The New Orleans Convention Company today confirmed that State Farm Insurance will end its long run as the title sponsor of the annual Bayou Classic. The most recognizable brand in black college football now seeks a new sponsor that will sweeten the pot to continue its run on network television, and its pipeline of funding to Grambling State and Southern.

You can’t blame State Farm for the split; attendance at the game has been up and down for more than 10 years, Southern football has yet to hit its competitive peak under Stump Mitchell, and the most alluring part of the game – the halftime show – is often cut short by NBC Sports to the home viewing audience.

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