Jacksonville State’s bowl matchup will feature a contest between two conference champions.

Jax State will face off against Ohio in the StaffDNA Cure Bowl on Friday, Dec. 20, game officials announced on Sunday.

The Cure Bowl is set for an 11 a.m. Central kickoff at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla. and will be broadcast on ESPN. This will be the first meeting between the two programs.

Jax State is 9-4 this season and clinched the Conference USA championship with a 52-12 rout of Western Kentucky on Friday.

Ohio is 10-3 this season after a 38-3 win against Miami-Ohio in the Mid-American Conference championship game on Saturday.

Head coach Tim Albin has posted a 32–19 record with the Bobcats across four seasons, jumping from 3-9 in his first season to 10-4 in his second and 10-3 in his third; he also spent three seasons at Northwestern Oklahoma State, leading the program to an NAIA title in 1999.

Last season’s edition of the Cure Bowl saw Appalachian State beat Miami-Ohio in a 13-9 win for the Mountaineers.

Jax State has gone to back-to-back bowls since transitioning to the FBS ranks, beating Louisiana 34-31 in overtime in last year’s New Orleans Bowl.

This marks Ohio’s third straight bowl appearance, winning the 2022 Arizona Bowl against Wyoming (30-27) and 2023 Myrtle Beach Bowl against Georgia Southern (41-21).

Jax State is one of three in-state teams playing in a postseason game, along with Alabama and South Alabama.