The Southwestern Athletic Conference was one of the first FCS conferences to cancel fall football in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The conference announced it would postpone all fall sports on July 30. This cancelled the annual Magic City Classic between rivals Alabama State and Alabama A&M. Today the premiere HBCU conference announced its plans to play football in the spring of 2021.

The SWAC will feature a six-game conference schedule in the spring with one open date included in order to play an out of conference game. The season is set to kickoff on February 27 with a all 10 schools playing against one another. Programs will hold an eight-week training period beginning in July to prepare for the spring season.

The spring season is scheduled to end on May 1 with the Cricket Wireless SWAC Championship game. The team with the higher seed entering the championship game will have the honor of hosting the game.

The Magic City Classic will now be held on April 17. The classic is one of the most attended FCS games in the nation, attracting nearly 200,000 people and carrying a nearly $25 million impact on the city of Birmingham. Festivities for the game begin at the beginning of the week and range from pep rallies, comedy shows, concerts and more. The Alabama A&M Bulldogs lead the series with a record of 42–39–3 all-time.

February 27

  • Alcorn State at Alabama A&M
  • Southern at Alabama State
  • Mississippi Valley State at Jackson State
  • Texas Southern at Arkansas-Pine Bluff
  • Prairie View A&M vs. Grambling State (State Fair Classic)

March 6

  • Alabama A&M at Mississippi Valley State
  • Alabama State at Alcorn State
  • Jackson State at Grambling State
  • Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Southern
  • Texas Southern at Prairie View A&M (Labor Day Classic)

March 20

  • Alabama A&M at Prairie View A&M
  • Jackson State at Alabama State
  • Alcorn State at Mississippi Valley State
  • Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Grambling State
  • Southern at Texas Southern

March 27

  • Grambling State at Alabama A&M
  • Alabama State at Arkansas-Pine Bluff
  • Alcorn State at Southern
  • Prairie View A&M at Jackson State

April 3

  • Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Mississippi Valley State
  • Grambling State at Texas Southern

April 10

  • Alabama A&M at Jackson State
  • Mississippi Valley State at Alabama State
  • Texas Southern at Alcorn State
  • Southern at Prairie View A&M

April 17

  • Alabama State vs. Alabama A&M (Magic City Classic)
  • Jackson State at Alcorn State
  • Mississippi Valley State at Texas Southern
  • Prairie View A&M at Arkansas-Pine Bluff
  • Grambling State vs. Southern (Bayou Classic)

May 1

  • Cricket Wireless SWAC Football Championship

 

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