- FAMU students are confident in football's chances to win the 2023 Celebration Bowl in Atlanta over Howard University.
- It would be FAMU's first national championship of any kind since 1978.
- Watch now to hear from students on how they expect to spend the weekend.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Football on the "highest of seven hills" has one more to climb.
I'm Alberto Camargo in the Collegetown neighborhood.
It's finals week on campus and fall graduation on Friday, but it's all leading up to Saturday's Celebration Bowl, where Florida A&M can crown itself on a national stage.
I spent the day finding students who could tell me how Rattlers are feeling ahead of the big game.
"Strike, strike and strike again!"
Dennis Gresham-Chappelle is one of the many confident students I spoke to. He says it's not a matter of if, but when...as in, when do the national champion t-shirts go on sale?
"We know we're going to win. It's not a debate. It's just about, you know, where we're going to party after."
FAMU Coach Willie Simmons wasn't willing to go that far, but earlier this week he did say the Celebration Bowl is a platform for FAMU to shine.
"Everything that makes FAMU the greatest HBCU in the country, we get to put it on display."
Elam Richardson tells me a win in Atlanta -- with FAMU's strong connection to the city -- could even swing students in that area towards FAMU.
That's what happened to him, after all.
"I'm from Atlanta and the reason why I came here was because of the strong alumni base in Atlanta. Atlanta is Rattler City as far as I'm concerned."
Richardson is also a resident assistant at Polkinghorne Village. He says there will be just as much support back home as there will be in Atlanta.
"We might stream the game on the TV here. So you always feel like you're a part of the culture, a part of what's happening, even when you're not exactly present."
After an early morning practice Wednesday, the Rattlers will make their way up to Atlanta ahead of Saturday's showdown.
In Collegetown, Alberto Camargo, ABC27.
