Bowl projections: South Alabama drops off four boards as two-game skid raises the stakes

The margin just got thinner, Jaguar Nation — but the path is still there.

Diehard Sports Network projects South Alabama to play Miami (Ohio) in the Salute to Veterans Bowl on Dec. 15 in Montgomery — 170 miles from Mobile and one of two games kicking off the bowl season. Four of eight projectors have the Jaguars in a bowl, down from eight a week ago. On3's Brett McMurphy, CBS Sports' Brad Crawford and SI.com's Bryan Fischer join Diehard in keeping South Alabama on their boards. Athlon Sports' Steven Lassan, ESPN's Kyle Bonagura, ESPN's Mark Schlabach and College Football News' Pete Fiutak all dropped the Jaguars this week. South Alabama is 4-4 overall, 2-2 in the Sun Belt and two wins from bowl eligibility with four games remaining.

Two weeks ago, the Jaguars looked safely on their way to making a bowl game. Then came a road loss at Marshall followed by a home loss to Louisiana Tech, and the pressure ramps up considerably.

Where the bowl projections have South Alabama

Projector | Bowl | Date | TV | Matchup

Brett McMurphy (On3) | Frisco Classic | Dec. 15 | ESPN | South Alabama vs. Jacksonville State

Brad Crawford (CBS Sports) | Puerto Rico | Dec. 22 | ESPN | South Alabama vs. UMass

Bryan Fischer (SI.com) | San Juan | Dec. 16 | ESPN | South Alabama vs. Boston College

Steven Lassan (Athlon Sports) | — | — | — | Not projected

Kyle Bonagura (ESPN) | — | — | — | Not projected

Mark Schlabach (ESPN) | — | — | — | Not projected

Pete Fiutak (CFN) | — | — | — | Not projected

Tim Stephens (Diehard) | Salute to Veterans | Dec. 15 | ESPN | South Alabama vs. Miami (Ohio)

Four different bowls across four projectors — no two agree on the destination. On3's Brett McMurphy projects the Frisco Classic against Jacksonville State on Dec. 15, an all-Alabama matchup. CBS Sports' Brad Crawford has the Puerto Rico Bowl against UMass. SI.com's Bryan Fischer projects the TransPerfect San Juan Bowl against Boston College on Dec. 16, which would give South Alabama a Power 4 opponent in the Sun Belt's most lucrative new bowl deal. Diehard projects the Salute to Veterans Bowl in Montgomery.

Where they stand

South Alabama is 2-2 in the Sun Belt after consecutive losses to Marshall and Louisiana Tech. Louisiana Tech leads the Sun Belt West at 4-0. Louisiana, Troy, Arkansas State and Southern Miss are all 2-2 alongside the Jaguars — a five-way tie in the West behind the division leader.

Remaining schedule

South Alabama needs two wins from four remaining games to reach bowl eligibility.

• Nov. 7 — at Louisiana (5-3, 2-2 Sun Belt)
• Nov. 14 — Troy (4-4, 2-2 Sun Belt)
• Nov. 21 — at Southern Miss (3-5, 2-2 Sun Belt)
• Nov. 27 — App State (5-3, 2-2 Sun Belt)

All four opponents are fighting for something. Louisiana is 5-3 and looking to stay in the upper half of the Sun Belt. Troy needs wins to reach bowl eligibility. Southern Miss is 3-5 but has won two straight and is improving as the season progresses. App State is 5-3 and needs one more win to clinch eligibility. This team appears significantly improved from last season's 4-8 squad, but there is work to do to ensure the improvement shows up on the final record.