This weekend, Grambling State and North Carolina AT&T get first dibs in Atlanta’s shiny new Mercedes Benz Stadium. Called the Celebration Bowl, the game will feature two of the best HBCUs in all the land: The Tigers (11-1) and Aggies (11-0).
The winner of Saturday’s game will be the undisputed champion of black college football, a notable accomplishment that will be immortalized on T-shirts, banners and national TV: ABC is covering this year’s game.
Kickoff is set for noon on Saturday, Dec. 16. The weather will get up to 56 degrees and down to 36.
As in previous years, the Celebration Bowl pits the winner of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) against the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) champion.
The game will be one of three at the venue over a three-week period. On Jan. 1, No. 12 UCF (12-0) will face off against No. 7 Auburn (10-3). Then on Jan. 8, for all the marbles, CFP National Championship Semifinal winners will play.
While many people will be looking forward to what’s going on between the hash marks, the $1.5 billion stadium will share top billing. The luxury seats, jumbo screens and retractable roof promise to play spoiler before, during and after the game.
Nearly four months ago, the Chick-fil-A Kickoff game made history, becoming the first college football matchup to not only play at Atlanta’s new Mercedes-Benz Stadium, but to sell out.
Celebration Bowl 2017
Date: Saturday, Dec. 16
Time (ET): 12 p.m. ET
Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
TV: ABC
Live stream: WatchESPN
Tickets: Ticket Master