Future of football: SWAC enjoys unique success among FCS conferences

JACKSON, Mississippi -- In a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately world, most national pundits wouldn’t consider the Southwestern Athletic Conference an up-and-coming league.

Ask anyone what sets the SWAC apart from the rest of the leagues in the NCAA’s Football Championship Subdivision (or FCS) and you’re likely to get an answer that involves some combination of the league’s rich tradition and its pageantry.

What you won’t get is an argument that the league boasts teams that will compete on the national stage, ready to go toe-to-toe with national title contenders like North Dakota State, Sam Houston or James Madison in football or the Dukes and North Carolinas of the world in basketball.

But there’s a handful of people working diligently to change that.

Jackson native leading SWAC

“I think it’s growing,” JSU athletic director Ashley Robinson said. “I think when you look at the athletic directors in the league, you see young, energetic people. The coaching hires, not just football but all sports, are better quality hires than you have seen in the past. The league is growing. We’re desperate for leadership.”

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