I have seen so many debates about the Cricket Celebration Bowl verses the FCS Playoffs. The passionate discussion goes on and on and it will continue to do so. After attending both over the last three years, for me there is no comparison. The Celebration Bowl and its festivities dominate the FCS Playoffs and its lure of being the best in FCS.
Two years ago, Florida A&M finished with a 9-2 record. It’s only two losses were to Jackson State (FCS) and the University of South Florida (FBS). The Rattlers were selected to the field, but were not granted hosting status. This was the case even though FAMU had a larger stadium and a better record than the team they chose for FAMU to visit.
Arriving in Hammond, LA, it wasn’t the greatest experience to say the least. Fans were outright over the top. They were verbally abusive and at some point security was sent to mediate between their fans and the Rattler fans as it was above and beyond normal fan banter. As HBCUs, that is not our culture. We fight hard on the field and root for our teams, but expletives directed at opponents is frowned upon in our culture. We hold common goals which does not allow for slanderous or offensive behavior much past friendly banter. That holds true even when we are facing our arch-rivals.
It was not a good experience, but the reality is FAMU should have never been there. With a better record both in and out of conference, SELU should have visited Tallahassee and Bragg Memorial Stadium. Visit Tallahassee, Tallahassee and Leon County’s joint bureau of tourism, had partnered to submit the application for FAMU to host, but to no avail. The decision was left to a committee who operates behind closed doors and answers to no one.
Even with the visibly torn jersey from repeated holding, not a single holding penalty was called on SLU’s offensive lineman
I have never seen so many instances of holding that weren’t called. I distinctly remember FAMU All-SWAC defensive lineman Savion Wilkerson’s jersey literally being torn from the holding, but there was not a single holding call in any of his engagements…this after him repeatedly begging the refs to watch as he was being held. A FAMU equipment manager had to tape his jersey back together so he could play. Many FAMU fans left the game early as not to endure more tormenting. FAMU President Dr. Larry Robinson filed a formal complaint to the NCAA..which they quickly responded that there was not “credible evidence.”
FAMU had nearly an identical season in 2022. It opened the season with a loss to the North Carolina Tar Heels. It was an impressive loss with FAMU hanging tough until the fourth quarter. The next week they lost 59-3 defending SWAC champion Jackson State. It reeled off nine straight wins from there.
Looking at the landscape of the FCS playoffs, the Rattlers fully expected to make the playoffs again and would have a year of experience under their belts. Instead, they were snubbed. The committee put teams in the playoffs with lower records than FAMU’s. It was a stark reminder that the FCS committee could move the goalposts at any time.
Budget wise, the FCS playoffs has zero monetary benefits. North Carolina A&T who holds the record for most wins in the Celebration Bowl, found that out as well. In 2015, it won the inaugural Celebration Bowl. The next year it was MEAC runner-up to North Carolina Central, but earned a birth in the FCS Playoffs. The players were very vocal after the first round loss that it was a “downer” compared to the Celebration Bowl.
Celebration Bowl heavily resembles the Orange Blossom Classic
From 1933 to 1978, the Black College National Champion was typically chosen by a matchup in the Orange Blossom Classic. FAMU had developed the classic to play the top performing team in the country in Miami’s Orange Bowl to determine the HBCU national champion. Greats like Eddie Robinson, Jake Gaither, A.W. Mumford, and John Merritt each put their best on in a championship done for HBCUs. The historic media agency that often accepted as the determinant of the black college champions was the Pittsburgh Courier. Its champions more often than not mirrored the winner of the OBC.
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and Southwestern Athletic Conference each agreed to the terms for the Celebration Bowl following the 2014 season. Both conferences would send their champions, making it a defacto HBCU FCS national championship, pitting each conference’s champions against each other in Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta. With that, there was no chance for a snub like FAMU got for the FCS Playoffs. It was cut and dry, win and you’re in. There has not been one dispute between the contenders in the Celebration Bowl. The target is stable and attainable.
Besides the transparency of choosing participants, the festivities surrounding the Celebration Bowl are second to none. Development activities are arranged for both teams. A special dinner at the College Football Hall of Fame is also included. It is a true bowl experience much like FBS bowls. This year even a national band battle was added to the fold.
Additionally, both the in-person attendance as well as television viewership rivals many of the mid-level FBS bowl games. This past weekend, the Celebration Bowl outdrew several FCS playoff games from its platform on ABC.