Bayou Classic is the historic gridiron rivalry between Grambling State University and Southern University, 
encompassing a weekend series of entertaining and socially enriching events each November in New Orleans, LA.

First held under that name “Bayou Classic” in 1974 at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans, the series itself actually began in 1932. 

It is the best known annual game and rivalry in historically black college or university (HBCU) football and was
nationally televised in the U.S. by NBC from 1991 to 2014. Beginning in 2015, it aired on the NBC Sports Network (NBCSN); and at the end of 2021, the Bayou Classic returned to NBC national broadcast. The Bayou Classic is the only National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Championship Subdivision game to be shown regularly on broadcast television. 

Of the many activities held in conjunction with the Bayou Classic, the most well-known and well-attended is the Battle of the Bands, where both universities’ marching bands—Grambling’s “World Famed” Tiger Marching Band and Southern’s Human Jukebox—perform. Following the Greek show, the two renowned bands stage elaborately choreographed performances on the Friday night before the game.