The return of Florida A&M to the Orange Blossom Classic after a one-year hiatus also brings a new game date.
When the Rattlers play Howard to open the season in Miami, the matchup will be held on Saturday, Aug. 30 at 4 p.m.
That breaks from the previous four seasons, when the Orange Blossom Classic was played on Sunday and televised on ESPN and then ESPN2.
This year’s game will be televised on ESPNU with the hope of boosting ratings.
North Carolina Central’s 31-24 win over Alabama State in 2024 drew an average of 686,000 viewers on ESPN2.
That number was up from the 438,000 viewers who watched the 2023 game between Florida A&M and Jackson State, which was televised on ESPN.
“It’s an hour later than our usual time start,” Kendra Bulluck-Major, Executive Director of the Orange Blossom Classic, told HBCU Legends. “We’re still on linear TV, and we’ve got an hour later kick-off, we’re happy with it. The viewership is still good. I think we are the main thing is to have us in a time slot where we’re not competing against too many featured matchups. Coming on before LSU and Clemson is great.”
