LUT WILLIAMS BCSP Editor
SIAC members Albany State (11-1) and Benedict (10-2) were the two black college programs that emerged with victories of the five that played first round NCAA Div. II playoff games Saturday (see PLAYOFF GAME RECAPS).
Albany State is the top seed in Super Region II while Benedict is seeded fifth.
They are the same two that met in the SIAC championship game on Nov. 15 in Albany, Ga. – a 22-16 ASU victory – and who met on Oct. 25 in the regular season in Columbia, S. C., on Benedict’s home field – a 31-3 ASU win.
They will now meet a third time, this time again at ASU’s home field, on Saturday (1 p.m., ESPN+) in the second round of the Super Region II playoffs.
The ASU/Benedict winner will play for the Region II title on Dec. 6 vs. the winner of Saturday’s contest pitting No. 2 West Florida (10-1) vs. No. 3 Newberry (10-1) in Pensacola, Fla.
If Albany State prevails over Benedict, the Golden Rams would host the Region II champion-hip game. Benedict would travel to either West Florida or Newberry if it wins.
The two other games scheduled this week are primarily for bragging rights as Alabama State 9-2) takes on Tuskegee (4-6) in Thursday’s Turkey Bowl in Montgomery, Al. (2 p.m., SWAC TV) and Southern (1-10) and Grambling State (7-4) tangle in their annual Louisiana tussle at the Bayou Classic in New Orleans Saturday (1 p.m., NBC).
Celebration Bowl picture unfolding
South Carolina State earned its second straight Mid Eastern Athletic Conference(MEAC) title after its 28-17 win over Delaware State Saturday and will represent the conference for the second straight year in the Dec. 13 Cricket Celebration Bowl in Atlanta’s Mercedes Benz Stadium.
It will be another week before the Bulldogs (9-3) and head coach Chennis Berry know who their opponent from the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) will be.
It could be either T. C. Taylor’s 9-2 Tigers of Jackson State, winners of the SWAC East race after its 27-21 over Alcorn State Saturday, or Tremaine Jackson’s 9-3 Panthers of Prairie View A&M, West Division champs. The two will meet next Saturday (Dec. 6) at JSU’s home field in Jack-
son, Ms. for the SWAC Championship Game.
If JSU prevails in that game, it will set up a rematch of last year’s Celebration Bowl that saw JSU down SC State, 28-7. A Prairie View win puts thePanthers in the bowl game for the first time.