This coming Saturday, Dec. 16, the Florida A&M Rattlers will take on the Howard Bison in the Cricket Celebration Bowl. The Celebration Bowl, which began in 2015, pits the champions from the MEAC and SWAC against each other, with the winner being recognized as the champion of HBCU football.

Last season, North Carolina Central won a thrilling 41-34 overtime game against Jackson State. This year, however, has a new set of contenders. Because the Bowl is so new, this is the first appearance for both Florida A&M and Howard.

At first glance, the Rattlers should be heavily favored over the Bison. Although they are in different conferences, the Rattlers finished with an 11-1 record, while the Bison were 6-5. Despite Howard's 4-1 conference record being identical to the 9-3 North Carolina Central Eagles, their 50-20 head-to-head victory over the reigning MEAC and Celebration Bowl champs gave Howard the conference championship.

It's not crazy to say that Florida A&M almost stream-rolled everyone on their schedule. Besides a Week 2 loss to the University of South Florida, they won 10 of their 11 wins by a minimum of 10 points, or two scores. Their closest game was a 26-19 victory against the Southern Jaguars. The Jaguars could have at least sent the game to overtime with a final drive, but questionable decision-making from former head coach Eric Dooley likely cost them the game.

The Rattlers boast an All-Star team on both sides of the ball. They led the conference with 13 total All-SWAC selections, including seven All-SWAC First Team players. They also swept through the individual awards as the Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and Coach of the Year were all from Florida A&M.

Speaking of the Offensive Player of the Year, Rattler quarterback Jeremy Moussa was a major factor in his team's success. After initial criticisms about his game, Moussa silenced his doubters with a spectacular year. The Vanderbilt transfer threw for 2,604 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions. He finished with a 57.5% completion rate, and he ran for two rushing touchdowns.

Moussa also had two games with 300+ passing yards. His first was a 374-yard performance against South Florida, though he threw three interceptions to just one touchdown. His second performance, however, was much better: in arguably his best statistical game of the season, Moussa threw for 325 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions, and completed 31 of 53 passing attempts against Southern. He'll have his work cut out for him against Howard, however, as the Bison rank first in the MEAC in pass defense and pass defense efficiency.

Moussa helped conduct the top offense in the SWAC as they averaged 30.7 points per game. The Rattlers were the top passing offense and finished in the top four of passing efficiency. The rushing attack finished in the middle of the SWAC, but running back Terrell Jennings was top-10 in total rushing yards and average yards per game. He also tied for second in rushing touchdowns with nine.

Not only did the Rattlers post incredible offensive numbers, but their defense routinely shut down opponents. The only time they allowed more than 30 points was in the 38-24 loss to South Florida. Their defense ranked first against both the run and the pass. They also led the conference in sacks (36) and were third in interceptions (14).

Moussa's counterpart, Isaiah Major, was the backbone of the SWAC's leading defense. He was the SWAC Defensive Player of the Year and was recently named as a BOXTOROW and FCS Football Central All-American. The Rattler linebacker finished the season with 100 total tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, and a fumble recovery. He was extremely effective against the pass as well, totaling five quarterback hits, three pass breakups, and an interception.

Major had a number of notable performances this season. He had five games with 10 or more tackles. His best statistical game probably came against Alabama State where he had 12 total tackles (11 solo), a tackle for loss, his lone interception, and a quarterback hit. His game against South Florida was also rather impressive. He posted 11 total tackles (9 solo), three tackles for loss, and two sacks.

Although Florida A&M has had a magical season, the Rattlers know they need to cap it off with a Celebration Bowl Championship. The past few seasons of Rattler football have gone well, this is their first season with more than nine wins. This iteration of the team has a golden opportunity to cement themselves in Florida A&M history. They've already done so, having defeated Prairie View A&M to secure the first SWAC title in school history, but they further embellish their legacy by winning their first Celebration Bowl.