Celebration Bowl Odds - North Carolina Central vs. Jackson State
Deion Sanders will coach his final game at Jackson State on Saturday, December 17, 2022, as the Jackson State Tigers take on the North Carolina Central Eagles in the Celebration Bowl on ABC. Sanders took the head coaching job at Colorado, but he wants to finish his time at Jackson State and coach the bowl game. Sanders put Jackson State on the map in college football and in three seasons, he has gone 27-5. The Tigers went 11-2 last year but lost to South Carolina State in the Celebration Bowl. The Tigers are led on offense by Deion’s son, Shedeur Sanders who was the best quarterback in the SWAC this season. On the other side, North Carolina Central is led by Davius Richard who was the top quarterback in the MEAC this season. North Carolina Central went 9-2 during the regular season, while Jackson State went 12-0. Jackson State is listed as more than a two-touchdown favorite in Celebration Bowl odds.
2022 Celebration Bowl at a Glance
Date: Saturday, December 17, 2022
Time (ET) / TV: 12:00 PM / ABC
Venue: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
Matchup: North Carolina Central Eagles vs. Jackson State Tigers
College Football Betting Lines
North Carolina Central Eagles +14
Jackson State Tigers -14
Total: 55
Celebration Bowl Game Preview
There has been a lot of hoopla lately surrounding the decision by Sanders to leave for Colorado, but Deion is going to coach the team in the bowl game. "He's there. He's there every day.” Assistant coach Gary Harrell said to the media, "It's very important for him to finish this to the very end. Last year really bothered him as far as not completing the celebration Bowl. So this is really important to him. He's gonna put his all into it." Jackson State lost last year's game by as score of 31-10. If Jackson State can win this game they will join Grambling as the only SWAC school to win the Celebration Bowl against the MEAC.
The game could end up as a shootout, as both teams have potent offenses. NCCU has Davius Richard who threw for 2,486 yards and 24 TDs. He was also the second leading rusher in the conference with 691 yards on the ground. He averaged a league-best 6.4 yards per carry and scored a conference-best 13 rushing TDs. For Jackson State, Shedeur Sanders threw for 3,403 yards and 36 touchdowns.
This game is very important to Jackson State because of their loss in last year’s Celebration Bowl. “Last year really motivated us to get back to this point where we are because we do have unfinished business,” Harrell said to the media. Jackson State has rolled over everyone this season, winning by an average of 24.5 points per game. They also boast the top defense in the FCS.
This is the fourth all-time meeting between North Carolina Central and Jackson State with the Tigers winning all three of the previous games.
Celebration Bowl Prediction
This should be a win for Jackson State, but the line on this game seems high, especially considering the talent on offense that North Carolina Central boasts. The Tigers will likely get the win, but covering the spread is another story, so simply taking the game over the total might be the best bet.
Celebration Bowl Format
The Celebration Bowl was founded in 2015 and was contested between the champions of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
Both leagues are the predominant athletic conferences for historically black colleges and universities. The Celebration Bowl serves as the de facto national championship of black college football. Among the unique aspects of the Celebration Bowl is that it is the only active bowl game to feature programs from the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).
Once upon a time, the Pelican Bowl and Heritage Bowl served the role that the Celebration Bowl now fulfills.
Celebration Bowl Game Results
| SEASON |
WINNING TEAM |
LOSING TEAM |
SCORE |
| 2021 |
South Carolina State |
Jackson State |
31-10 |
| 2020 |
Cancelled due to COVID |
| 2019 |
North Carolina A&T |
Alcorn State |
64-44 |
| 2018 |
North Carolina A&T |
Alcorn State |
24-22 |
| 2017 |
North Carolina A&T |
Grambling State |
21-14 |
| 2016 |
Grambling State |
North Carolina Central |
10-9 |
| 2015 |
North Carolina A&T |
Alcorn State |
41-34 |
North Carolina A&T dominated this game in much of its early history, winning four times. Their string of wins ended in 2020 because of the pandemic and then South Carolina State won the game in 2021.
Most All-Time Wins
| WINS |
TEAM |
YEARS WON |
| 4 |
North Carolina A&T |
2015, 2017, 2018, 2019 |
| 1 |
Grambling State |
2016 |
The North Carolina A&T Aggies have dominated the Celebration Bowl with four wins and four appearances. North Carolina A&T won the Celebration Bowl in 2015 and then three consecutive seasons from 2017 through 2019. Alcorn State holds the distinction of making the Celebration Bowl three times but never winning it.
2022-23 College Football Bowl Games
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