At the end of the regular season, Division I HBCU football teams have four options: go home, play in the SWAC championship, play in the FCS playoffs or play in the Celebration Bowl. The latter of said options is the best option for HBCUs, but HBCU fans and general football fanatics continue to root for HBCU football's best teams to play in the playoffs over the Celebration Bowl. Here are three reasons why that line of thinking is ridiculous for anyone rooting for the best interests of the best teams in HBCU football.

Money isn't always the answer, but in the case of the best HBCUs playing in the Celebration Bowl, it's one of the answers to why fans should root for it.

The Celebration Bowl pays out $2 million — $1 million to the MEAC and SWAC — regardless of which team wins or loses. Meanwhile, to play in the FCS playoffs, HBCUs would have to either bid for a home game, paying a sum of money to host the game, or pick up the travel costs to play road games. For HBCUs primarily located in the South or on the East Coast, that could mean a potential chartered flight to the northwest to play a Big Sky or Missouri Valley Football Conference school after advancing beyond the regionalization of the first and second round.

Why would anyone root to pay costs of a road football game over a guaranteed payout from a football game, especially given the historical underfunding of HBCUs? It doesn't make sense.

The Celebration Bowl has developed into an all-encompassing event for HBCUs, even extending beyond HBCUs into the larger Black culture sphere. The Celebration Bowl is known for its football game, but off the field, the game puts on numerous events in the community. That's proven as attendance numbers have grown in each of the last four Celebration Bowls. 

Meanwhile, if the best HBCU teams didn't play in the Celebration Bowl, the community impact of a postseason game could fall entirely on the school itself rather than having the known assistance of an external institution/organization. While self-reliance is important, fans should root for the best HBCU team each year to play where it receives the most support?

The best HBCU team could play in the FCS playoffs and try to compete to be the best team in the FCS. Or, it can compete in the Celebration Bowl to arguably become the best team in HBCU football.

The former option sounds enticing when taken for face value. Who wouldn't want to be the best team in an entire division of football? Yet, considering the historical records of HBCUs in the FCS playoffs — 6-31 and 0-20 records for MEAC and SWAC schools, respectively — being the best team in the FCS looks like a reach.

In contrast, the Celebration Bowl creates an opportunity for MEAC and SWAC schools to earn a claim as the best HBCU football program. When the MEAC and SWAC champions play on the field, it helps narrow debate for a Black College Football National Champion that would exist if the two champions didn't play each other because they played in the playoffs instead. 

There will always be the potential for a case like 2021 Florida A&M or non-HBCU conference teams like North Carolina A&T University, Tennessee State University or Hampton University claiming the title of Black College Football National Champion. Yet, sending the best HBCU teams to the Celebration Bowl still narrows potential doubts of the credibility of one true champion, which is better for teams, players and fans in the long run.