Tremaine Jackson knows that ‘classics’ are a part of HBCU football, but the Prairie View A&M coach isn’t upset about the shake-up of his rivalry game.
Prairie View A&M will not open its season against Texas Southern in the Labor Day Classic. That breaks from a tradition that has placed the Houston-area rivals against one another at the beginning of the season for decades.
Jackson is entering his second season at Prairie View. He made his opinion clear during Monday’s SWAC football coaches conference call. Jackson believes moving the rivalry away from the opener makes sense.
“Here’s what I will say to you. I totally understand the reasoning on why both teams played so early, but that’s not the reason anymore,” Jackson said. “And so we have to get out of doing the same thing that we’ve always done, because it feels good to everybody, and do what’s best for the two programs.”
Then the Prairie View A&M head coach went a step further.
“I think it’s asinine that you open up with a conference rival game,” Jackson said. “I think that’s crazy. That’s not college football. College football rivals happen in the end, but people above my pay grade make that decision.”
Prairie View turns attention away from Labor Day Classic
Instead of opening against Texas Southern, Tremaine Jackson and Prairie View will begin the 2026 season against Tarleton State.
That matchup gives them a test against a top-five FCS opponent on national television.
For Jackson, that opportunity matters more right now than debating when the traditional HBCU rivalry should be played.
“At the end of the day, honestly, I don’t care,” Jackson said. “I’m worried about Tarleton State. That’s the TSU that we gotta play first.”
Jackson said Prairie View wanted the opportunity to face a high-level opponent on a national stage, something he emphasized when taking over the SWAC program.
The Panthers will also get an early evaluation of where they stand.
“I’m super excited to be playing in Week Zero,” Jackson said. “I think everybody should play in Week Zero, and so that’s just my personal opinion.”
Jackson said getting on the field early gives his staff an opportunity to identify what it can become and what needs immediate improvement. The change does not eliminate the significance of the Labor Day Classic rivalry. It simply changes when Prairie View and Texas Southern will settle it.
Jackson’s larger point is that tradition alone should not prevent HBCU programs from examining whether their schedules still serve their best interests.
For now, though, the Prairie View A&M coach has another Texas school on his mind.
“We’re worried about TSU at Tarleton State,” Jackson said. “That’s the new classic for us.”
And for Tremaine Jackson, that is where the 2026 season begins.