FAMU football aims to halt MEAC's HBCU Celebration Bowl dominance, join shortlist of SWAC victors

The HBCU Celebration Bowl pits the best of the Southwestern Athletic Conference and Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference against each other for the Black College Football National Championship.

And it’s been the MEAC that has walked away victorious six of the seven times since the Celebration Bowl’s 2015 inception (2020 canceled/COVID).

The 2016 Grambling State team is the only SWAC representative to win the Celebration Bowl, beating North Carolina Central in a 10-9 slugfest.

Seven years later, the SWAC champions Florida A&M, which left the MEAC in 2021, is looking to join Grambling in the exclusive club of the league’s teams to win the Celebration Bowl.

But the MEAC Champions Howard Bison (6-5) stands in the way of the Football Championship Subdivision Coaches Poll’s fifth-ranked Rattlers (11-1).

The Celebration Bowl starts at noon from the Atlanta Falcons’ Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The game is available to stream on ABC.

“We’re elated to represent the SWAC in the Celebration Bowl,” FAMU head coach Willie Simmons said of the HBCU National Championship matchup.

“We know the history, the historical significance of this game, and the MEAC’s dominance over the SWAC since this game’s inception. So, we’re excited to turn the tide and bring the trophy back to the SWAC where it belongs.”

FAMU has ties to MEAC and SWAC, aims to be atop HBCU football's mountaintop

The Rattlers have nearly 40 years of history in the MEAC that includes eight conference titles before joining the SWAC.

FAMU wide receiver Nick Dixon, one of the team’s longest-tenured players, was there during the Rattlers’ realignment from the MEAC to the SWAC.

Dixon, who arrived at FAMU in 2018, claims both leagues.

But the Tallahassee native and graduate student wants his Rattlers to become the second SWAC team to win the Celebration Bowl in his final college football game.

“I’m MEAC and SWAC,” said Dixon, who’s caught 18 passes for 314 yards and two touchdowns this season.

“I only lost four games in the MEAC and two in the SWAC during my career. We want to show everyone that we run the MEAC and SWAC and are the perfect hybrid of both.

“We are HBCU football.”

FAMU All-American and SWAC Defensive Player of the Year Isaiah Major is a SWAC newbie like his team. He transferred to FAMU from Independence Community College ahead of the 2022 season.

This year, the senior leads the Rattlers’ Dark Cloud Defense with 100 tackles and propelled them to finish the regular season as the FCS' top-ranked total defense on their way to representing the SWAC in the Celebration Bowl.

“SWAC versus MEAC means a lot,” said Major, an Oklahoma City native who’s making his first-ever trip to Atlanta.

“But we’re trying to get away from all that pressure and consider it a football game. But the SWAC will have one up on the MEAC if we go out there and win.”

FAMU football returns to Atlanta for first time in over a decade, eyes HBCU National Championship

Both FAMU and Howard are making their first Celebration Bowl appearances.

The Rattlers enter Saturday as the favorites, riding a 10-game winning streak and on the upper echelon of HBCU and FCS football rankings.

“I think this team has the fortune of not letting every experience be through an experience,” Simmons said.

“We don’t have to go up there and lose the game this year to understand what it takes to win it next year. We’ve seen enough teams that have gone in as the favorite who didn’t get it done. So, we have to prevent those same things from happening.”

FAMU departed campus for Atlanta following Wednesday’s practice.

They’ll do a walkthrough at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Friday ― a day ahead of squaring off against the Bison.

Simmons is confident that his team won’t implode under the bright lights of the nationally televised game or falter to any distractions that a busy city like Atlanta presents.

It’ll be FAMU’s first time playing in Atlanta since losing the 2012 Football Classic against Southern.

“It’s a business trip and a great experience for us,” Simmons said.

“I think our veteran leadership will ensure that we’re locked in come kickoff so we can go out and play our best game. Let’s enjoy the city, but do everything in our power to ensure that we keep the main thing the main thing ― and that’s 12 o'clock on Saturday.

“We know what’s at stake.”

How to Watch Florida A&M (11-1) vs. Howard (6-5) HBCU Celebration Bowl Game

When: Saturday, Dec. 16 at Noon

Where: Mercedes-Benz Stadium; Atlanta, Georgia

Streaming: ABC

Gerald Thomas, III covers Florida A&M University Athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at gdthomas@tallahassee.com or on the app formerly known as Twitter @3peatgee.

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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FAMU Football: Rattlers want to be just the 2nd SWAC team to win HBCU Bowl