The Celebration Bowl is the lone matchup of the bowl season that doesn’t include an FBS team. Rather, it is the de facto national championship game for HBCUs, pitting the winners of the MEAC and the SWAC – both from the FCS ranks. South Carolina State will represent the MEAC this year, while Prairie View A&M is the SWAC representative. The action gets underway on Saturday, December 13 at noon ET from Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
When the ball is kicked at the beginning of this game, it will mark the official start of the 2025 bowl season. Let’s celebrate with a South Carolina State vs Prairie View A&M Same Game Parlay, with odds courtesy of bet365. Make sure you find our NCAAF predictions for tips and picks in ALL of the bowl and College Football Playoff matchups.
Prairie View A&M -1 (-105)
Under 52.5 (-110)
SC State vs Prairie View A&M Same Game Parlay odds: +275
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Prairie View A&M Panthers -1 over South Carolina State Bulldogs (-105)
The MEAC champion has won 6 of 9 Celebration Bowls since its inception in 2015, but the SWAC has taken the last 2. South Carolina State was on the short end last year when the Bulldogs lost 28-7 to the Jackson State Tigers in what was an ugly outing. The Bulldogs tallied just 178 total yards, converted 2 of 13 third downs, and averaged just 1.6 yards per rush alongside 4.4 yards per pass. It was a stark difference from their 2021 appearance, when they handled the very same Jackson State program 31-10 – run by Deion Sanders at the time with young Shedeur under center.
I’m expecting much of the same offensive struggles this year for SC State. Prairie View A&M is one of the best defensive units at the FCS level, sitting 3rd in scoring (16.15 ppg) and total defense (267.5 ypg). Moreover, they lead the FCS in opposing 3rd-down conversion rate (29.2%), sit 3rd in opposing passing efficiency, and rank 7th in first-down defense. Considering the Bulldogs deploy a heavy passing attack, moving the ball down the field against this Panthers pass defense is a tough ask. Look for Prairie View A&M to control the game with a methodical rushing attack and its lockdown defense.
Check out our Boise State vs Washington Same Game Parlay for the LA Bowl!
Under 52.5 (-110)
As previously mentioned, the Panthers have one of the best defenses at the FCS level, and they are very good against the pass – which is where the Bulldogs like to operate. Because of that, I already lean to the under. Unlike SC State, Prairie View A&M is much more reliant on the run and can control the time of possession because of it. The Bulldogs are one of the worst run defenses at the FCS level, allowing 4.2 yards per rush, so look for the Panthers to sustain drives and methodically move the ball down the field via their run game.
The way these teams performed defensively in the red zone is conducive to an under. Both SC State and Prairie View A&M are tied atop the FCS in red-zone attempts allowed, and they have allowed just 24 red-zone touchdowns combined across 25 combined games this season. This has all the makings of a low-scoring championship game in Atlanta.
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