HU football team is the outright 2023 MEAC Champion and will be participating in the Cricket Celebration Bowl in Atlanta on December 16, 2023. Thanks to the football team for their perseverance and hard work.
The eighth annual Cricket Celebration Bowl – to be played Saturday, Dec. 16 at noon ET at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta and broadcast live on ABC – has extended its first invitation to Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) college football champion Howard University. The Bison (6-5, 4-1 MEAC) defeated rival Morgan State University 14-7 on Saturday to earn their first invitation to the bowl in program history. They will play the champion of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC).
“Congratulations to the MEAC champion Howard University Bison for earning their first trip to the Cricket Celebration Bowl,” said Executive Director John Grant, who was on-site at the game in Washington D.C., to present Howard head coach Larry Scott with the official invite. “We are excited for the Bison to make their first appearance and join us in this championship matchup.”
MEAC co-champions in 2022, Howard’s back-to-back wins in its final two regular season games over the 2022 Cricket Celebration Bowl champion North Carolina Central Eagles and Morgan State Bears secured their path to this year’s championship bowl game.
Now in its eighth year, the Cricket Celebration Bowl has established itself as a premier college football bowl game, celebrating the heritage, legacy, pageantry, and tradition of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The championship-style game between the MEAC and SWAC champions is broadcast nationally on ABC. ESPN Events collaborates with its sponsors, Divine Nine Greek organizations, the Atlanta HBCU Alumni Alliance, and other community partners to organize the game’s ancillary events, which includes a fan experience, community service projects, and more. This year’s weekend festivities will also include the inaugural Band of the Year National Championship.