• ESPN Events’ matchup features South Carolina State vs. defending SWAC champion Jackson State – Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC
• Multiple HBCU Classic games to be featured this season, beginning with Denny’s Orange Blossom Classic and Boeing Red Tails Classic on Sunday, Sept. 3
• ESPN platforms to air nearly 90 HBCU games in 2023 – including more than 20 games on ESPN networks and close to 60 games on ESPN+

ESPN begins its season-long coverage of college football at Historically Black College and Universities (HBCU) with the 2023 Cricket MEAC/SWAC Challenge Kickoff game on Saturday, Aug. 26. This year’s game matches the South Carolina State Bulldogs against the defending Southwestern Athletic Conference champion Jackson State Tigers at Center Parc Stadium in Atlanta at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC.

Throughout the 2023 season, ESPN and ESPN+ will air nearly 90 HBCU games, primarily featuring the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) and Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC). ESPN networks will air more than 20 HBCU games – including more live Saturday games on ESPN linear networks than ever. The schedule features eight games from the SWAC, seven from the MEAC, and two from the SIAC. ESPN+, the industry’s leading sports streaming service, will be a weekly destination for HBCU football fans with close to 60 games all season.

HBCU football coverage on ESPN platforms will also highlight the school marching band performances at halftime, which are such an integral part of the HBCU experience. For the first time, the season will also culminate with ESPN Events’ inaugural Band of the Year National Championship on Dec. 15 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. All four HBCU conferences – CIAA, MEAC, SIAC and SWAC – will be part of the Band of the Year competition and the championship will be simulcast on ESPN3 and ESPN+.

Some of the marquee HBCU games to watch in 2023 include the season-opening Cricket MEAC/SWAC Challenge Kickoff, multiple Classic games – the Denny’s Orange Blossom, Boeing Red Tails, Magic City and Florida Classics, the SIAC and SWAC Championship games, and the Cricket Celebration Bowl, the HBCU National Championship game in Atlanta between the MEAC and SWAC champions.

HBCU Games on ESPN Platforms in Weeks 0 & 1

Owned and operated by ESPN Events, this weekend’s MEAC/SWAC Challenge debuted in 2005 before establishing its new home in Atlanta at Georgia State University in 2018. Annually featuring programs from the MEAC and SWAC, the Kickoff game is one of the most popular events of the HBCU football season. Beyond the game, a variety of special events will take place over the three-day weekend celebrating the tradition, legacy and values of HBCUs.

ESPN’s commentator team for the MEAC/SWAC Challenge will feature HBCU graduates Tiffany Greene (Florida A&M) and Jay Walker (Howard) with reporters Quint Kessenich and Harry Lyles Jr The play-by-play-analyst duo of Greene and Walker will once again serve as ESPN’s lead commentator team for HBCU football games this season.

Looking ahead to Week 1, a pair of HBCU Classic games will be featured on ESPN platforms during Labor Day Weekend. On Sunday, Sept. 3, the Denny’s Orange Blossom Classic pits Jackson State against No. 25 Florida A&M (3 p.m., ESPN) in Miami Gardens, Fla., while ESPN Events’ third annual Boeing Red Tails Classic features Fort Valley State against Tuskegee (7 p.m., ESPNU) in Montgomery, Ala. 

HBCU College Football Games on ESPN Platforms in Weeks 0 & 1:

Other Notable HBCU Games on ESPN Platforms in 2023:

Additional HBCU Content on ESPN Platforms

• Black College Football Live – Tiffany Greene and Jay Walker host Black College Football Live, the weekly pre-game tailgate show on Facebook and other digital platforms highlighting the HBCU football experience.
• Andscape – The Walt Disney Company’s Black-led media platform dedicated to creating, highlighting and uplifting the diverse stories of Black identity spotlights HBCUs as one of its primary content verticals.
• Why Not Us: Howard Golf – The fourth season of the acclaimed Why Not Usseries on ESPN+ from Andscape and executive produced by four-time NBA champion and two-time MVP Stephen Curry debuted August 21. The eight-episode series brings fans inside the Howard University men’s and women’s golf teams – which Curry has supported – as the student-athletes and coaches navigate the challenges and triumphs of an emerging Division 1 program. New episodes debut each Monday through Sept. 4. 

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2023 HBCU College Football Schedule on ESPN Platforms:

* Also available (taped) on ESPNU at 10:30 p.m.

** Also available (taped) on ESPNU at 11 p.m.

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