rewrite this title in other words: HBCU National Championship thriving under revamped schedule

The stage is set for the 10th edition of the HBCU national championship game—better known as the Celebration Bowl—and fans no longer have to wait to book their hotels. ESPN has announced that the official date and time of the 2025 Cricket Celebration Bowl will be Saturday, December 13, 2025, at noon ET, live on ABC.

The Celebration Bowl, which pits the champions of the MEAC and SWAC against one another, has become the definitive showdown for HBCU football supremacy. And last year’s edition delivered in a big way, both on the field and in living rooms across the country.

Schedule Change

In 2024, the Celebration Bowl marked its first appearance under the newly revamped College Football Playoff schedule. The change shifted the game up by a week, creating ripple effects that sparked debate within the HBCU football world. Critics pointed out that the MEAC champion had a built-in advantage—an additional two weeks to prepare. The SWAC champion had to turn around and play immediately after their conference championship.

Still, none of that mattered once the pads started popping. Jackson State, fresh off their SWAC title, steamrolled South Carolina State in a 28-7 statement win to capture their first Celebration Bowl crown. The Tigers also became the second straight SWAC program to hoist the trophy. Flipping a script long dominated by MEAC programs.

Celebration Bowl by the Numbers

Off the field, the numbers told a success story of their own. The 2024 Celebration Bowl pulled in 2.1 million viewers on ABC. That number was up 37% from the previous year’s 1.5 million audience, according to ESPN. Much of that spike can be credited to the strategic time slot. The noon ET kickoff faced virtually no competition from other college bowl games or NFL matchups. A luxury not afforded in previous years, when scheduling overlap diluted viewership.

Attendance for the HBCU national championship has also remained solid, with over 40,000 fans packing Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta for the 2024 edition. That kind of turnout, paired with rising TV numbers, shows that the Celebration Bowl isn’t just surviving in the ever-changing college football landscape, it’s thriving.

As anticipation builds for the 2025 reveal, one thing is clear. The Celebration Bowl has firmly cemented itself as the crown jewel of HBCU football. And with year 10 on the horizon, all eyes will be on what’s next.

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