SWAC makes huge scheduling move ahead of football season

The Southwestern Athletic Conference is making a major change to its football schedules, set to take effect in 2027. The conference’s 12 member institutions recently voted to eliminate non-conference football games against non-NCAA Division I and Division II opponents.

FCS opponents typically have faced Division II and NAIA competition in early-season play and during homecoming. But SWAC Commissioner Dr. Charles McClelland believes that the league should only play games that count. He spoke about the change during an appearance on SWAC TV’s broadcast of the SWAC Golf Championship.

“No longer are we going to play games that don’t count. The membership came together and decided that that was going to be the best thing in order for us to be able to grow and move forward. So, as we have more competitive games, it’s going to shift schools’ thought process. We’re not going to be able to go play teams that are not within the structure of which it should be.”

He added, “It’s going to allow our teams to have more competitive games. It’s going to allow our fans to have more competitive games to go watch and go support. Kudos to the athletic directors for agreeing that this is the direction that we’re supposed to go.”

Currently, Virginia University of Lynchburg, Louisiana Christian University, and Arkansas Baptist College are the only non-NCAA squads that SWAC member institutions will be facing. Virginia University of Lynchburg and Lincoln University of California were often scheduled as matchups for both SWAC and MEAC opponents over the past few seasons.

To open up this season, Grambling played Langston University in the Shreveport Kickoff Classic, winning 55-7. Langston is an NAIA program, and with the SWAC prioritizing games against NCAA member institutions, many wonder whether these games will be replaced with matchups against non-HBCU FCS opponents.

Games against non-HBCU FCS opponents, particularly FCS playoff-contending teams, could raise the conference’s collective strength of schedule and increase the likelihood of a bid to the FCS playoffs. But only time will tell what the conference’s schedule will look like in the future.

The policy is set to be formally announced at a later date.

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