Mark Edwards: Stakes rise for JSU in football opener

Aug. 25—Remember how much fun last season's opener was for Jacksonville State?

JSU bludgeoned nationally ranked Stephen F. Austin so badly that every other football team in the ASUN Conference felt it. The Gamecocks were picked fourth out of six teams in the league's preseason poll, but after kicking SFA 42-17 in Montgomery's FCS Kickoff Classic, nobody else wanted a piece of their action.

It's like everyone went "Holy Cow!" and opposing athletics directors were on the phone to the ASUN league office before JSU even returned home, demanding that Something Must Be Done.

Suddenly, JSU was declared ineligible for the official ASUN championship. The official reason: as a school in transition from FCS to FBS, the Gamecocks were allowed to award more scholarships than the typical FCS school.

Even so, JSU roared through the rest of the league to win its own unofficial championship. What a fun story to cover, even if the Gamecocks didn't get the official trophy.

Rich Rodriguez's team faces a similar situation this year. Conference USA — the Gamecocks' new league — has picked them seventh out of nine teams in the preseason poll. They'll have a chance to persuade the doubters, though. Their season-opener is Saturday when most of the rest of the country is off. If JSU comes out hot again, plenty of people will see it.

Still, this is different. This is FBS, not FCS, and although JSU has beaten FBS teams in the past (Florida International in 2020 and Florida State in 2021), it's hard to play teams on this level week after week.

The Gamecocks are playing their first season in Conference USA. JSU athletics director Greg Seitz says the Gamecocks are not eligible this year for the C-USA championship game but they are eligible for the regular-season conference championship. At least the league made that clear from the start instead of waiting until after the season-opener.

JSU got another taste of the FBS last year when the Gamecocks traveled to Tulsa.

They lost 40-17, and it was not closer than the score indicated. It was clear that Rich Rod's program needed to improve — and fast — to compete for first place in the league right away.

"I don't know if we're big enough, deep enough, fast enough to win a conference title or to be that good out of the gates," Rodriguez said this week.

They don't have a ton of older players. They could use more depth on the defensive front and in the defensive backfield. They're a bit short at receiver, too.

JSU is solid at running back, quarterback and linebacker. The kicker, Alan Karajic, is good, too.

"I think there's pressure no matter what level you're at or what the circumstances are because that's the biggest thing, particularly about college athletics," Rodriguez said. "A lot of times you're judged on wins and losses, even though it's more than that."

This year, JSU needs to be competitive, and it's hard to believe that with this coaching staff it wouldn't be. They've prepared for this, and the Gamecocks have a chance to reach other goals, although winning another "unofficial" conference championship might be a bit of a reach.

(How fun would it be if they did that again, though?)

They still have a chance at a bowl game. As a school in transition, they're not eligible for an initial bowl invitation. But there are 42 bowl games, which requires at least 84 FBS teams with at least six wins each and a record of .500 or better. If there aren't enough teams that meet those requirements, a bowl game would be allowed to give JSU a call — if the Gamecocks have six or more wins and a record of .500 or better.

Still, Division I athletics are about winning, and it would greatly help the Gamecocks' adjustment to the FBS if they can win Saturday.

They're at home, and according to that preseason poll, this is a fairly tight matchup. While JSU was picked seventh, Texas-El Paso was sixth.

It would help if the Gamecocks look competitive. It would help a whole lot more if they win.

Vegas has JSU a 1.5-point underdog. I've always been told that if the home team in an FBS matchup is an underdog by two or fewer points, pick the home team. I'll do that in this case.

I learned my lesson last year. Don't underestimate Rich Rod's team in an opener.

Senior Editor Mark Edwards: 256-235-3570. On Twitter: @MarkSportsStar.