FCS conference belt
The SWAC Belt
A companion lineage restricted to SWAC: the belt passes to whoever beats the holder, exactly like the real belt, but only games between two SWAC members COUNT — and only for the seasons both sides were actually in SWAC at the time. Caught it by beating Mississippi Valley State on October 17, 2026. Defended it 1 more time since.
Next SWAC gameBethune-Cookman at Arkansas-Pine Bluff · October 31, 2026 · SWAC TV — Arkansas-Pine Bluff takes it with a win.
39Reigns
164Belt Games
12Programs
Longest Reign
Grambling — 1 yr, 363 days
October 1, 2016 – September 29, 2018
Most Defenses, One Reign
Grambling — 17
starting October 1, 2016
Most Reigns, All-Time
Alcorn State — 7 separate reigns
12 SWAC programs have held it
| # | Team | Reign | Length | Def. | Won it | Lost it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grambling | September 10, 1977 – November 19, 1977 | 70 days | 5 | Established it (first game on record) | — belt retired — |
| 2 | Grambling | September 1, 2007 – November 24, 2007 | 84 days | 7 | Re-established it (no SWAC games on record between 1977 and 2007) | lost to Southern |
| 3 | Southern | November 24, 2007 – October 25, 2008 | 336 days | 4 | beat Grambling 22–13 | lost to Prairie View A&M |
| 4 | Prairie View A&M | October 25, 2008 – September 18, 2010 | 1 yr, 328 days | 11 | beat Southern 24–23 | lost to Alabama State |
| 5 | Alabama State | September 18, 2010 – September 25, 2010 | 7 days | 0 | beat Prairie View A&M 18–15 | lost to Alcorn State |
| 6 | Alcorn State | September 25, 2010 – October 9, 2010 | 14 days | 0 | beat Alabama State 41–21 | lost to Texas Southern |
| 7 | Texas Southern | October 9, 2010 – September 11, 2011 | 337 days | 4 | beat Alcorn State 30–20 | lost to Prairie View A&M |
| 8 | Prairie View A&M | September 11, 2011 – September 17, 2011 | 6 days | 0 | beat Texas Southern 37–34 | lost to Arkansas-Pine Bluff |
| 9 | Arkansas-Pine Bluff | September 17, 2011 – October 1, 2011 | 14 days | 0 | beat Prairie View A&M 36–29 | lost to Alabama A&M |
| 10 | Alabama A&M | October 1, 2011 – November 12, 2011 | 42 days | 4 | beat Arkansas-Pine Bluff 28–27 | lost to Jackson State |
| 11 | Jackson State | November 12, 2011 – September 22, 2012 | 315 days | 2 | beat Alabama A&M 34–6 | lost to Southern |
| 12 | Southern | September 22, 2012 – October 6, 2012 | 14 days | 0 | beat Jackson State 28–21 | lost to Alcorn State |
| 13 | Alcorn State | October 6, 2012 – October 20, 2012 | 14 days | 1 | beat Southern 20–17 | lost to Prairie View A&M |
| 14 | Prairie View A&M | October 20, 2012 – November 3, 2012 | 14 days | 1 | beat Alcorn State 52–37 | lost to Alabama State |
| 15 | Alabama State | November 3, 2012 – September 7, 2013 | 308 days | 1 | beat Prairie View A&M 35–21 | lost to Jackson State |
| 16 | Jackson State | September 7, 2013 – November 16, 2013 | 70 days | 6 | beat Alabama State 30–23 | lost to Alcorn State |
| 17 | Alcorn State | November 16, 2013 – October 11, 2014 | 329 days | 3 | beat Jackson State 48–33 | lost to Grambling |
| 18 | Grambling | October 11, 2014 – November 15, 2014 | 35 days | 3 | beat Alcorn State 28–21 | lost to Alabama State |
| 19 | Alabama State | November 15, 2014 – September 12, 2015 | 301 days | 0 | beat Grambling 37–23 | lost to Alcorn State |
| 20 | Alcorn State | September 12, 2015 – November 7, 2015 | 56 days | 3 | beat Alabama State 31–14 | lost to Prairie View A&M |
| 21 | Prairie View A&M | November 7, 2015 – October 1, 2016 | 329 days | 5 | beat Alcorn State 40–34 | lost to Grambling |
| 22 | Grambling | October 1, 2016 – September 29, 2018 | 1 yr, 363 days | 17 | beat Prairie View A&M 36–16 | lost to Prairie View A&M |
| 23 | Prairie View A&M | September 29, 2018 – October 13, 2018 | 14 days | 0 | beat Grambling 22–16 | lost to Southern |
| 24 | Southern | October 13, 2018 – December 1, 2018 | 49 days | 4 | beat Prairie View A&M 38–0 | lost to Alcorn State |
| 25 | Alcorn State | December 1, 2018 – November 9, 2019 | 343 days | 4 | beat Southern 37–28 | lost to Grambling |
| 26 | Grambling | November 9, 2019 – November 30, 2019 | 21 days | 1 | beat Alcorn State 19–16 | lost to Southern |
| 27 | Southern | November 30, 2019 – December 7, 2019 | 7 days | 0 | beat Grambling 30–28 | lost to Alcorn State |
| 28 | Alcorn State | December 7, 2019 – October 30, 2021 | 1 yr, 327 days | 4 | beat Southern 39–24 | lost to Southern |
| 29 | Southern | October 30, 2021 – November 6, 2021 | 7 days | 0 | beat Alcorn State 38–35 | lost to Florida A&M |
| 30 | Florida A&M | November 6, 2021 – September 4, 2022 | 302 days | 2 | beat Southern 29–17 | lost to Jackson State |
| 31 | Jackson State | September 4, 2022 – September 3, 2023 | 364 days | 9 | beat Florida A&M 59–3 | lost to Florida A&M |
| 32 | Florida A&M | September 3, 2023 – October 19, 2024 | 1 yr, 46 days | 9 | beat Jackson State 28–10 | lost to Jackson State |
| 33 | Jackson State | October 19, 2024 – October 25, 2025 | 1 yr, 6 days | 9 | beat Florida A&M 35–21 | lost to Grambling |
| 34 | Grambling | October 25, 2025 – November 15, 2025 | 21 days | 2 | beat Jackson State 26–24 | lost to Alcorn State |
| 35 | Alcorn State | November 15, 2025 – November 22, 2025 | 7 days | 0 | beat Grambling 27–16 | lost to Jackson State |
| 36 | Jackson State | November 22, 2025 – December 6, 2025 | 14 days | 0 | beat Alcorn State 27–21 | lost to Prairie View A&M |
| 37 | Prairie View A&M | December 6, 2025 – October 3, 2026 | 301 days | 2 | beat Jackson State 23–21 | lost to Mississippi Valley State |
| 38 | Mississippi Valley State | October 3, 2026 – October 17, 2026 | 14 days | 1 | beat Prairie View A&M 28–27 | lost to Bethune-Cookman |
| 39 | Bethune-Cookman | October 17, 2026 – Present | 14 days | 1 | beat Mississippi Valley State 34–14 | — present — |
No reigns match “.”
Membership is judged season by season from every game a team played, so realignment moves a team’s games with it. A holder that stays in SWAC keeps the belt through any stretch without a game against another member; a holder that leaves vacates the belt on its last game as a member, and it reverts to the most recent earlier holder that is a member of the season it left for. If no one is left to inherit it, the belt retires with its last holder. Days count the offseason; switch to games to measure a reign by belt games only.