The latest Toyota Celebration Bowl projections give South Carolina State and Alabama A&M their best chances yet to reach Atlanta for the HBCU national championship game. Arkansas-Pine Bluff made the biggest move in the SWAC West, jumping from fourth to first.
The Nov. 4 Toyota Championship Projections give South Carolina State a 75.97 percent chance to win the MEAC and Alabama A&M a 64.02 percent chance to win the SWAC. The model gives the two Bulldog programs a 48.79 percent chance of meeting in the Cricket Celebration Bowl presented by Toyota, the highest of any pairing.
South Carolina State takes command of the MEAC race
South Carolina State made the biggest gain in this week’s Celebration Bowl projections after beating Morgan State 51–10. The defending HBCU national champion gained 36.03 percentage points in the Toyota model. Morgan State fell to 0.02 percent.
North Carolina Central climbed into second at 20.41 percent, while Howard fell to 2.48 percent. Howard gets a shot at the conference favorite when South Carolina State visits Thursday. North Carolina Central visits Norfolk State on Saturday.
Alabama A&M widens its lead as Arkansas-Pine Bluff rises
Alabama A&M strengthened its grip on the SWAC East with a 31–28 win over Alabama State in the Magic City Classic. The Bulldogs now have an 80.19 percent chance to win the division. Jackson State is their closest challenger at 15.11 percent and ranks second in the overall SWAC title projection at 11.05 percent.
The SWAC West remains much tighter. The Toyota model gives Arkansas-Pine Bluff a 36.28 percent chance to win the division, followed by Alcorn State at 29.93 percent and Prairie View A&M at 22.79 percent. Grambling State, last week’s projected division favorite, dropped to fourth at 6.37 percent.
“Arkansas-Pine Bluff has gone from chasing the leaders to leading the SWAC West,” Celebration Bowl executive director John T. Grant said in the release.
The Golden Lions visit Grambling State on Saturday. Alabama A&M travels to Prairie View A&M the same day, with a chance to tighten its hold on the East while Prairie View A&M tries to gain ground in the West.
The MEAC and SWAC champions will meet for the HBCU national championship in the Cricket Celebration Bowl presented by Toyota on Dec. 12. Kickoff is at noon ET at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, with ABC carrying the game.