The MEAC champions, the North Carolina Central Eagles come into the Celebration Bowl with an overall record of 9-2. The SWAC champions, the Jackson State Tigers come into the game undefeated. It's the second straight Celebration Bowl for Jackson State under head coach Deion Sanders, who will coach his final game for the Tigers before taking over as head coach at the University of Colorado. For NCCU, it's their first bowl game since 2016 when they lost by a single point.