The Celebration Bowl thus serves as a de facto black college football national championship.
Howard entered the game with a 6–5 record, 4–1 in conference play and tied with North Carolina Central atop MEAC standings.
Howard qualified for the Celebration Bowl due to their regular-season win over North Carolina Central.
The Rattlers then defeated Prairie View A&M in the 2023 SWAC Football Championship Game, contested on December 2, qualifying them for the Celebration Bowl.
Florida A&M's 30–26 victory marked only the second win by a SWAC team in the Celebration Bowl, the first having been by Grambling State in the 2016 edition.