ESPN’s ‘College GameDay’ Reveals Jackson State as Week 9 Location

Deion Sanders and the Tigers take center stage as they play host to Southern in a historic HBCU rivalry.
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College Gameday will forego its usual Power 5 destination and instead be on hand for iconic HBCU rivalry game in Week 9.

ESPN’s signature pregame show announced it will head to Mississippi next weekend for a FCS tilt between undefeated Jackson State and Southern. The game, also known as the BoomBox Classic, features two of the premier SWAC programs and has been played every year since 1958.

Southern holds a 35–30 historical advantage over Jackson State in the annual matchup, but the Tigers ended an eight-game losing streak last season with a come-from-behind, 21–17 win. Coached by NFL legend Deion Sanders, Jackson State has rapidly developed into an FCS powerhouse, having raced out to a 7–0 record in 2022 following a homecoming victory over Campbell on Saturday. 

Southern’s start to the 2022 campaign has been a bit more tepid, having gone 5–2 with losses to LSU and the SWAC’s Texas Southern. However, the Jaguars have rattled off four consecutive wins, including Saturday’s 51–7 drubbing of Virginia University of Lynchburg, setting the stage for a competitive matchup in Jackson next weekend.

College Gameday will begin live from Jackson at 8 a.m. ET on Saturday, Oct. 29. Kickoff against Southern is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET

More CFB Coverage:

HBCU Legends: Week 7 HBCU Football Polls: 2022 HBCU-Pro Sports Media Association

For more HBCU coverage, go to HBCU Legends.


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Zach Koons
ZACH KOONS

Zach Koons is a programming editor at Sports Illustrated who frequently writes about Formula One. He joined SI as a breaking/trending news writer in February 2022 before joining the programming team in 2023. Koons previously worked at The Spun and interned for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He currently hosts the "Bleav in Northwestern" podcast and received a bachelor's in journalism from Northwestern University.