Defending HBCU Champion South Carolina State Meets FAMU in a Battle of Tradition, Momentum and Redemption

The 2026 Orange Blossom Classic brings two of the most recognizable names in HBCU football to Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens on Sunday, September 6.

Florida A&M University and South Carolina State University will meet at 3 p.m. Eastern in a nationally televised ESPN matchup that offers far more than an early-season football game. It is a clash between a defending champion, a proud program beginning a new era, and two fan bases connected by history, music, pageantry and regional pride. (ORANGEBLOSSOMCLASSIC)

South Carolina State Arrives as the Team to Beat

South Carolina State enters the Orange Blossom Classic as the defending HBCU national champion after one of the most dramatic finishes in Celebration Bowl history.

In December 2025, the Bulldogs defeated Prairie View A&M, 40–38, in four overtimes to win the Celebration Bowl and claim the MEAC’s seventh championship in the event. Because the Celebration Bowl matches the champions of the MEAC and SWAC, its winner is widely regarded as the national champion of HBCU football. (SCSUATHLETICS)

Head coach Chennis Berry has quickly transformed South Carolina State into one of the strongest programs in the Football Championship Subdivision. The Bulldogs have won consecutive MEAC championships, and the program opened the 2026 season by overwhelming Savannah State, 87–0. That performance established a school record for points in a game and immediately signaled that South Carolina State’s championship standard has not changed. (SCSUATHLETICS)

Quarterback Ryan Stubblefield, who helped lead the Bulldogs through their championship run, also returns as one of the players FAMU must account for. South Carolina State’s combination of championship confidence, offensive firepower and defensive discipline makes the Bulldogs a difficult opponent for any team on the schedule.

FAMU Has Owned the Recent Series

While South Carolina State holds the championship trophy, Florida A&M owns the recent history between the programs.

The Rattlers have won four straight meetings against the Bulldogs. That streak includes a 42–38 victory in 2019, a 30–7 win in 2021, a 20–14 road victory in 2022 and a hard-fought 22–18 triumph in 2024. (FAMUATHLETICS)

The 2024 meeting was particularly meaningful because it came during FAMU’s first season after Willie Simmons left Tallahassee for Duke. James Colzie III, who had served on Simmons’ staff, guided the Rattlers to the victory at Bragg Memorial Stadium.

For South Carolina State, the defeat was a reminder that FAMU remained a difficult matchup even as the Bulldogs were building toward their championship breakthrough. The result also gave the Rattlers an important measure of confidence during a period of transition.

A New Era Begins in Tallahassee

The 2026 game introduces another chapter in FAMU football.

Quinn Gray Sr. returned to his alma mater after leading Albany State to a 12–2 record, an undefeated conference season and an NCAA Division II quarterfinal appearance in 2025. Gray is not simply a new coach arriving from outside the program. He is a former Rattler quarterback who owns several of FAMU’s career passing records, including marks for passing yards, completions, attempts and touchdown passes. (FAMUATHLETICS)

That connection gives the game an added emotional dimension. Gray is trying to restore FAMU to the championship level associated with the program’s proudest seasons, while his first major test comes against the reigning HBCU champion.

FAMU began the Gray era with a 20–7 victory over Albany State on August 29. South Carolina State responded with its 87–0 record-setting win over Savannah State. Both programs therefore arrive in Miami with 1–0 records, but the Orange Blossom Classic will provide a significantly more demanding test for each team. (FAMUATHLETICS)

The Game Is Only Part of the Experience

The Orange Blossom Classic has long represented the cultural heart of HBCU football in South Florida. The event was founded in 1933 and helped establish the classic tradition as a major gathering point for Black communities, alumni and football fans. After a lengthy absence, the modern Orange Blossom Classic returned in 2021 and has continued to grow as a Labor Day weekend attraction. (ORANGEBLOSSOMCLASSIC)

Sunday’s experience will include more than the action on the field. Fans can expect tailgating, food, live entertainment, alumni gatherings and Fan Fest activities at Hard Rock Stadium. The pregame celebration is scheduled to include performances by Miami artists Trina and Trick Daddy. (ARC-CDN)

The halftime show may be just as anticipated as the football.

FAMU’s legendary Marching 100 and South Carolina State’s Marching 101 will each take the field, giving fans the sound, precision and pageantry that distinguish HBCU football from any other college football experience. For many fans, the bands, tailgates and traditions are not side attractions—they are central to the reason the event has become an annual gathering place. (ARC-CDN)

A Championship Test With Personal Stakes

The 2026 Orange Blossom Classic brings together two compelling storylines:

• South Carolina State is defending its HBCU national championship.
• FAMU is beginning a new era under one of its own former quarterbacks.
• The Rattlers are riding a four-game winning streak in the series.
• The Bulldogs are coming off a record-setting season opener.
• Both teams enter the game with 1–0 records.
• The matchup features two historic HBCU programs and two nationally respected marching bands.

That combination makes Sunday’s contest one of the most intriguing games of the early HBCU football season.

South Carolina State will be trying to protect its championship reputation. Florida A&M will be trying to extend its dominance in the series while announcing that the Rattlers are ready to compete for national attention again.

At Hard Rock Stadium, the stakes will be measured in more than wins and losses. The game will showcase legacy, leadership, school pride and the enduring power of HBCU football.

Orange Blossom Classic Offers Football, Fellowship and a Meaningful Early-Season Test

FAMU and South Carolina State bring championship ambition, recent history and HBCU pageantry to Hard Rock Stadium

The 2026 Orange Blossom Classic is more than a Sunday football game. When Florida A&M University and South Carolina State University meet at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens on Sunday, September 6, at 3 p.m., fans will be treated to a weekend built around fellowship, tradition, pageantry and one of the most intriguing early-season matchups in HBCU football. (FAMUATHLETICS)

For South Carolina State fans, the trip to Miami is a natural opportunity to travel south together along I-95 and turn the game into a Bulldog gathering. For FAMU supporters, it is a chance to welcome the Rattlers to South Florida and watch the program begin another important chapter. When the two fan bases meet, the atmosphere should be as memorable outside the stadium as it is between the sidelines.

The defending Celebration Bowl champion enters with a target

South Carolina State arrives in Miami as the reigning Celebration Bowl champion after producing one of the most dramatic finishes in the event’s history.

In December 2025, the Bulldogs rallied from a 21-point halftime deficit to defeat Prairie View A&M, 40–38, in four overtimes at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The victory gave South Carolina State the MEAC’s seventh Celebration Bowl championship and strengthened the event’s reputation as the game commonly regarded as the HBCU national championship contest. (THECELEBRATIONBOWL)

The championship was also a major milestone for head coach Chennis Berry. In only his second season at South Carolina State, Berry guided the Bulldogs to consecutive MEAC championships and the program’s first Celebration Bowl title under his leadership. (SCSUATHLETICS)

That success brings expectations. South Carolina State is no longer simply trying to prove it belongs among the nation’s top HBCU programs. The Bulldogs now enter the season as the team others want to challenge.

FAMU has controlled the recent series

Although South Carolina State owns the latest championship banner, Florida A&M has dominated the recent meetings between the programs.

The Rattlers have won four consecutive games against the Bulldogs, dating back to 2019. The streak includes victories in Orangeburg, Tallahassee and, most recently, a 22–18 comeback win at Bragg Memorial Stadium on August 31, 2024. FAMU’s official series history lists the Rattlers’ current winning streak at four games. (FAMUATHLETICS)

That 2024 meeting carried extra significance for South Carolina State. It was one of Berry’s early tests as the Bulldogs’ head coach, and FAMU rallied late to win after trailing 18–7. A nine-play, 84-yard drive ended with a touchdown pass from Daniel Richardson to Thad Franklin Jr., giving the Rattlers the lead with 5:39 remaining. (FAMUATHLETICS)

This year’s game gives South Carolina State an opportunity to end FAMU’s hold on the series, while the Rattlers will be trying to extend their winning streak against a program that now has championship confidence.

A game that may answer important questions

FAMU enters the Orange Blossom Classic during a period of transition. After the departure of Willie Simmons, the Rattlers experienced some difficult seasons and coaching changes as the program worked to regain the consistency associated with its proud football tradition.

That makes this matchup especially important. A victory over the defending Celebration Bowl champion would give FAMU an early statement win and could signal that the Rattlers are prepared to reestablish themselves as a national contender.

South Carolina State, meanwhile, must show that its championship run was the beginning of a sustained era rather than a single memorable season. The Bulldogs have the confidence of a team that has already climbed the mountain. FAMU represents an opponent with enough recent success in the series to test whether South Carolina State can handle the pressure of being the hunted.

In that sense, the Orange Blossom Classic serves as an early measuring stick for both teams:

• Can South Carolina State continue playing at a championship level?
• Can FAMU turn transition into renewed momentum?
• Will the Rattlers extend their four-game winning streak?
• Can the Bulldogs protect their championship reputation?
• Which program will leave Miami with the stronger claim for national attention?

The Orange Blossom Classic has deep roots

The game also carries the weight of nearly a century of HBCU history.

The Orange Blossom Classic began in 1933, when Florida A&M defeated Howard University, 9–0, in Jacksonville before approximately 2,000 fans. The event later moved to Miami in 1947, where it developed into one of the premier Black college football classics in the country. (MIAMIDADE)

For generations, the classic represented much more than football. It brought together alumni, families, civic leaders, musicians, bands and fans during a time when Black college football provided one of the nation’s most important stages for athletic excellence and cultural expression.

After a lengthy absence, the modern Orange Blossom Classic returned in 2021. Its continued presence in South Florida reflects the lasting importance of HBCU classics as social, cultural and athletic institutions. (ORANGEBLOSSOMCLASSIC)

Fellowship and pageantry are part of the attraction

The Orange Blossom Classic experience begins well before kickoff. Tailgates, alumni gatherings, food, music and Fan Fest activities help create the atmosphere that makes HBCU football unique.

The matchup also brings together two respected marching-band traditions. FAMU’s Marching “100” and South Carolina State’s Marching 101 add another layer of excitement to the weekend, providing the sound and pageantry that many fans consider essential to the HBCU football experience.

The classic is therefore an opportunity for South Carolina State and FAMU supporters to celebrate their institutions while sharing a larger HBCU tradition. It is competitive, but it is also communal. Fans can support their own team and still appreciate the history, talent and culture represented by the opponent.

A fitting follow-up to the MEAC/SWAC Challenge

Coming shortly after the MEAC/SWAC Challenge, the Orange Blossom Classic helps continue the national spotlight on HBCU football during the opening weeks of the college season.

The MEAC/SWAC Challenge highlights the intersection of two historic conferences. The Orange Blossom Classic then brings two established programs together in a setting where regional pride, championship expectations and tradition all meet.

South Carolina State comes in carrying the recognition that followed its Celebration Bowl championship. FAMU comes in carrying a four-game advantage in the series and the urgency of a program seeking a return to prominence.

That combination creates the kind of uncertainty that makes a game worth attending. The result could influence how fans view both teams for the rest of the season.

Why fans should be in the building

The 2026 Orange Blossom Classic offers a full HBCU football experience:

• A defending Celebration Bowl champion
• A four-game FAMU winning streak in the series
• Two historic HBCU programs
• A South Carolina-to-Miami fan journey built around fellowship
• Marching-band pageantry and classic traditions
• A nationally visible game at Hard Rock Stadium
• An early matchup capable of answering significant questions about both teams

When South Carolina State and Florida A&M take the field, the game will represent more than a single Sunday on the schedule. It will be a meeting of championship pride, program identity, regional travel and HBCU tradition.

For fans, it is a chance to make the trip, join the fellowship, hear the bands and watch two proud programs compete in one of college football’s most meaningful settings.

The Orange Blossom Classic is not simply a game to watch. It is a game to experience.

For fans looking for a full Labor Day weekend experience—football, bands, food, tailgating, tradition and championship-level competition—the 2026 Orange Blossom Classic is one of the best places to be on Sunday.

Game Information

Teams: Florida A&M Rattlers vs. South Carolina State Bulldogs
Event: 2026 Orange Blossom Classic
Date: Sunday, September 6, 2026
Kickoff: 3 p.m. Eastern
Location: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida
Television: ESPN (ORANGEBLOSSOMCLASSIC)