Latest bowl projections for South Alabama, Troy, Jax State
We’re just a few days from finding out where South Alabama, Troy and Jacksonville State will go bowling in December.
Final bowl pairings will trickle out as the day goes along Sunday. You can find a complete schedule of all the bowls here.
Troy (10-2) still has one game left to play, the Sun Belt Conference championship game vs. Appalachian State (8-4) on Saturday. The Trojans are about a touchdown favorite in that game, but the outcome might have an impact on where they go bowling.
South Alabama is done with its regular season at 6-6. The Jaguars are in a bowl for just the fourth time in program history and the second straight year.
Jacksonville State (8-4) is also finished with its regular season, its first as an FBS program. The Gamecocks were not originally eligible for a bowl as a transition program, but grabbed a postseason berth because there were not enough 6-win teams to fill all 82 bowl slots.
We analyzed bowl projections from eight different college football websites (actually seven, because ESPN has two different projections) and compiled likely destinations for the Trojans, Gamecocks and Jaguars.
Troy seems most likely to go either to the New Orleans Bowl (Dec. 16) or the Birmingham Bowl (Dec. 23). Assuming both win their conference title games, a matchup with unbeaten CUSA champion Liberty would be particularly tasty. Seven of eight bowl projections have the Trojans meeting the Flames in one of those two bowls.
Because the Sun Belt has 12 bowl-eligible teams, South Alabama could slot in just about anywhere. However, it’s unlikely they’d slide past the 68 Ventures Bowl, which is played in their home stadium. Playing a game in Mobile would be appealing to both the Jaguars and bowl organizers, we’re told.
Jacksonville State is also a wild-card because the Gamecocks, along with James Madison, get slotted into the last bowl that needs a team. JSU is projected to go a number of different places and play many different teams, with the Famous Toastery Bowl in Charlotte, the New Orleans Bowl and a pairing with Arkansas State mentioned multiple times.
Here’s a look at all the projections, spreadsheet style:
TROY
Analyst | Bowl | Site | Date | Opponent |
---|---|---|---|---|
ESPN1 | Birmingham | Birmingham | Dec. 23 | Liberty |
ESPN2 | Birmingham | Birmingham | Dec. 23 | Liberty |
CBS | Myrtle Beach | Conway, S.C. | Dec. 16 | Toledo |
247 Sports | Birmingham | Birmingham | Dec. 23 | Liberty |
USA Today | New Orleans | New Orleans | Dec. 16 | Liberty |
Athlon | New Orleans | New Orleans | Dec. 16 | Liberty |
CFB News | New Orleans | New Orleans | Dec. 16 | Liberty |
The Athletic | Birmingham | Birmingham | Dec. 23 | Liberty |
SOUTH ALABAMA
Analyst | Bowl | Site | Date | Opponent |
---|---|---|---|---|
ESPN1 | Myrtle Beach | Conway, S.C. | Dec. 16 | Eastern Michigan |
ESPN2 | Camellia | Montgomery | Dec. 23 | Northern Illinois |
CBS | Gasparilla | Tampa, Fla. | Dec. 22 | Syracuse |
247 Sports | 68 Ventures | Mobile | Dec. 23 | Eastern Michigan |
USA Today | Birmingham | Birmingham | Dec. 23 | South Florida |
Athlon | Birmingham | Birmingham | Dec. 23 | Syracuse |
CFB News | 68 Ventures | Mobile | Dec. 23 | Miami (Ohio) |
The Athletic | 68 Ventures | Mobile | Dec. 23 | Eastern Michigan |
JAX STATE
Analyst | Bowl | Site | Date | Opponent |
---|---|---|---|---|
ESPN1 | Famous Toastery | Charlotte, N.C. | Dec. 18 | Miami (Ohio) |
ESPN2 | Cure | Orlando, Fla. | Dec. 16 | Appalachian State |
CBS | Famous Toastery | Charlotte, N.C. | Dec. 18 | Ohio |
247 Sports | New Orleans | New Orleans | Dec. 16 | Arkansas State |
USA Today | Myrtle Beach | Conway, S.C. | Dec. 16 | Georgia Southern |
Athlon | 68 Ventures | Mobile | Dec. 23 | Arkansas State |
CFB News | Camellia | Montgomery | Dec. 23 | Appalachian State |
The Athletic | New Orleans | New Orleans | Dec. 16 | Louisiana |