After being a Florida A&M thing for most of its first 24 years, the Atlanta Football Classic will have a new flavor this weekend.
South Carolina State and North Carolina A&T, longtime rivals in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, will meet at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at the Georgia Dome. It’s the first time in 15 years and just the seventh time in the game’s history that FAMU won’t be one of the Classic teams.
“Florida A&M has been a significant partner for us, and we continue to see them in that light,” said John Grant, CEO of Classic organizer 100 Black Men of Atlanta. “But really we just wanted to freshen up the game. It also gives additional teams an opportunity to benefit from the platform the Classic provides both economically and with exposure.”
The game will be streamed live on ESPN3 and televised on tape delay Saturday night on ESPNU.
The Classic has been played annually since 1989 and has been at the Georgia Dome since 1992. It has evolved into one of the bigger showcase games for HBCU teams.
South Carolina State (3-2, 1-0 MEAC) will appear in the Classic for the first time since playing in five consecutive games starting in 1991. North Carolina A&T (3-0, 1-0) will make its Classic debut.
“If everyone in Greensboro who says they are coming does, then they are going to have two domes to get them all in,” North Carolina A&T coach Rod Broadway said. “Everybody is excited.”
As always, part of the attraction will be the halftime “Battle of the Bands.”
South Carolina State’s “Marching 101” participated in the prestigious Honda Battle of the Bands at the Georgia Dome in 2011 and 2012. North Carolina A&T’s “Blue and Gold Marching Machine” participated in the Battle of the Bands this year and marched in the 2012 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York.
Grant said South Carolina State and North Carolina A&T could become Classic mainstays.
“We are looking for these two schools come into town this year and show … that is a matchup worth repeating,” Grant said. “We think that it is, and we believe these two universities can bring something unique to the market.”
During FAMU’s 15 consecutive appearances in the Classic, attendance topped 50,000 10 times. But the announced crowd of 41,042 for the 2012 game officially is the second-smallest for Classic games at the Georgia Dome (no official attendance was recorded for the first four games at the Dome).
The Classic is the largest fundraiser for Project Success, 100 Black Men of Atlanta’s mentoring, academic support and scholarship program.
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