JACKSON, Mississippi -- With names like Walter Payton and Jackie Slater, Jackson State boasts a long, storied history. From 1977 to 1990, the Tigers won at least 8 games 13 times in 14 seasons. Jackson State plays in a 60,000 seat stadium, and has finished in the Top 10 in FCS attendance in all but five years from 1978 to 2009. In 1997, they had over 38,000 in average attendance; by 2013, that number had dropped to a little over 17,000 per game, but that's still higher than plenty of Division 1 FBS schools.For some reason, the Tigers never had much postseason success; they are 0-12 all time in the FCS playoffs, with a 28-7 loss to MTSU in 1990 and a 48-7 loss to Montana in 1989 their most recent chances.
Then again, the FCS playoffs never were appealing to the SWAC; largely due to the cost of traveling to places like Montana and Delaware, it wasn't worth it for SWAC teams to participate. In 1999, the SWAC split into two divisions and started a championship game. JSU has made the championship game five times, winning once.
This season, the MEAC has also dropped out of the FCS playoffs. There will be a SWAC-MEAC championship game starting this fall. Is that enough to keep Jackson State happy?
In 2011, former Athletic Director Bob Braddy said "Our limits have been reached" in the SWAC.
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