By LUT WILLIAMS BCSP Editor
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – If being first is important then the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) is making its mark.
The league announced Monday a detailed team-by-team schedule for football in the spring of 2021, the first conference in the nation to unveil such a schedule after announcing the postponement of football this fall due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The ambitious regular season schedule calls for games for all ten SWAC schools to begin on February 27 and run through a six-game conference schedule including games against all four divisional opponents and two against non division opponents. Regular season play would end on April 17. The SWAC has five teams each in East and West Divisions.
The schedule includes one non-conference open date for each team and conference contests scheduled each week on Saturday beginning in Week One.
Additionally, the league has designated a bye week for each team during the week of March 13 to ensure that fans and supporters have the opportunity to attend the Cricket Wireless SWAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments (March 9-13).
The Cricket Wireless SWAC Football Championship will once again be played on the campus of the highest seeded team at the conclusion of regular season play. The championship game is set for Saturday, May 1.
“The SWAC Council of Presidents and Chancellors, Sports Administrators Committee, COVID-19 Advisory Committee, along with our fall sports scheduling groups have worked tirelessly over recent months to get to the point where we are able to announce a significant part of the rescheduling of our fall sports,” said SWAC Commissioner Dr. Charles McClelland in the release from the conference.
“Collectively as a conference, we look forward to continuing on the path to a safe return to competition that we know all of our student athletes, team staff, institutional administrators and supporters would like to see in the coming months.
“This schedule allows the needed flexibility for any additional adjustments that will need to be made once the NCAA releases its revised spring calendar. Clearly our plans in regards to the safe return to competition within our league will ultimately be dictated by the current state of the COVID-19 pandemic in the respective regions of our member institutions.”
SWAC football teams are scheduled to begin preparation for the season with an eight week training period beginning in January 2021.
A key part of the new schedule is the inclusion of signature and normally highly attended ‘Classic’ games played between conference opponents. The State Fair Classic between Grambling State and Prairie View A&M is scheduled for February 27. The Magic City Classic between Alabama State and Alabama A&M as well as the Bayou Classic pitting Southern against Grambling are both schedule for April 17. Where those games, schedule for large neutral site venues, will be played is unclear.
One of the big unanswered questions about the games also is whether fans will be in attendance. The pro sports that have resumed play this fall are doing so without fans in the stands. Whether that will continue for spring football in 2021 is unknown at this point.
Commissioner McClelland has said in an earlier interview that the spring football schedule was being put together with the full game-day experience including bands and fans in mind.
The release said the conference “will continue to work with local and state medical experts along with governmental officials to gather additional information, evaluate emerging data and advancements, while monitoring new developments regarding the pandemic,” and will make any necessary adjustments “in the best interest of the health, safety and wellness of our student-athletes.”
SPRING 2021 SWAC FOOTBALL
WEEK ONE February 27
Alcorn State at Alabama A&M
Southern at Alabama State
Mississippi Valley State at Jackson State
Texas Southern at Arkansas-Pine Bluff
Prairie View A&M vs. Grambling State (State Fair Classic)
WEEK TWO March 6
Alabama A&M at Mississippi Valley State
Alabama State at Alcorn State
Jackson State at Grambling State
Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Southern
Texas Southern at Prairie View A&M (Labor Day Classic)
WEEK THREE March 13
Bye Week
WEEK FOUR March 20
Alabama A&M at Prairie View A&M
Jackson State at Alabama State
Alcorn State at Mississippi Valley State
Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Grambling State
Southern at Texas Southern
WEEK FIVE March 27
Grambling State at Alabama A&M
Alabama State at Arkansas-Pine Bluff
Alcorn State at Southern
Prairie View A&M at Jackson State
WEEK SIX April 3
Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Mississippi Valley State
Grambling State at Texas Southern
WEEK SEVEN April 10
Alabama A&M at Jackson State
Mississippi Valley State at Alabama State
Texas Southern at Alcorn State
Southern at Prairie View A&M
WEEK EIGHT April 17
Alabama State vs. Alabama A&M (Magic City Classic)
Jackson State at Alcorn State
Mississippi Valley State at Texas Southern
Prairie View A&M at Arkansas-Pine Bluff
Grambling State vs. Southern (Bayou Classic)
WEEK NINE April 24
Open Date
WEEK TEN May 1
Cricket Wireless SWAC Football Championship