Florida A&M is amongst the calling cards for postseason football this weekend.
The Football Championship Subdivision Coaches Poll’s fifth-ranked Rattlers (10-1) are hosting the Prairie View A&M Panthers (6-5) on Ken Riley Field at Bragg Memorial Stadium for the Southwestern Athletic Conference Championship this Saturday.
Kickoff is at 4 p.m. on ESPN2.
The SWAC title winner clinches a spot to the HBCU Celebration Bowl versus the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champion Howard on Dec. 16 in Atlanta.
FAMU already had its way with PVAMU, thwarting the visiting Panthers 45-7 during Week 9’s homecoming game.
But the convincing regular season victory holds no cards to Rattlers head coach Willie Simmons as his team chases the program’s first SWAC title since joining the league in 2021.
FAMU began preparing for PVAMU last week before having a brief Thanksgiving break. The team returned from the holiday to practice on Sunday. Simmons described his players as “focused.”
“The key thing is that we don’t treat this game any differently,” Simmons said about FAMU and PVAMU’s previous meeting.
“The challenge for our guys is if we have the maturity to prepare for a team we handily beat a month ago and play our best football. Whatever happened in the past ― none of those things matter when it comes to championship football.”
After 25 years, Bragg Memorial Stadium finally gets to host a postseason game again.
The last time FAMU hosted a playoff game was the 1998 NCAA Division I-AA (now FCS) First Round, beating Troy State 27-17.
The Rattlers expect a big turnout after SWAC Championship tickets, aside from grandstand seating, have sold out for Saturday’s showdown against the Panthers.
FAMU finished sixth in FCS attendance, averaging 17,616 fans inside of the 19,633-seat venue.
“It’s not a surprise for us but a huge accomplishment. It’s great for Florida A&M and the City of Tallahassee,” Simmons said of the postseason home game.
“Everyone knows how raucous our crowd is. The atmosphere is second to none. Our players get up for that and are excited to do it again. It’ll be a great visual for ESPN to give everyone an idea of what the gameday environment is like here at FAMU.”
This year’s FAMU squad became the program’s first 10-win team since 1999. A win this weekend would secure the Rattlers’ first 11-win season since 1998.
Both of those teams were head coached by Billy Joe, who’s part of a historical legacy of FAMU football coaches that includes Jake Gaither (1945-1963), Rudy Hubbard (1974-1985), Ken Riley (1986-1993), and Joe Taylor (2008-2012).
“It’s always very humbling to be mentioned with [them],” Simmons, FAMU’s 18th full-time head football coach, said.
“What those men have accomplished and their impact on young men’s lives is unprecedented. But the difference is they finished. We’re in the middle of a historic run. We’ve had a ‘championship or bust’ since returning in January. We have to finish this thing off the right thing to be mentioned with other great FAMU teams.
“I’ll sit back and reflect on this special season at some point. But now is not the time to do that.”
Florida A&M (10-1) vs. Prairie View A&M (6-5) SWAC Championship Game Information
When: Saturday, Dec. 2 at 4 p.m.
Where: Ken Riley Field at Bragg Memorial Stadium
How to watch: ESPN2
Gerald Thomas, III covers Florida A&M University Athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at gdthomas@tallahassee.com or on the app formerly known as Twitter @3peatgee.
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