Who Won the 2021 HBCU National Championship?

HBCU football fans have wrestled with the finality of the season after the Celebration Bowl in deciding who is the 2021 HBCU National Champion.

HBCU football experts, media and fans have wrestled with the finality of the season after the Celebration Bowl. 

Let's be honest. It's been a nightmare.

Jackson State head coach Deion Sanders congratulates South Carolina State players following their win in the Celebration Bowl in Atlanta, Ga., on Saturday December 18, 2021. Cb53; Credit:© Mickey Welsh / Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK

The HBCU Family Is Divided

Many believe a Jackson State victory in the Celebration Bowl would have made proclaiming the 2021 HBCU National Champions simple.  They did not win.  

South Carolina State decisively won and earned the right to claim the National Championship.

Now, the HBCU football family is divided.

Is it South Carolina State, or Jackson State?  Should it be Bowie State or the Rattlers of FAMU?

The HBCU media has split with emotions and loyalties creating a debate.  It's time to render a fair and objective decision.

Who Won?

Jackson State head coach Deion Sanders and South Carolina State head coach Oliver Pough shake hands at midfield following the Celebration Bowl in Atlanta, Ga., on Saturday December 18, 2021. Cb47; Credit:© Mickey Welsh / Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK

We cannot overlook the obvious.

Who won, and who didn't.

Buddy Pough and Deion Sanders had a job to do. Each head coach, assistant coach, and staff member were expected to prepare South Carolina State's and Jackson State's football team members for one goal - to WIN.

One team fulfilled its mission last Saturday afternoon inside the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in front of 48,580 fans - the South Carolina State Bulldogs.

The final college football games are much like a prize boxing match. One champion enters the ring, and one winner leaves.

Credit:© Mickey Welsh / Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Kings of the MEAC vs. The Kings of the SWAC 

 On paper, many believed the SWAC would have its day. But after over 40+years on the sidelines, Coach Pough wasn't daunted by the narratives. Neither were his young football players.

No one can point to a conspiracy, injury, questionable call, or penalty deciding the Celebration Bowl. What we can point to is the scoreboard. A 31-10 score is a decisive victory. South Carolina State earned the right to be called the HBCU National Champions.  

It's not Jackson State, Bowie State, or Florida A&M. Each school performed magnificently in 2021. This has the considered one of the most intriguing HBCU football seasons ever recorded.

I respectfully decided to change my opinion on the matter. I initially leaned toward Jackson State as the best HBCU football team in the nation on my "Blow the Whistle" podcast. But, the wily ol' journalist Ralph Cooper had to blow the whistle on many of our subjective decisions in the press. 

I stand corrected.

Congratulations to Coach Buddy Pough, his staff, and his football team, who took it to the Coach Prime and the Jackson State Tigers and won convincingly. The South Carolina State Bulldogs are the 2021 HBCU National Champions.

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South Carolina State head coach Oliver "Buddy" Pough is presented the Celebration Bowl trophy following the game in Atlanta, Ga., on Saturday, December 18, 2021. Cb49; Credit:© Mickey Welsh / Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK

2021 TOP FIVE HBCU FOOTBALL TEAMS

1. South Carolina State Bulldogs
2. Jackson State Tigers
3. Florida A&M Rattlers
4. Bowie State Bulldogs
5. Alabama A&M Bulldogs

Three Bulldogs, a Tiger and Rattler.   

Jackson State University's Gary Harrell coaches in place of head coach Deion Sanders during their game against Texas Southern University at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium in Jackson, Miss., Saturday, Nov. 6, 2021. Tcl Jsu Vs Texas Southern 14; Credit:© Eric Shelton/Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK

2021 TOP FIVE HBCU COACHING STAFFS

1. Jackson State Tigers
2. Florida A&M Rattlers
3. Prairie View A&M Panthers
4. Bowie State Bulldogs
5. South Carolina State Bulldogs

I considered the entire body of work this season for this honor.  Also, you could not overlook what Jackson State's coaching staff accomplished in Coach Sanders' one-month absence from the sidelines during his hospitalization.

Deion Sanders - Eddie Robinson Award Winner; Credit: JSU Athletics

2021 TOP FIVE HEAD COACHES

1. Deion Sanders, Jackson State
2. Damon Wilson, Bowie State
3. Buddy Pough, State Carolina State
4. Willie Simmons, Florida A&M
5. Eric Dooley, Prairie View

Honorable Mention: 

• Fred McNair - Alcorn State
• Gabe Giardina - Albany State
• Quinton Morgan - Langston (keep your eye on this young head coach)

Find out what happens in HBCU Football at the HBCU Legacy Bowl, Shrine Bowl, and Combines?

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