The 2024 Denny’s Orange Blossom Classic (OBC) will welcome the Alabama State University Hornets (ASU) and the North Carolina Central University Eagles (NCCU) as this year’s participants.
This will be the first-ever Southwestern Athletic Conference (ASU) vs. Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (NCCU) match up in the OBC’s storied history.
The match up was unveiled as Alabama State released its 2024 schedule on Tuesday. Jackson State had played Florida A&M in the last three classics. FAMU decided to pull out after its 28-10 win over JSU this season.
The historic classic founded by J. R. Lee Jr., the son of a FAMU president in 1933, to showcase the FAMU program was reborn in 2021 after a 43-year hiatus. From 1933 -1978, the OBC reigned supreme as the postseason’s premier HBCU classic event. This will be the first time FAMU is not participating in the classic.
ASU finished 7-4 this season under third-year head coach and former Hornet standout Eddie Robinson Jr. NCCU was 9-3 this season and earned an FCS playoff berth where the Eagles lost in the first round at Richmond.
The game will take place at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens on Sept. 1, 2024. The match up will feature NCCU, the 2022 Cricket Celebration Bowl winner and 2022 BCSP national champion. This will be the Eagles second appearance while seeking their first win in the classic. The last OBC appearance by NCCU, then called North Carolina College, was in 1951, when they were defeated by FAMU 67-6. This will be ASU’s inaugural appearance in the classic.
The win by Florida A&M last season was the Rattlers’ 27th in OBC history.
