The 'monumental task' from Grambling, Southern that's set up historic Bayou Classic showdown

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana -- There has never been a Bayou Classic quite like the one coming up Saturday.

It’s the 43rd edition of the series under the Bayou Classic name, and it's the first time that both Grambling and Southern enter with undefeated records in SWAC play.

“I didn’t know that,” Southern coach Dawson Odums said. “That makes it even more special. With a chance to be undefeated, playing in a rivalry game, a chance to decide who goes home for Christmas and who moves on.”

They’ve been close quite a few times.

This is the 13th time Grambling has carried a perfect SWAC record into the Bayou Classic and the fifth time Southern has done so. On a handful of those occasions, most recently in 2008, one team was undefeated while the other came in with just one conference loss.

The idea that both teams could enter the rivalry game undefeated started to crystallize around the midpoint of the season, when Southern went on the road to beat Alcorn State for the first time in five years. Grambling coach Broderick Fobbs admitted that he was pulling for both teams to make it through unblemished to add to what should be an intense atmosphere Saturday.



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