The Alabama State Hornets and Tuskegee Golden Tigers will keep one of Black college football’s most storied rivalries on the Thanksgiving menu a little longer.
Alabama State announced Wednesday that the schools have agreed to extend the Turkey Day Classic through the 2026 season.
Alabama State will host Tuskegee in the 2026 edition of the Turkey Day Classic on Thursday, Nov. 26
The holiday matchup, traditionally played on Thanksgiving, remains a centerpiece event for the Hornets, Golden Tigers, and their fan bases.
“While longevity is the goal in this type of long-standing rivalry, we at ASU feel this is definitely a step in the right direction,” ASU Athletic Director Jason Cable said in the announcement. “The Turkey Day Classic is a historic matchup, and we look forward to continuing this tradition and celebrating the legacy of this rivalry on Thanksgiving.”
FCS playoffs could muddy Turkey Day Classic future
In 2025, Alabama State won 10 games, but did not qualify for postseason play despite putting together its best season in years.
The Turkey Day Classic is played during the first round of the FCS football playoffs. If the Hornets elected to play the Classic, they would be ineligible for the playoffs.
“If we were offered a chance to host an FCS playoff game at home, receiving a decent seed, the university would’ve strongly considered cancelling the Turkey Day Classic to play in the FCS postseason because our goal is always to compete at the highest level,” Cable told the Montgomery Advertiser.
The playoff tug-of-war hasn’t gone away.
The one-year extension highlights the playoff scheduling headaches both teams face. Alabama State is in the FCS with the SWAC, Tuskegee’s D-II in the SIAC, and both postseasons fire up right around Thanksgiving week.
Locking in a multi-year deal would box them in too much. That’s the same issue that killed the series from 2013-2020 when Tuskegee went all-in on D-II playoffs. They brought it back in 2021 after a COVID cancellation and celebrated the 100th Classic in 2024.
The programs first met in 1924 and have played 105 times overall. In their most recent meeting in 2025, Alabama State rolled to a 44-13 win, though Tuskegee still owns the edge in the all-time series, 62-40-3.
The 2026 Turkey Day Classic will mark the 106th installment of the game. Alabama State notes that the annual contest is regarded as the first Black College Football Classic, underscoring its historical significance within HBCU football and the broader landscape of the sport.
