MEAC vs. SWAC: ESPN ‘strongly considering’ SCSU-Grambling matchup

Fans who wished conference champions South Carolina State and Grambling could settle the debate over the 2008 black college football championship could get the next best thing. ESPN spokesperson Tilea Coleman confirmed Thursday that the network was “strongly considering” pitting the Bulldogs against the Tigers in this year’s MEAC/SWAC Challenge. The fifth annual contest, which matches up a team from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and Southwestern Athletic Conference for bragging rights in Football Championship Subdivision black college football, is tentatively scheduled for Labor Day Weekend at the Florida Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Fla.

Neither ESPN, S.C. State nor Grambling officials have confirmed or denied talks about the possible matchup. However, Alcorn State sports information director LaToya Shields said Wednesday the school was told not to schedule Grambling for its Sept. 5 season opener because of the Tigers’ expected involvement in the MEAC/SWAC Challenge. The two schools were reportedly in negotiations to move the contest, which would not count against Grambling in the SWAC standings.

Grambling State University Coach Rod Broadway

S.C. State athletics director Charlene Johnson would only state Thursday the school was waiting on an announcement from ESPN in regard to the matchup. The same stance has also been taken by both commissioners Dennis Thomas of the MEAC and Duer Sharp of the SWAC. The Bulldogs are slated to open the 2009 campaign Sept. 5 at Benedict College. Neither school has indicated whether discussions have taken place between them about the possibility of postponing the game in order to make the Bulldogs available.

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Not a game S.C. State should play...A loss to Grambling State will knock the Bulldogs out of an at-large berth in the '09 1-AA playoffs, as the FAMU Rattlers are expected to win the MEAC. Coach Rod Broadway has a way of getting the GSU Tigers ready for a big game. Too bad the SWAC does not participate in the 1-AA playoffs, as that SWAC championship game--sucks like the MEAC/SWAC (made for second tier cable) Challenge. The Bulldogs should take a pass on the 10 thousand fans at the Citrus Bowl and limited ESPN2 exposure and go schedule the home contest with rival Division II, Benedict College.

It high time that HBCUs stop selling themselves cheap to ESPN and demand $600,000+ EACH for this neutral site game. A better match up is Richmond vs. SCSU and Grambling vs. Montana in a double-header at the Citrus Bowl. Now, that's worth the cost of the trip to Orlando and what I would want to see. Now that's a MEAC-SWAC Challenge worth playing--not this Negro league garbage.

Time to give the paying fans what they want--an exciting match up! GSU and SCSU have been beating each other for 100 years. Time to do something different! Make it happen ESPN, SWAC Commissioner and MEAC Commissioner.

-beepbeep