All season long we’ve been talking about raising the standard of HBCU football and the promotion of it. Over the weekend the 2021 Celebration Bowl crowned the Black College National Champion as it was designed to do during its inception in 2015. The agreement was to have the winners of the MEAC and SWAC play for all of the marbles.
Well…on this past Saturday they did just that and South Carolina State walked out of the building with a dominating performance over heavily favored Jackson State 31-10. They left no question who the winner of the game was.
Therefore, if the winner of the game is to be named the Black College National Champion based on the agreement of having the game in the first place. Why are we still operating with a crabs in a bucket mentality?
Give South Carolina State their props!!! Folks are hollering that they lost 5 games. First of all, they won the MEAC regardless of the losses and two of those losses were to major schools. They had the guts to go to Clemson to play. That should count for two and a half wins in HBCU credits in my book. Played at Clemson?
This is something that our culture continues to do to one another. If we’re going to build this thing that we call HBCU football up then we can’t tear it down at the same time. Stop trying to destroy the actual winner because your school didn’t win it. Give SCSU the love they deserve.
Several legitimate news outlets that cover black college football that shall remain nameless are throwing salt on South Carolina State’s obvious claim to the national title.
Some are naming FAMU as the national champion and others are naming Bowie State the winner when neither of them even had a hotel room in Atlanta over the weekend let along suited up to play.
South Carolina State beat the brakes off of Jackson State and walked out of the joint with the trophy in hand. How do I know? I watched it happen from the press box with my own two eyes and sat in the post-game press conference just to make sure that I wasn’t crazy. South Carolina State played the game, won the game and walked out with the hardware. PERIODT.
Now I see FAMU posting on Twitter that they are the national champions when they didn’t even win their division in the SWAC let alone the conference itself. Their argument is that they beat South Carolina State 30-7 earlier in the season. What!!!? WHEREDEYDODATAT!!?
That’s like Texas A&M claiming the national title because they beat Alabama in 2015 during the regular season. Do you understand how silly that sounds?
I guess they totally forgot that during Labor Day weekend they lost to JSU 7-6. That loss eliminated them from speaking on any type of championship in the SWAC in 2021 because JSU sprinted through the SWAC undefeated.
The only reason that they made it to the FCS playoff was because the winners of SWAC and MEAC are contractually obligated to play in the Celebration Bowl.
In 2019 there was more foolishness surrounding FAMU trying to claim something that DID NOT belong to them. At the time they were in the MEAC and had the best record.
They should have played in the Celebration Bowl but because of a self-imposed post-season ban they didn’t. As a result of some NCAA infractions from the previous season they decided to handle it themselves instead of the NCAA giving them harsher penalties. They didn’t play in the bowl game so North Carolina A&T played instead beating Alcorn State for the title.
FAMU, did in fact, beat the Aggies earlier that season 34-31. Therefore, they tried to claim the title. It doesn’t work like that playa. Stop playing yourselves. You have to play in the post-season game designated for the championship to win the title. This isn’t 30 years ago when folks just claimed titles because it was all the media’s opinion. The Celebration Bowl was set up to decide the champ.
You didn’t play in the post-season that year. It would be like SMU claiming a national title when they were under the death penalty from the NCAA years ago. C’mon man!!!
Other outlets are really trippin’ by trying to argue that Bowie State is the REAL black college national champ because they had the best record of 12-2. They aren’t even Division I! They are Division II. Stop with this foolishness!!!
Someone actually tried to use the analogy that boxers fight in different weight classes so Bowie State should be able to claim the title. Really bruh? That’s like FCS level James Madison trying to claim the national title over Alabama a year ago. It’s asinine. You’re playing a step down in competition all season. Again stop playing yourselves. You had a great season but you didn’t win the national title.
Remember when Central Florida actually hung a banner that they were the national champs a few years ago when we all saw Alabama hoist the trophy? They completely played themselves.
Back to my original point, if the focus is to build up HBCU football and black college sports in general. Then we’ve got to collectively support it and agree on the truth. The truth us that South Carolina State won the title at the Celebration Bowl on December 18, 2021 over Jackson State 31-10. It’s as clear as Vodka.
We can’t say that we want what’s best for the entire HBCU community while at the same time tearing it down. South Carolina State won the title fair and square. Let them live at the top of the mountain in 2021. We can argue about who the best team is at the start of the 2022 season because at that point it’ll be all opinion. Stop me when I start lyin’!
