FAMU, Norfolk State set the stage for college football's kickoff at MEAC/SWAC Challenge
The MEAC/SWAC Challenge isn’t just the 2024 HBCU football season kickoff.
The annual Week 0 game between the two NCAA Division I HBCU conferences also marks the beginning of a new college football season as a whole.
This year, the MEAC/SWAC Challenge, played on Aug. 24 at Atlanta’s Center Parc Stadium, features Florida A&M of the Southwestern Athletic Conference and Norfolk State of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.
It’s the Rattlers’ first trip to Atlanta since winning the Celebration Bowl to claim the program’s 17th Black College Football National Championship.
“We are extremely excited to be here and show what the FAMU Rattlers are all about. It’s exciting for this football team to be back where we ended last year and getting a chance to start here again as the reigning HBCU national champions,” first-year FAMU head coach James Colzie III said at Wednesday’s MEAC/SWAC Challenge press conference.
FAMU vs. NSU is one of seven contests to be played on Aug. 24’s Week 0 slate, alongside the Florida State vs. Georgia Tech Ireland game, among other slots that include Football Bowl Subdivision and Football Championship Subdivision teams.
However, the Rattlers and the Spartans’ MEAC/SWAC Challenge contest has attracted a primetime slot at 7:30 p.m. on ABC.
“We’re kicking off a major event. Saturday night college football on ABC. This is prime time,” said Norfolk State head coach Dawson Odums. “Do you know how many schools will never receive this opportunity to play college football on Saturday night ― on ABC?”
The MEAC/SWAC Challenge began in 2005 to showcase a team from each Division I HBCU conference.
After stints in Birmingham, Orlando, Daytona Beach, and Baton Rouge, the MEAC/SWAC Challenge settled in Atlanta at Center Parc Stadium, formerly the Atlanta Braves’ Turner Field.
FAMU played twice in the MEAC/SWAC Challenge as members of the MEAC, losing to Southern in 2007 and beating Mississippi Valley State in 2013. The Rattlers moved to the SWAC in 2021.
The Week 0 game will be Norfolk State’s first time playing in the MEAC/SWAC Challenge.
However, the Spartans have watched the annual football season-opening gathering of HBCUs closely.
“When you look at the MEAC/SWAC Challenge, you’re not only looking at the two institutions playing that game. We represent more than just that game. You’re going to see a community come together to rally behind two great programs,” Odums said.
“The excitement around the world will be seen of what makes our HBCUs proud. We’re representing all those that look like us. We know that’s a tremendous responsibility to be playing on a platform where we can display how far we came and got to go.”
It’s a big-game feel every time the Rattlers play.
Last season, FAMU ranked seventh in attendance amongst FCS schools, including hosting the SWAC Championship at Bragg Memorial Stadium and playing on the national stage at the Celebration Bowl.
Colzie says the bright lights are familiar to FAMU football.
“It’s a major event for us, our program, administration, and everyone who supports the FAMU Rattlers,” Colzie said.
“But I’ll be honest, whenever we come to town, it’s a big game for us, especially who’s playing us. We can’t get too big at the moment. We played in the Celebration Bowl, where the lights were brighter than anywhere else in the country.
“We can’t make this moment as big as it may be. We got to be calm under pressure and get ourselves ready to play.”
FAMU, Norfolk State stress importance of opening football season as winners
A successful MEAC/SWAC Challenge can jumpstart the season for the winner.
That’s something NSU coach Odums, hired in 2021, is emphasizing.
The Spartans haven’t known the feeling of being 1-0 since 2018.
“It’s a tremendous confidence builder to be 1-0,” Odums said of what winning the MEAC/SWAC Challenge would mean. “The best thing for it is the momentum you kickstart the season with, and it can drive you to greater and bigger things.”
Colzie shares the same sentiments with the Spartans coach.
“It’s extremely important. We can’t go 2-0 unless we go 1-0,” Colzie said. “I know everyone wants to talk about all the other games we play, but we’re going to take it one week at a time. The Rattlers want W’s. That’s important to everybody included in our program.”
The MEAC/SWAC Challenge is the startup to FAMU football’s new era under Colzie.
His focus is on him and his inaugural Rattlers football team making a good first impression ― not looking ahead to the enticing schedule FAMU has ahead or the ultimate goal of repeating as Black College champions.
“New year, but the expectations stay the same,” Colzie said.
“Now, we have to make sure we don’t get too far ahead of ourselves. Let’s take this thing day by day. If we do what we’re supposed to and play as a team, I like our chances.”
Florida A&M Rattlers 2024 Football Schedule
Aug. 24 vs. Norfolk State in MEAC/SWAC Challenge, Atlanta* at 7:30 p.m., ABC
Aug. 31 vs. South Carolina State, 6 p.m., ESPN+
Sept. 7 at Miami, 6 p.m., ACC Network
Sept. 21 at Troy, 7 p.m. Eastern Time, ESPN+
Sept. 28 vs. Alabama A&M, 6 p.m., ESPN+
Oct. 5 at Alabama State, 3 p.m. Eastern Time, ESPN+
Oct. 19 at Jackson State, 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time, ESPN Network
Oct. 26 vs. Southern, 7 p.m., ESPN Network
Nov. 2 vs. Texas Southern (HOMECOMING), 4 p.m., ESPN+
Nov. 9 at Prairie View A&M, 3 p.m. Eastern Time, ESPN+
Nov. 16 vs. Mississippi Valley State, 1 p.m., HBCU GO
Nov. 23 vs. Bethune-Cookman in Florida Classic, Orlando*, 3:30 p.m., ESPN Network
Nov. 30: FCS Playoffs Begin
Dec. 7: SWAC Championship, LOCATION/TEAMS TBA, ESPN2
Dec. 14: Celebration Bowl, Atlanta*, TEAMS TBA, 12 p.m., ABC
BOLD = SWAC
* = Neutral Site
Gerald Thomas, III covers Florida A&M University Athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at gdthomas@tallahassee.com or on the app formerly known as Twitter @3peatgee.
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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: 'A major event': FAMU, Norfolk State football discuss MEAC/SWAC Challenge
