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Does FAMU football still have a shot at SWAC title, Celebration Bowl? Best, worst-case scenarios
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- Does FAMU football still have a shot at SWAC title, Celebration Bowl? Best, worst-case scenarios
Florida A&M football's 2025 season has not been off to an ideal start .
Under second-year head coach James Colzie III, the Rattlers are currently 1-4 and 0-1 in Southwestern Athletic Conference games. It's the program's worst start since 2016 .
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FAMU is on a two-game losing streak, having been pummeled at home in both games by Alabama State (42-14) in Week 5's SWAC opener and a non-conference loss to North Carolina Central (45-7) of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference last Saturday, Oct. 11.
The Rattlers return to SWAC play this Saturday, Oct. 18, when they host homecoming versus the Alcorn State Braves (1-5, 0-2 in SWAC) on FAMU's Ken Riley Field at Bragg Memorial Stadium.
The Braves are fresh off their first win of the season, beating the Lincoln Oaklanders 42-0 for homecoming last week.
"We got an Alcorn State team that's going to be coming in hungry," Colzie said.
Florida A&M Rattlers head coach James Colzie III looks on as his team faces the North Carolina Central Eagles in a Week 7 NCAA college football game on Ken Riley Field at Bragg Memorial Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025.
And while FAMU has played some uninspiring football this season, there's still a path for the Rattlers to end the season in the SWAC Championship and Celebration Bowl games this December.
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"The mindset is to win ― put yourself in a situation to move up in the standings," the FAMU coach said.
FAMU football has seven regular-season games, all in the SWAC versus Alcorn State (Oct. 18), at Southern (Oct. 25), Jackson State (Nov. 1), at Arkansas-Pine Bluff (Nov. 8), at Alabama A&M (Nov. 15), Bethune-Cookman (Nov. 22), and at Mississippi Valley State (Nov. 29).
Let's explore the best and worst-case scenarios for the Rattlers moving forward.
Best-case: FAMU football performs under pressure in SWAC, Celebration Bowl chase
Simply put, FAMU has to win out for the rest of the season.
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Running the table would have the Rattlers boasting a 7-1 SWAC record, with the lone loss coming to Alabama State this September.
"We still have some things in front of us that if we take care of business, [it could] still put us in a pretty good situation," Colzie said.
"But you got to win."
That's easier said than done.
FAMU will host the defending SWAC and Black College Football National Champions, Jackson State, on Nov. 1.
Coincidentally, FAMU's postseason hopes stayed alive when Jackson State defeated Alabama State 38-34 last Saturday.
So, beating Jackson State in two weeks en route to winning out would give FAMU the top record in the SWAC East, placing the Rattlers in the league title game on Dec. 6 against the best team from the SWAC West.
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However, tiebreaker rules may also come into play if FAMU, Jackson State, and Alabama State were to have identical SWAC records at the season's end.
The SWAC champion represents the league against the top MEAC team in the Celebration Bowl on Dec. 13, the de facto Black College National Championship game.
"In that locker room ― we need to get a win just to make sure this team can understand that we're still a good football team and still have some things in front of us that we can still play for," Colzie said.
Worst-case: FAMU football succumbs to low margin for error in SWAC and Celebration Bowl title hopes
TALLAHASSEE, FL October 11, 2025, Florida A&M defenders, Jason Riles, (27), take down NC Central’s Quentin McCall (12). The Florida A&M Rattlers fall to the NC Central Eagles at home in Bragg Stadium. (Photo by Glenn Beil)
When a team loses a conference game early, it's tempting to check the remaining schedule to weigh the likelihood of making a midseason run to rise in the standings.
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"I look, but I quickly skim it," Colzie said with a chuckle.
"All that doesn't matter if we don't beat Alcorn," he added.
Losing another SWAC game could lead to FAMU continuing its spiral as championship hopes fade away.
For example, sparked by FAMU suffering a critical SWAC loss to Jackson State the previous year, the Rattlers went 4-3 for the final seven games of the season, including back-to-back losses to Prairie View A&M and Mississippi Valley State.
An unsuccessful outing could spell the same trouble for the Rattlers, especially with five of their final seven games being away.
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"I remember the shift last year when we lost to Jackson State once you realize that there's a strong possibility that you may not play in the SWAC championship game," Colzie said.
If FAMU wants to avoid an unsettling 2025 and compete for titles, improvements must be made, offensively and defensively, before delving into the second half of the season.
"I'm not saying that we're playing at a SWAC championship level because I think we're very, very far from that at this moment," Colzie said. "But if you look ahead, which can be dangerous, you do see there's an opportunity if you take care of business. We've got to win every one of them. But we have to [beat Alcorn] first."
Florida A&M (1-4, 0-1 in SWAC) vs Alcorn State (1-5, 0-2 in SWAC) ― SWAC/Homecoming
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When: Saturday, Oct. 18 at 4 p.m.
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Where: Ken Riley Field at Bragg Memorial Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida
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TV/Radio: ESPN+, 96.1 JAMZ
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Gerald Thomas, III is a multi-time award-winning journalist for his coverage of the Florida A&M Rattlers at the Tallahassee Democrat.
Follow his award-winning coverage on RattlerNews.com and contact him via email at GDThomas@Tallahassee.com or on the app formerly known as Twitter @3peatgee .
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FAMU football must win out to have chance at SWAC, Celebration Bowl trophies
