Bowl projections: Jacksonville State remains unanimous as Gamecocks return from bye

Still unanimous, Gamecock Nation — every projector has you playing in December.

Diehard Sports Network projects Jacksonville State to play Marshall in the New Orleans Bowl on Dec. 23 in New Orleans. All eight projectors have the Gamecocks in a bowl game for the second consecutive week. Five of eight project the New Orleans Bowl: Diehard, CBS Sports' Brad Crawford, SI.com's Bryan Fischer, ESPN's Kyle Bonagura and ESPN's Mark Schlabach. Jacksonville State is 5-2 overall, 3-0 in CUSA and one win from clinching bowl eligibility with five games remaining.

The Gamecocks return from a 15-day break Wednesday at New Mexico State (7 p.m. CT, ESPN2). Jacksonville State is a 3-point road favorite.

Where the bowl projections have Jacksonville State

Projector | Bowl | Date | TV | Matchup

Brett McMurphy (On3) | First Responder | Jan. 2 | ABC | Jax State vs. South Alabama

Brad Crawford (CBS Sports) | New Orleans | Dec. 23 | ESPN | Jax State vs. James Madison

Bryan Fischer (SI.com) | New Orleans | Dec. 23 | ESPN | Jax State vs. Louisiana Tech

Steven Lassan (Athlon Sports) | Cure | Dec. 22 | ESPN | Jax State vs. Western Michigan

Kyle Bonagura (ESPN) | New Orleans | Dec. 23 | ESPN | Jax State vs. App State

Mark Schlabach (ESPN) | New Orleans | Dec. 23 | ESPN | Jax State vs. James Madison

Pete Fiutak (CFN) | Myrtle Beach | Dec. 21 | ESPN | Jax State vs. Louisiana

Tim Stephens (Diehard) | New Orleans | Dec. 23 | ESPN | Jax State vs. Marshall

The New Orleans Bowl carries a CUSA vs. Sun Belt tie-in, and five of eight projectors have Jacksonville State as the CUSA representative. CBS Sports' Brad Crawford and ESPN's Mark Schlabach both project James Madison as the opponent. ESPN's Kyle Bonagura has App State. SI.com's Bryan Fischer has Louisiana Tech. Diehard has Marshall. The variation is on the Sun Belt side, not the CUSA side — the consensus is that Jacksonville State is headed to New Orleans if the Gamecocks hold serve in conference play. On3's Brett McMurphy is the most contrarian pick, projecting the First Responder Bowl in Dallas on Jan. 2 against South Alabama — an all-Alabama bowl matchup. Athlon Sports' Steven Lassan moved Jacksonville State from the New Orleans Bowl to the Cure Bowl in Orlando this week. College Football News' Pete Fiutak has the Myrtle Beach Bowl against Louisiana.

Where they stand

Jacksonville State is 3-0 in CUSA, tied with Liberty (3-0) atop the conference standings. Western Kentucky is 2-1. Everyone else has at least two league losses. The Gamecocks are 24-5 against CUSA opponents since joining the conference in 2023.

Jacksonville State's last game was a 27-24 win over FIU on Oct. 13, when kicker Garrison Rippa drilled a 26-yard field goal with 44 seconds left. Quarterback Caden Creel directed his sixth career game-winning drive.

Remaining schedule

Jacksonville State needs one win from five remaining games to clinch bowl eligibility.

• Oct. 28 — at New Mexico State (3-4, 2-1 CUSA) — Wed 7 PM CT, ESPN2
• Nov. 7 — Sam Houston (1-6, 0-3 CUSA)
• Nov. 14 — at WKU (3-4, 2-1 CUSA)
• Nov. 21 — Missouri State (2-4, 1-1 CUSA)
• Nov. 28 — at Delaware (2-4, 0-2 CUSA)

All five opponents have losing overall records. The WKU road game on Nov. 14 is the toughest remaining test — Western Kentucky is 3-4 overall but 2-1 in league play. New Mexico State is also 2-1 in conference after improving to 3-4 overall with a league win last week. Sam Houston, Missouri State and Delaware all enter the final month with losing records.