Atlanta, Ga.  — Six of HBCU football's most recognizable programs will take center stage in future editions of the Cricket MEAC/SWAC Challenge Kickoff presented by Toyota, as ESPN Events announced the matchups for the 2027, 2028 and 2029 games.

Morgan State will meet Alabama State in 2027, Jackson State will face Norfolk State in 2028 and South Carolina will take on Alcorn State in 2029.

The three matchups bring together programs with championship histories, strong alumni following and memorable ties to the annual showcase. Dates, kickoff times, locations and television information will be announced later.

2029: South Carolina State vs. Alcorn State

• The 2029 matchup will pair Alcorn State with one of the most successful programs in the event's history, South Carolina State.
• Alcorn State has one completed game and one no-contest in its previous Challenge appearances. The Braves led Bethune-Cookman, 13-7, in 2016 before lightning associated with Hurricane Hermine stopped the game during the second quarter. The contest was later declared a no-contest.
• The Braves returned in 2021 and fell to North Carolina Central, 23-14, at Center Parc Stadium.
• South Carolina State owns a 3-2 Challenge record and will make its sixth appearance. The Bulldogs won the inaugural game in 2005, defeating Alabama State, 27-14, behind MVP quarterback Cleveland McCoy. South Carolina State followed with a 34-31 victory over Grambling State in 2009 and a 35-7 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff in 2015.

Challenge and Celebration Bowl Extended Through 2032
The future matchups follow ESPN Events' extension of its agreements with the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and Southwestern Athletic Conference for participation in the Cricket MEAC/SWAC Challenge Kickoff presented by Toyota and the Cricket Celebration Bowl presented by Toyota through 2032.

The six-year extensions continue ESPN's longstanding commitment to showcasing HBCU football through two of the sport's premier annual events. The Challenge serves as an early-season intersectional showcase, while the Celebration Bowl matches the MEAC and SWAC champions in the season-ending HBCU national championship game.

First played in 2005, the Cricket MEAC/SWAC Challenge Kickoff has been held at Atlanta's Center Parc Stadium since 2018. The SWAC holds a 4-3 advantage in Atlanta while the MEAC holds a 12-7 advantage through the 2025 edition.
About ESPN Events
ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a portfolio of collegiate sporting events nationwide. In the 2025-26 academic year, the 35-event schedule included three early-season college football kickoff games, 17 college bowl games, 10 college basketball events, two college volleyball events, the premier regular-season college softball and gymnastics events, as well as the Band of the Year National Championship. Collectively, these events accounted for over 400 hours of live programming on ESPN platforms, reaching 60 million viewers and attracting more than 650,000 annual attendees. Each year, the portfolio of events features more than 20 Division I conferences and hosts over 4,000 participating student-athletes. With satellite offices in more than 10 cities across the country, ESPN Events builds relationships with conferences, schools and local communities, as well as providing unique experiences for teams and fans.

About the Cricket MEAC/SWAC Challenge Kickoff presented by Toyota
The Cricket MEAC/SWAC Challenge Kickoff is an annual game that features teams from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC).
Launched in 2005 and played on Labor Day weekend, the matchup was held for its first three years at historic Legion Field in Birmingham, Ala. In 2008, the event moved to Citrus Bowl Stadium in Orlando, Fla. In 2016, the Challenge started a two-year period of playing at campus sites. It was moved to Atlanta, Georgia in 2018.
The event is now played in week zero, opening the college football season, at Center Parc Stadium. It provides a bookend for the annual Cricket Celebration Bowl in December. The Cricket MEAC/SWAC Challenge Kick-Off is owned and operated by ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, which owns and operates a large portfolio of collegiate sporting events worldwide.
For more information, go to https://www.meacswacchallenge.com