The SWAC responds to date change for the Celebration Bowl

After the contentious decision to move the Celebration Bowl to December 14th, the SWAC has released a statement in response. THe SWAC addressed one of the biggest pushbacks to the date change: the lack of rest time for the SWAC Champion as the SWAC Championship will now be held the weekend before the Celebration Bowl.

A statement obtained by HBCU Gameday from the SWAC read, “From a Southwestern Athletic Conference perspective, participating in the Celebration Bowl the week following our championship game will obviously pose additional challenges for our championship team to be at their optimal capacity to perform at the highest level for such a prestigious event. However, we will look to see what, if any, adjustments the Conference Office can make to help our representative have the best opportunity to be successful on the new date and time.”

The SWAC's statement echos the sentiments of Kenn Rashad, the founder and publisher of HBCU Sports, who outlined his critiques in a video posted to the publication's YouTube Channel.

“That two to three-week layoff may very well be beneficial for the team and literally gives that team or that coach the opportunity to put his team in the best position to win But we aren't gonna be able to say that about the SWAC representative playing in the Celebration Bowl after they've had to play in the SWAC Championship game the week before.”

Florida A&M secured their first Celebration Bowl victory by defeating Howard University 30-26 last year. They became the first SWAC Champion to win the Celebration Bowl since 2016. Historically, the MEAC champion has had a longer break between their final game and the Celebration Bowl, which usually takes place shortly before Christmas. HBCU fans have long contended that the lack of a formal conference championship game in the MEAC and the extended break put the SWAC Champion at a disadvantage. Consequently, the eventual SWAC champion must now adjust to a quick turnaround for the Celebration Bowl.

HBCU Gameday's Vaughn Wilson spoke with Celebration Bowl Executive Director John Grant about the change and why it happened.

“The expansion of the College Football Playoffs has a ripple effect across the bowl ecosystem,” Grant said. “Our goal was simply to position the Celebration Bowl in the best position for growth and success. It was important to consider venue availability, fan experience, and certainly the student-athlete which is paramount. We talked to coaches for both conferences, particularly those who had been participants in the Celebration Bowl. Without question on both sides, they indicated the second weekend would not be detrimental for them to compete,” Grant said.

Nevertheless, the Celebration Bowl will be held on December 14th at 12 PM an is slated to kick-off ESPN's Bowl Season.