July 15, 1999
Baton Rouge, LA - The head football coaches of the Southwestern Athletic Conference and the members of the media who cover their teams see tye to eye on which teams should capture their respective league divisions and go to to compete in the SWAC's first-ever football title game this fall.The inaugural SWAC football championship game will be contested at Legion Field in Birmingham, AL at 1 p.m. on Saturday, December 11. The winner will advance to the McDonald's Heritage Bowl to face a representative from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta one week later. Both contests will be nationaly televised, the SWAC title game on Black Entertainment Television and the bowl contest on NBC.
In both the coaches and media polls, three-time defending champion Southern University is the choice to win the SWAC Western Division crown while perennial power Jackson State is the pick to win the Eastern Division title. SU garnered a high 42 points and six first place nond from the coaches while landing 58 points and nine first place votes from the reporters. JSU, meanwhile pulled in 39 points and seven first place votes from the coaches and 55 points with all 11 first place votes from the media.
"Jackson State's offense will return two of the most exciting players in I-AA football in Sylvester Morris and Mark Washington," stated Texas Southern head coach Bill Thomas. "Southern has a tradition of winning and Coach Pete Richardson has always prepared his teams well. I'm picking Southern to win the championship game because of their tradition as well as their ability to reload."
"Jackson State and Southern don't rebuild, they reload," said Joey Martin of the Natchez (Miss) Democrat. "Southern has weapons. JSU has incentive."
Following Southern in the coaches' Western Division poll are Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Grambling State, Texas Southern and Prairie View A&M. Trailing JSU in the Eastern Division poll are Alcorn State, Alabama A&M, Alabama State and Mississippi Valley State.
In the media's rankings, Southern is hounded in the Western Division by Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Grambling State, Texas Southern and Prairie View A&M. In the media's Eastern Division rankings, JSU is followed by Alcorn State, Alabama State, Alabama A&M and Mississippi Valley State.
The players participating in the SWAC football Press Tour will cast their votes and announce their preseason rankings during the final stop of the caravan in Huntsville, AL on Friday.
