have no shortage of excitement and energy. But first, one SWAC team must punch its ticket to the promised land. Who’s built to finish?

Jackson State (9-2, 7-1 SWAC)

The Tigers have spent nearly two weeks riding the momentum of their emotional 27–21 Soul Bowl win over Alcorn State, a victory that clinched the SWAC East and sent JSU to its fourth appearance in the conference title game in the past five seasons.

With Thanksgiving behind them and a pair of tuneup practices over the weekend, the Tigers now sit one game away from returning to the Celebration Bowl for the fourth time in that same span. Standing between them and Atlanta is a tenacious Prairie View A&M team that leads the SWAC in scoring, total defense and pass defense and arrives intent on claiming the league crown for itself.

The Tigers, however, hold two advantages. They’ll host the championship at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium, the site of their 27–10 win over Prairie View in the 2021 title game during Deion Sanders’ tenure. And they bring one of the nation’s most punishing ground attacks, averaging 269 rushing yards per game, second-best in the FCS.

Jackson State has topped 200 rushing yards in eight of its nine wins, and in two of the three games in which it fell short of that mark, it suffered defeats. Prairie View ranks fourth in the league against the run, allowing 143.5 yards per game, but it will face a Tigers front that fuels a 5.9-yards-per-carry attack and gives freshman quarterback Jared Lockhart room to operate in an offense averaging more than 200 passing yards per game.

An added variable is the possible return of Morgan, an All-SWAC second-team pick who hasn’t played since a foot injury Oct. 25. Morgan was active on the sideline during the Soul Bowl and has been medically cleared, raising the possibility “The General” could line up under center Saturday. His presence — or Lockhart’s continued poise — would add another dimension to an already explosive unit.

For Jackson State, the formula is clear. Win on the ground, protect the ball, capitalize in the red zone and keep Prairie View’s playmakers — quarterback Cameron Peters, receiver Jyzaiah Rockwell and its running backs — from generating big gains. If the Tigers control those elements, they stand a strong chance of watching confetti fall once again inside “The Vet.”

• Key players: QBs Jared Lockhart and JaCobian Morgan; RBs Ahmad Miller, Donerio Davenport and Travis Terrell Jr.; WR Nate Rembert; OL D’Andre Townes-Blue and Brian Williams Jr.; DL Quincy Ivory and Jeremiah Williams; LBs Ashton Taylor and Reid Pulliam; DBs Khamauri Rogers, BJ Washington and Kam Sallis

Prairie View A&M (9-3, 7-1 SWAC)

The Panthers roll into the SWAC title game as one of the league’s hottest teams, having scored 48 or more points in each of their past three outings. In that same stretch, the Panthers smothered Alabama A&M, Arkansas–Pine Bluff and Mississippi Valley State — a trio with a combined 9–26 record — holding all three to single digits. The late-season surge reflects the culture first-year head coach Tremaine Jackson has instilled, drawing from successful stops at Colorado Mesa and Valdosta State.

Under Jackson’s direction, the Panthers have built a balanced, physical identity, one rooted in a stout defense, a powerful rushing attack averaging 202.8 yards per contest and a passing game that has grown significantly. The result is an offense that ranks among the SWAC’s top three in scoring, total offense and rushing while sitting fourth in passing and converting red-zone trips into 36 touchdowns.

Much of Prairie View’s offensive rise has centered on its ground game. SWAC Freshman of the Year Chase Bingmon leads the way with 857 rushing yards and eight touchdowns, ranking among the conference’s top backs in both total production and yards per game. Lamagea McDowell adds another eight scores and nearly 500 yards, giving the Panthers a reliable one-two punch.

Quarterback Cameron Peters amplifies that threat as a true dual-threat option. He has thrown for 2,092 yards and 18 touchdowns — tied for second in the league — with only six interceptions, and he has delivered multiple scoring passes in each of Prairie View’s past five games.

But the Panthers’ offense will face one of its toughest tests of the season against a Jackson State defense loaded with playmakers. JSU enters the title game ranked second in the SWAC in scoring defense and total defense, first against the run and among the league’s best in limiting opponents’ third-down conversions.

The Tigers’ ability to disrupt timing, clog rushing lanes and force long-yardage situations has been a cornerstone of their success. For Prairie View to capture its first SWAC title since 2009, it must generate explosive plays on the ground and through the air, finish drives with touchdowns instead of field goals and win situational battles by pushing Jackson State into unfavorable down-and-distance scenarios. Just as critical will be staying alert on special teams, where the Tigers have the athletes to flip momentum in an instant.

• Key Players: RBs Chase Bingmon, Lamagea McDowell and Tevin Carter; QB Cameron Peters; WR Jyzaiah Rockwell; S Travor Randle; LBs Darrell Starling, Kennedy Parker and Sterling Roberts; CBs Eric Zachery and Kamren Amao; DL Malik Gucake

South Carolina State (9-3, 5-0 MEAC)

When the Bulldogs step onto the field for the Celebration Bowl on Dec. 13, SC State will be shaking off a three-week layoff, a long pause since its 28–17 win against Delaware State in the de facto MEAC title game. It was a season in which SCSU operated mostly out of the spotlight. Yet the Bulldogs steadily climbed to the top of the conference and now aim to avenge last year’s 28–7 postseason loss to Jackson State in the 2024 Celebration Bowl.

Bulldogs coach Chennis Berry, the 2025 MEAC coach of the year, has guided South Carolina State to back-to-back league championships by leaning on a potent offense that led the MEAC in passing at 286 yards per contest. SC State quarterback William Atkins IV, an All-MEAC second-team selection, directs an attack that can stretch the field and control tempo. The Bulldogs complement their air game with a capable ground presence — a rushing unit that averages 134.8 yards per contest — behind the quartet of Tyler Smith, Mason Pickett-Hicks, Josh Shaw and KZ Adams, each able to deliver timely, game-changing runs.