Why the MEAC/SWAC Challenge still matters.
Howard and Alabama A&M meet in Atlanta on August 29, but the Cricket MEAC/SWAC Challenge is bigger than one Week 0 result. For more than two decades, the game has opened a national window into HBCU football, conference pride, bands, alumni culture and the way Black college programs present themselves to the country.
By MFNGraphics • August 17, 2026 • MFN Field Notes
North Carolina Central celebrates its 2025 Challenge victory. Image source: North Carolina Central University Athletics ↗ • Photographer not listed on the source page.
Every season needs a beginning that feels important. For HBCU football, the MEAC/SWAC Challenge has filled that role since 2005.
The event began at Legion Field in Birmingham, later moved to Orlando, spent two years at campus sites, and has been played at Atlanta’s Center Parc Stadium since 2018. That longevity has turned what could have been a neutral-site opener into a recognizable part of the HBCU football calendar.
It is football, but it is also a launch event: a national television window, a conference measuring stick, a band showcase, an alumni gathering and a brand moment for the universities involved.
“The Challenge is more than a Week 0 game — it is one of HBCU football’s clearest annual stages for visibility, culture and conference pride.”
The 2026 matchup: a first win is waiting for somebody
HOWARD vs. ALABAMA A&M
August 29, 2026
7:30 PM ET • Center Parc Stadium • Atlanta
Live nationally on ABC
Both programs enter the matchup seeking their first win in Challenge history. Howard lost its 2022 appearance to Alabama State; Alabama A&M fell to North Carolina A&T in 2014.
THE SERIES
12–7
MEAC leads all-time
The 2016 game was suspended by weather, and the 2020 event was canceled during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Why this game still matters
A Week 0 slot on national television lets HBCU programs introduce a new season before the college football calendar gets crowded.
MEAC vs. SWAC gives every edition a layer of bragging rights beyond the two schools. The result becomes part of a two-decade conference ledger.
The bands, tailgates, alumni, fashion, crowd and halftime experience make the Challenge a fuller picture of HBCU athletics than the final score alone.
Center Parc Stadium set for Florida A&M vs. Norfolk State in 2024. Image source: Center Parc Credit Union Stadium ↗ • Photographer not listed in the source metadata.
A history of Challenge winners
The series has produced blowouts, one-point finishes, overtime, weather interruptions and plenty of conference bragging rights. Through 2025, the MEAC leads 12–7.
2025 — North Carolina Central 31, Southern 14
2024 — Florida A&M 24, Norfolk State 23
2023 — Jackson State 37, South Carolina State 7
2022 — Alabama State 23, Howard 13
2021 — North Carolina Central 23, Alcorn State 14
2020 — Canceled (COVID-19)
2019 — Bethune-Cookman 36, Jackson State 15
2018 — Prairie View A&M 40, North Carolina Central 24
2017 — Southern 14, South Carolina State 8
2016 — Suspended by weather
2015 — South Carolina State 35, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 7
2014 — North Carolina A&T 47, Alabama A&M 13
2013 — Florida A&M 27, Mississippi Valley State 10
2012 — Bethune-Cookman 38, Alabama State 28
2011 — Bethune-Cookman 63, Prairie View A&M 14
2010 — Southern 37, Delaware State 27
2009 — South Carolina State 34, Grambling State 31
2008 — Hampton 17, Jackson State 13
2007 — Southern 33, Florida A&M 27
2006 — Hampton 27, Grambling State 26 (OT)
2005 — South Carolina State 27, Alabama State 14
Recent games have delivered real moments
Jackson State’s 37–7 win over South Carolina State in 2023 drew 24,238 fans — the largest Challenge crowd since the event moved to Atlanta — and launched the T.C. Taylor era with a statement win.
A year later, Florida A&M survived Norfolk State 24–23 when the Spartans’ late two-point try failed. In 2025, North Carolina Central beat Southern 31–14 and shut the Jaguars out after halftime.
Image source: NCAA.com — 2023 MEAC/SWAC Challenge live coverage ↗ • Photographer not listed on the source page.
The creative opportunity: cover it like a major event
For athletic creative teams, the Challenge should not be treated like a normal non-conference road game. It is a ready-made season launch.
Build around the return of football. Create “season begins here” art rather than generic gameday graphics.
Photograph the culture. The band, tunnel, crowd, alumni, tailgate and sideline details are part of the story, not background decoration.
Use the history. Past winners, old uniforms and previous Challenge moments give current creative a sense of lineage.
Think beyond one team. MEAC vs. SWAC is a built-in narrative. Great creative makes the matchup feel like two conferences carrying their identities into the same stadium.
The Challenge opens more than a football season.
It opens a national window into HBCU football culture. Howard and Alabama A&M will write the next result into the ledger, but the larger value is the same one the game has carried for two decades: a chance to put the competition, pageantry and identity of Black college football in one frame.
Official MEAC/SWAC Challenge — Event history ↗
Official MEAC/SWAC Challenge — 2026 matchup ↗
Howard University — 2026 Challenge preview ↗
North Carolina Central Athletics — 2025 recap ↗
Jackson State Athletics — 2023 recap ↗
MEAC — 2024 recap ↗
Photo attribution used in this story
2025 NCCU celebration — North Carolina Central University Athletics ↗ (individual photographer not listed on source page)
2024 venue image — Center Parc Credit Union Stadium ↗ (individual photographer not listed in source metadata)
2023 Jackson State image — NCAA.com Challenge coverage ↗ (individual photographer not listed on source page)
Source attribution identifies where the image was obtained; it does not by itself grant blanket republication rights. Preserve any embedded credits or watermarks and confirm permission where required for reuse beyond this editorial article.
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