Since the was conceptualized in 1974, more than 960,000 fans have attended the annual gridiron battle. The largest recorded attendance that poured through the dome was in 1974 (76,753), while the smallest attendance was in 2006 (47,136). At the first meeting between the two schools dating back to 1932 Southern won that first battle by a score of 20-0. But, in the first ever “Bayou Classic” played in 1974 at in front of 76,753 fans, Grambling beat Southern by a score of 21-0. Grambling went on to defeat the Jaguars four more times before losing their first Bayou Classic game in 1979 by a score of 14-7. leads the series 17-16, and Southern posted an eight-game winning streak that ended in 2001 (the longest in the Bayou Classic Series).

In 1991 the Bayou Classic rose to great prominence when NBC became the first network to telecast the contest live to a national audience. In 1996, as a part of its ongoing commitment to education, State Farm Insurance became the first title sponsor of the Bayou Classic. State Farm’s sponsorship benefits students directly, with funds equally divided for student assistance programs at both Southern University and Grambling State University.

In 2005 for the first time since the inception of the game the Bayou Classic was not played in the city of . The game was moved to the State of due to the damage of the Superdome caused by in August of 2005. The game between Southern University and Grambling State was played in the Reliant Stadium.

With the game’s expansion over the years from to the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, La, the State Farm Bayou Classic, includes over 200,000 fans that descend upon the city to take part in the festivities, which pumps more than $40 million into the New Orleans economy, annually. From the excitement of a sensational football competition, Battle of the Bands, and the Gospel brunch, the event seeks to serve each and everyone in attendance, while assisting future graduates of higher education in locating postgraduate work via the State Farm Bayou Classic Job Fair.

The State Farm Bayou Classic is one of the top five bowl games in the U.S.A. that has been televised by NBC. And besides pumping an expected $40 million into the New Orleans economy, the Classic kicks off a busy tourism season culminating with the .