WHAT IS THE CRICKET MEAC/SWAC CHALLENGE?
The Cricket MEAC/SWAC Challenge is an annual Historically Black College and University (HBCU) football game that showcases teams from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). The Cricket MEAC/SWAC Challenge is owned and operated by ESPN Events, a division of ESPN.
HOW LONG HAS THE CRICKET MEAC/SWAC CHALLENGE BEEN IN EXISTENCE?
In 2025, the annual Cricket MEAC/SWAC Challenge will celebrate its 20th anniversary. The event was first held at Birmingham, Alabama’s Legion Field from 2005 to 2007. In 2008, the Challenge moved to the Florida Citrus Bowl in Orlando, where it remained until 2014. That year, while the Citrus Bowl underwent renovations, the game was hosted at the University of Central Florida’s Bright House Stadium. 2015 marked the final year the Florida Citrus Bowl hosted the Challenge. In 2016, the game moved to a campus site for the first time, with Bethune-Cookman as the host. Southern University then took on the role of host for the 2017 event in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. On February 28, 2018, it was announced that the Cricket MEAC/SWAC Challenge would be played at Atlanta’s Georgia State Stadium through 2026.
WHICH TEAMS HAVE PLAYED IN THE 20 YEARS OF THIS EVENT—AND WHICH CONFERENCE LEADS THE SERIES?
2024 > Florida A&M defeated Norfolk State 24-23
2023 > Jackson State defeated South Carolina State 37-7
2022 > Alabama State defeated Howard University 23-13
2021 > North Carolina Central defeated Alcorn State 23-14
2019 > Bethune-Cookman defeated Jackson State 36-15
2018 > Prairie View A&M defeated North Carolina Central 40-24
2017 > Southern defeated South Carolina State 14-8
2016 > Game suspended due to weather
2015 > South Carolina State beat Arkansas at Pine Bluff 35-7
2014 > North Carolina A&T State topped Alabama A&M 47-13
2013 > Florida A&M defeated Mississippi Valley State 27-10
2012 > Bethune-Cookman defeated Alabama State 38-28
2011 > Bethune-Cookman beat Prairie View A&M 63-14
2010 > Southern University rallied to beat Delaware State 37-27
2009 > South Carolina State beat Grambling State 34-31
2008 > Hampton University outlasted Jackson State 17-13
2007 > Southern defeated Florida A&M 33-27
2006 > Hampton defeated Grambling State 27-26 (OT)
2005 > South Carolina State defeated Alabama State 27-14
The MEAC leads the series 9-4.
