The first marquee matchup in the SWAC will take place at a neutral site.
Alabama State, the SWAC East runner-up, will play Marshall Faulk and the new-look Southern at historic Legion Field on Aug. 29.
The game is expected to draw strong attention as two prominent Southwestern Athletic Conference programs meet in a nationally televised showdown.
The contest also adds extra intrigue with Faulk, the former NFL star, taking the reins of the Jaguars for the first time, looking to transform a 2-win team from a year ago into contenders again.
Alabama State will try to continue the momentum from a 10-win 2025 season, its best in years.
Southern Director of Athletics Roman Banks and Alabama State Vice President of Athletics Dr. Jason Cable called the game a marquee event and said it will showcase two of the conference’s best-known programs. Both schools said the matchup represents an exciting opportunity for their teams and fans.
Southern Director of Athletics Roman Banks and Alabama State Vice President of Athletics Dr. Jason Cable highlighted the importance of the partnership with the City of Birmingham, calling the game a “marquee event” that will be nationally televised and showcase two of the conference’s most prominent programs.
“Southern University and Alabama State University are extremely excited to partner with the City of Birmingham for the hosting of this marquee football game at historic Legion Field this upcoming football season. This match-up is slated to be nationally televised and should be a highly entertaining affair between two historic football programs,” stated Banks and Cable in a joint statement.
SWAC football back at Legion Field
According to a report by AL.com, city leaders approved the city hosting multiple SWAC football games at Legion Field.
The Alabama State-Southern matchup is one of two confirmed games that will be played over the next two seasons, including another scheduled to be held in 2027.
The announcement comes on the heels of the city’s hosting of the SWAC Classic, which began in 2022 and featured Jackson State, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, and Southern.
The City of Birmingham provided incentives and in-kind services to SWAC in an amount not to exceed $200,000 in year one and $300,000 in years two and three of the agreement, in which the game is played at Legion Field Stadium.
Legion Field was the one-time home of the SWAC Football Championship Game from 1999 to 2012.
