Jax State Wku — Jacksonville State celebrates during its win over Western Kentucky (Jax State Athletics)

When Rich Rodriguez left Jacksonville State after the 2024 season, there were some concerns that the Gamecocks success at the FBS level would be short-lived.

However, Jax State has gotten rid of those doubts during Charles Kelly’s first season at the helm of the program.

A short field goal by Garrison Rippa as time expired gave the Gamecocks a 37-34 win over Western Kentucky over the weekend, not just securing the team’s spot in the Conference USA title game but also securing hosting rights for the championship.

Here’s what you need to know:

Who: Kennesaw State Owls at Jacksonville State Gamecocks
When: 6PM | Friday, Dec. 5
Where: Burgess-Snow Field at AmFirst Stadium | Jacksonville, AL
Watch: CBS Sports Network
Tickets

Conference USA Championship

The Gamecocks are looking to become the fourth team ever to win consecutive C-USA title games. The others currently on the list include:

East Carolina (2008-09)
Western Kentucky (2015-16)
UTSA (2021-22)

Jax State finished 7-1 in conference play, sitting with an 8-4 overall record after the regular season. The Gamecocks get to host this week because of its tiebreaker over Kennesaw State, beating the Owls 35-26 less than three weeks ago.

Jacksonville State has won 25 conference championships during the program’s history, 14 of them at the Division II level and 10 of them at the FCS level.