SWAC Outlines Championship Game Scenarios

NEW ORLEANS -- With just three weekends left in the 1999 Southwestern Athletic Conference football regular-season, a total of five teams remain in contention for the league's inaugural championship game, which will be played at Legion Field in Birmingham, Ala. on Saturday, December 11.

In the conference's Eastern Division, both Alcorn State and Jackson State are still in contention for the divisional berth. The ASU Braves hold records of 3-5 overall and 1-1 in league play while the JSU Tigers are 7-2 overall and 3-0 in the division. To make it to Birmingham, the Braves would have win both of their final two games, including this Saturday's contest at home against Alabama A&M as well as the November 20 match-up against Jackson State. The Tigers could earn the berth this weekend if Alabama A&M defeats Alcorn State or if it defeats the Braves next week.

In the SWAC Western Division, three teams are still hopeful of making the journey to Alabama, including Grambling State, Southern and Texas Southern.

Texas Southern, which is 3-0 in the division and 5-4 overall, could wrap things up with a victory over Southern this weekend in Houston. Southern could earn the division's berth with wins over Texas Southern and then Grambling State on November 27, but the Jaguars will still remain in contention, even if they lose to GSU. Grambling must hope that Southern beats Texas Southern, that it wins the GSU-SU match-up in the Bayou Classic and that it can then win the three-team tiebreaker that would then exist between GSU, SU and TSU.

Listed below are the various scenarios which the conference has outlined for the teams which remain in contention for berths to the SWAC Football Championship Game:

SWAC CHAMPIONSHIP GAMEQUALIFICATION SCENARIOS

Eastern Division Summary: Only Jackson State (3-0) and Alcorn State (1-1) remain in contention for a berth in the championship game. ASU's only chance for making the game is to beat both Alabama A&M on Nov. 13 and Jackson State on Nov. 20. Otherwise, JSU is in.

WESTERN DIVISION:

1) Head-to-head record in games between the teams involved in the tie;

2) Overall conference record (divisional games plus the three games designated as inter-divisional games prior to the season)*;

3) Total points scored in divisional play;

4) Coin flip by the commissioner

The three-way tiebreaker plan scenarios:

Overall conference records of the three teams, including inter-divisional games,would be:

A) Grambling State: 3-1 div. plus 3-0 inter-divisional = 6-1

B) Southern Univ.: 3-1 div. plus 3-0 inter-divisional = 6-1

C) Texas Southern: 3-1 div. plus 1-2 inter-divisional = 4-3

TSU would be eliminated and the No.3 tiebreaker (total points scored in divisional games) would then be employed to break the tie between GSU and SU.

Western Division Summary: Grambling State, Southern and Texas Southern all remain in contention for the division's berth to the championship game. Southern and Texas Southern hold their own fate in their hands entering their game on Nov. 13. If TSU wins that game, they're in. If SU wins its last two games vs. TSU and GSU, Southern's in. If SU beats Texas Southern and GSU beats Southern, then's the three-way tiebreaker kicks into effect.

*The designated inter-divisional games for the Western Division contenders were as follows:

A) Grambling State: Alabama A&M, Alabama State and Alcorn State

B) Southern: Alabama State, Alcorn State and Jackson State

C) Texas Southern: Alcorn State, Jackson State and Mississippi Valley State

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