The participants for the Celebration Bowl game are based upon the final regular season standings which determine the MEAC football champion and the
SWAC football championship Game determining the SWAC representative. The MEAC representative was announced on November 22, 2015, after the release of the final Sagrin ratings. As part of the MEAC tiebreaker, the ratings determined which of the 3 co-champions would represent the conference in the bowl game. The SWAC representative was announced at the conclusion of the SWAC Football Championship Game which matched the top teams from the conferences' eastern and western divisions.
North Carolina A&T The North Carolina A&T Aggies entered the season ranked 2nd in both the Sheridan & BoxtoRow polls behind defending National champions Alcorn State. Along with the other four teams that earned a share of the previous years' conference title, the Aggies were favored to win the MEAC championship. NC A&T played its home opener and first game of the season against Division II Shaw Bears. The Aggies Held the Bears to 44 yards on the ground in 30 attempts in their 61–7 victory over Shaw. After defeating Shaw the Aggies traveled to
Chapel Hill, NC to play
ACC opponent, the
North Carolina Tar Heels. This game marked the first meeting between the Tar Heels and the Aggies. After losing to North Carolina 45–31, A&T defeated nearby In-state FCS opponent Elon 41–7. The Aggies would begin their MEAC campaign by defeating the
Hampton Pirates; snapping a six-game losing streak to the Pirates inside of
Armstrong Stadium. The Aggies followed up their performance with a 27–3 victory over
Norfolk State, giving Coach Rod Broadway his 100th career win and making him the 26th active FCS coach to do so. Following their performance against Norfolk State, the Aggies had a crucial match up against
Bethune-Cookman, defeating them 24–14 at home. The Aggies followed up with a 65–14 Homecoming win over
Howard. The win secured A&T’s fourth straight winning season. Following their homecoming win, the Aggies broke into the national rankings at #20 in both the
STATS FCS and
NCAA FCS Coaches’ polls and the team would rise as high as #16 before seasons' end. The Aggies continued earning wins on back to back road games against
Florida A&M and 9–6 win over
rival South Carolina State. The game came down the final play when SC State Kicker Tyler Scandrett missed a 33-yard field goal attempt as time expired, giving A&T their first win since 1969 over SC State inside Dawson Stadium, ending a 14-game losing streak. The Aggies then faced
Delaware State, beating them 27–6 and clinching at least a share of the MEAC football title. The victory also marked the Aggies first back-to-back MEAC title since the 1991 and ‘92 seasons. Running back
Tarik Cohen's 132 rushing yards broke A&T's all-time rushing record of 3,624 yards previously set by Mike Mayhew in 2012. The Aggies went into the season finale facing
Arch Rival North Carolina Central with Championship and postseason implications. A&T lost to NCCU 16–21 after a failed two-point conversion attempt late in the 4th quarter left the Aggies needing a touchdown to win. On the final play of the game NCCU's Richard Mitchell sack finalized NCCU securing a second straight victory over A&T and preventing the Aggie sole ownership of the MEAC championship. The loss to the Eagles, coupled with Bethune-Cookman's victory over rival Florida A&M at the
Florida Classic, created a 3-way tie and put the conference in a tiebreaker scenario for postseason play. By virtue of the MEAC's Tiebreaker system, A&T was awarded the postseason berth over Bethune-Cookman due to the Sagarian ratings for both teams. North Carolina Central was eliminated as their 0 non-conference FCS division wins removed them from consideration.
Alcorn State Alcorn State, the 2014
Black College Football National Champions, entered the season ranked #1 in both the Shaeridan and BoxtoRow preseason polls. Alcorn was also selected to win the 2015 SWAC Eastern Division championship. The Braves played their first game of the season on the road against #16
Georgia Tech of the
Atlantic Coast Conference, where they lost 69–6. After the loss to Georgia Tech, the Braves began their SWAC campaign on the road against
Alabama State; defeating the Hornets 31–14. The following week, Alcorn held their home opener against
Mississippi Valley State who they defeated 55–14. The Braves would continue their winning streak defeating
Concordia College and
Arkansas-Pine Bluff before losing to
Grambling 34–35 in overtime. Alcorn and Grambling would meet again in the
SWAC Championship Game where the Braves would prevail 49–21 and become the 2015 SWAC Champions. ==Pregame Buildup==