The Toyota Championship Projection now favors an all-Bulldog showdown in the 2026 Celebration Bowl, according to the latest Week 9 projection referenced by HBCU News.
The projection marks a shift from earlier preferences in the two conferences involved. Previous projections favored Morgan State in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and Jackson State in the Southwestern Athletic Conference East.
The current projection instead points toward an all-Bulldog matchup. The headline and summary do not identify the two Bulldog teams beyond that description, and they do not provide additional details about the projection’s methodology, record, or the path each team would need to take to reach the Celebration Bowl.
The change places the latest projection in the context of an evolving road to the 2026 game. Earlier preferences had separated the projected conference representatives between Morgan State in the MEAC and Jackson State in the SWAC East. The Week 9 update now favors a different outcome: a championship meeting featuring Bulldogs on both sides.
For HBCU football, conference projections offer a way to follow the season’s developing championship picture before the Celebration Bowl matchup is determined. In this case, the Toyota Championship Projection provides the latest stated view while also showing that its preferences have changed from the earlier Morgan State and Jackson State selections.
The available information does not establish that the projected matchup is final. It identifies the current Week 9 preference, not a confirmed Celebration Bowl field. As the road to the 2026 game continues, the projection may remain a point of attention for readers tracking the MEAC and SWAC picture.
HBCU.news Desk
Why this matters: The projection gives HBCU football fans a current snapshot of the 2026 Celebration Bowl race and highlights how the championship outlook has shifted from earlier preferences for Morgan State and Jackson State to an all-Bulldog showdown.