Grambling seeks share of SWAC West crown

• Advocate staff report
• Published: Nov 20, 2008 - UPDATED: 7:20 a.m.

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That win would also keep in play a scenario that could end with the division’s championship game representative being determined by a simultaneous, three-team coin flip.

Grambling (8-2, 5-0 Southwestern Athletic Conference) plays Texas Southern (4-6, 1-4) at 8 p.m. today at Delmar Stadium in Houston (on ESPNU).

Grambling has won the division five times this decade, including last season, when Grambling lost in the title game to Jackson State.

Jackson State has already clinched the Eastern Division crown.

If Grambling wins tonight, but falls to Southern in the Bayou Classic on Nov. 29, Grambling, Southern and Prairie View will finish tied at 6-1 in SWAC play — with all having a win and a loss against the other — to produce a trio of Western Division co-champions. In that case, a coin flip will determine the division’s representative in the SWAC title game.

The coin flip will take place Nov. 30 in New Orleans at a location to be announced, the SWAC announced Wednesday.

In the coin flip, representatives from the three schools — Grambling, Prairie View and Southern — would each flip a coin at the same time. The odd coin not matching the other two coins would be eliminated, and the head-to-head tiebreaker would then be applied to the remaining two teams.

Thus, for Southern to play in the SWAC Championship Game on Dec. 13 in Birmingham, Ala., the Jaguars need Grambling and SU to produce the same result with their flip.

For Prairie View to represent the division, the Panthers need SU and PV to produce the same result. And for Grambling to represent the division, the Tigers need Grambling and PV to produce the same result.

Grambling fell 33-28 in its last trip to play Texas Southern, in 2006.

TSU played its last game, a 58-44 loss to Mississippi Valley State on Nov. 8, without headline-grabbing quarterback Bobby Reid, the Oklahoma State transfer. Reid is out for the year with a knee injury, with fifth-year senior Cornelius Harmon taking over.

Harmon threw for 456 yards and four touchdowns (but four interceptions) against Valley.