CELEBRATION BOWL: LIVE BLOG, ODDS, PREDICTION, & UPDATES | 2025

HBCU Legends' live blog of the 2025 Cricket Celebration Bowl.

Celebration Bowl | Run The Yard, HBCU Pass

The Prairie View A&M Panthers (10-3) will face the South Carolina State Bulldogs (9-3) in the 10th annual Cricket Celebration Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia on Saturday, Dec. 13.

Today's kickoff will be at 11:00 AM CT/12:00 PM ET, ABC will broadcast the HBCU National Championship Game with Tiffany Greene (Play-by-Play) and Jay 'Sky' Walker (Color Analyst) in the booth.

Celebration Bowl | Run The Yard, HBCU Pass

CELEBRATION BOWL LIVE BLOG - HBCU LEGENDS

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ODDS

Prairie View A&M vs. South Carolina State - Spread

Prairie View A&M -2.5

Prairie View A&M vs. South Carolina State - Over/under

52.5 points

Prairie View A&M vs. South Carolina State - Money line

PVAMU -130, SC State -106

interesting to see how the line moved from 4.5 points in favor of South Carolina State earlier this week, now Prairie View is being favored by Emory Hunt with the spread at -2.5 points.

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PREDICTION

IT'S TOO CLOSE TO CALL! The storylines prefer Coach Berry finally hoisting the Celebration Bowl Trophy. On the other hand, Cinderella may prove not to be a fluke, and the Prairie View A&M Panthers will be celebrating at the end.

My gut says Prairie View A&M, only because they are playing solid football and are injury free. Can SC State knock off some of the rust early? Watch both playmakers at wide receiver for the teams - they could be the difference makers.

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PREVIEW

Prairie View A&M and South Carolina State collide in Atlanta with mirror-image blueprints: Prairie View arrives as the newly crowned SWAC champion behind Tremaine Jackson’s physical, brotherhood-driven program, while South Carolina State returns as MEAC power under process-obsessed head coach Chennis Berry, seeking redemption and a second Celebration Bowl crown. HBCU Legends’ advanced analytics model projects a tight, one-score game, with a slight efficiency edge for Prairie View’s balance versus South Carolina State’s battle-tested “process over results” identity and improved explosiveness.​

Game stage and stakes

The 2025 Cricket Celebration Bowl kicks off at Mercedes-Benz Stadium with Prairie View A&M representing the SWAC after a 23–21 upset of Jackson State and South Carolina State returning as MEAC champion following a 9–3 season and an unbeaten conference run.

For Prairie View, it is the program’s first Celebration Bowl appearance and first HBCU national title shot, while SC State chases its second Celebration Bowl trophy and first under Berry after falling short in last year’s matchup

Advanced analytics: matchup keys

HBCU Legends’ advanced analytics model sees Prairie View as slightly more efficient overall, driven by its balance, defensive consistency, and the Peters-led offense’s ability to generate both explosives and sustained drives when avoiding turnovers.

The Panthers’ SWAC profile—top total defense, strong third-down defense, and improved offensive efficiency late in the year—translates well to a neutral-site championship where possessions and red-zone trips are magnified.​

South Carolina State’s MEAC metrics tell a different but complementary story: the Bulldogs lean on process football—solid special teams, discipline, and situational execution—while an upgraded offense under Atkins gives them enough punch to exploit mistakes.

The HBCU Legends model effectively treats SC State as a “high floor” team with lower volatility, while Prairie View has a higher upside tied to Peters’ dual-threat dynamic and the defense’s ability to flip field position via stops and negative plays.​

Narrative and numbers heading into kickoff

From a narrative standpoint, Jackson and Berry arrive in Atlanta as kindred architects—both having quickly transformed programs by blending culture, clear expectations, and spiritual or values-based leadership, as documented in HBCU Legends’ profiles of their journeys.

For Prairie View, this stage represents confirmation that the 2025 SWAC breakthrough was not a one-off; for South Carolina State, it is a chance to prove that the painful lessons of last year’s loss have matured into championship poise.​

From a data standpoint, expect a game defined by third downs, red-zone execution, and turnover margin: Prairie View’s defense and Peters’ playmaking give the Panthers a slight analytic edge, while SC State’s process-driven consistency and veteran quarterback presence make the Bulldogs the more stable, “low-mistake” side.

In that blend of storylines and statistics, the 2025 Celebration Bowl sets up as a true HBCU national-title chess match between two programs—and two head coaches—who were built for precisely this moment.

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