The Cricket MEAC/SWAC Challenge Kickoff game for the 2028 season has been set, according to an announcement by Cricket MEAC/SWAC Challenge and Celebration Bowl Executive Director John Grant.
The 2028 Cricket MEAC/SWAC Challenge Kickoff will feature the Norfolk State Spartans of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) taking on the Jackson State Tigers of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) on Saturday, Aug. 26, 2028.
Jackson State, the defending SWAC and Celebration Bowl champion, is led by head coach T. C. Taylor, who played at the school from 1998 through 2001. Norfolk State just wrapped up its first season under head coach Michael Vick, a former NFL star who played at Virginia Tech.
MEAC/SWAC Challenge Kickoff contests are held annually on the Saturday prior to Labor Day weekend at Center Parc Stadium in Atlanta, Ga. Games for the 2026 and 2027 season were previously announced, and those matchups feature the Alabama A&M Bulldogs and Howard Bison meeting on Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026, followed by the South Carolina State Bulldogs and Alabama State Hornets playing the following season on Saturday, Aug. 28, 2027.
The 2025 Cricket MEAC/SWAC Challenge Kickoff, which was played on Aug. 23, resulted in the North Carolina Central Eagles defeating the Southern Jaguars, 31-14, before an announced crowd of 16,191.
Back in May 2021, ESPN Events announced a new six-year agreement with the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). The agreement extended both the Cricket MEAC/SWAC Challenge Kickoff and the Cricket Celebration Bowl.
Future Cricket MEAC/SWAC Challenge Kickoff Games
2026 – Alabama A&M vs. Howard
2027 – South Carolina State vs. Alabama State
2028 – Jackson State vs. Norfolk State
So they’re going to play cricket?