Underdog Showdown: Troy and Jacksonville State Clash in High-Stakes Bowl Battle

Ever wondered if the dazzlingly quirky names of bowl games are really worth the marketing bucks behind them? Yeah, me too—I’ve got a Master’s in marketing and some hands-on experience sizing up sponsorship deals, so it’s a question that’s nagged at me through countless kickoff weekends. But hey, call me old-fashioned, you probably just want to see who’s walking away victorious in this IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl showdown between Troy and Jacksonville State, kicking off at 9:00 ET. Both teams pitched solid seasons—Troy with an 8-5 record and a scrappy vibe, Jacksonville State matching that record but showing intriguing consistency. And while the naming rights might keep marketers busy crunching numbers, I’m putting my chips on Troy, who, despite some hiccups, have the home-field edge in Alabama. Curious about the nitty-gritty and what might tip the scales? LEARN MORE.

Troy vs. Jacksonville State, 9:00 ET

Bowl Games always have the most interesting names to me. I have a Master’s Degree in marketing, and I have been involved in evaluating sponsorship opportunities for jobs in the past. I have always wondered exactly what the benefit is of naming a Bowl Game. I wonder how much is received out of that. I’m sure each business gets a certain amount of tickets, or they have a wide range of benefits they get with the naming rights, but I just always wonder what the true value vs. the cost is for them. Oh well, I suppose you probably don’t care what it is named, you just want a win in this IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl between Troy and Jacksonville State.

Troy is not only a great name, but a school that had a decent campaign, ending the season with an 8-5 record. They finished first in the Sun Belt West conference and faced James Madison for the outright title. As you are probably aware, James Madison made it to the College Football Playoffs. That has caused a bit of drama, and I could be wrong, but I don’t think Troy would’ve taken their place had they upset James Madison. This is a bit of a scrapy team, though. Yes, they had five losses, and some of them are really questionable, but some were not bad. They lost to Clemson 27-16 early in the year when Clemson was still considered a good team. Then they hosted Memphis, and this one was a headscratcher as they lost 28-7. They dropped games against Arkansas State and Old Dominion in the middle of November. The Old Dominion one was particularly ugly as they lost 33-0. It was a competitive game against Troy, they were down 17-14 at halftime, but in the fourth quarter, James Madison finally broke it open and won 31-14. That final nail was a fumble recovery for a touchdown.

Jacksonville State had an identical record to Troy this year, but again, not as cool of a name. They were much more consistent, in my opinion. They lost the season opener 17-10 at UCF, then beat Liberty, then lost to Georgia Southern, beat Murray State, and then lost to Southern Miss. Those three losses all had one thing in common: they were all road games. Two of them were just seven–point losses, but the loss to Southern Miss was by 17. After that, the Gamecocks ran off five straight wins, and three of those games were on the road, so some of those woes should be behind them. They then lost against Florida International, another touchdown loss. Their final loss was against Kennesaw State, where they dropped the Conference USA Championship 19-15. They couldn’t get anything going in the passing game, mustering just 91 yards against a team they beat earlier in the season.

As with any bowl game, you need to account for who is not going to be playing at least as much, if not more, than who will be playing. Jacksonville State may be missing their second leading receiver and one of their running backs, but he isn’t their leading rusher or anything. While Troy has been inconsistent, I do think they are the better team. They are also really the home team, given that this game is in Alabama. I’m going to back them at -1.5.

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