The Kennesaw State Owls take on the Jacksonville State Gamecocks in Jacksonville, Alabama. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network.
Kennesaw State is favored by 2.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -135. The total is set at 59.5 points.
Here’s my Kennesaw State vs. Jacksonville State prediction and college football picks for Friday, December 5.
Kennesaw State vs Jacksonville State Prediction
• Kennesaw State vs. Jacksonville State Pick: Jacksonville State 1H TT Over 13.5
My Jacksonville State vs. Kennesaw State best bet is on the Gamecocks' 1H team total. Find the best line available on our live NCAAF odds page.
Kennesaw State vs Jacksonville State Odds
| Kennesaw State Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-2.5 -110 | 59.5 -110o / -110u | -135 |
| Jacksonville State Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+2.5 -110 | 59.5 -110o / -110u | +114 |
- Kennesaw State vs Jacksonville State point spread: Kennesaw State -2.5 (-110), Jacksonville State +2.5 (-110)
- Kennesaw State vs Jacksonville State over/under: 59.5 (-110o / -110u)
- Kennesaw State vs Jacksonville State moneyline: Kennesaw State -135, Jacksonville State +114
Kennesaw State vs Jacksonville State Preview
Kennesaw State Owls Betting Preview: A Team Exceeding All Expectations
From projected to finish near the bottom of the FBS to winning nine of its last ten games, Kennesaw State certainly makes the short list of college football surprises.
Year 1 of Jerry Mack – firing Brian Bohannon was a move surrounded by controversy and doubt to begin with – has been an unabashed success. The Owls finished the regular season 9-3.
The three losses on their schedule include a one-point defeat to Wake Forest (better than expected), at undefeated No. 2 Indiana, and a Week 12 game at Jacksonville State that went sideways. Kennesaw State turned the ball over four times in that final loss and benched quarterback Amari Odom after his third interception.
But since then, Odom has thrown nine touchdown passes with no interceptions in just two games (Missouri State, Liberty); he also rushed for two more.
In college football, games get away from teams, and that doesn’t change the makeup of that team. Kennesaw State is a textbook example to take with you.
Currently, Mack’s name is associated with a few openings, like Coastal Carolina and James Madison. But with a massive opportunity ahead and the season-long focus on culture in Kennesaw, don’t hedge against Mack.
The offense goes as Odom goes. Fortunately for the Owls, Odom has been sensational after taking over in Week 4.
For running an up-tempo and explosive offense, Kennesaw State’s defense is solid, especially against the run. The Owls rank 42nd nationally in Rush Success Rate allowed.
EDGE duo Elijah Hill and Donovan Westmoreland are among Conference USA’s best, combining for 15 sacks. They also open up opportunities for defensive tackle Tylon Dunlap, who has six sacks of his own. It’s an aggressive trio that gets home, but also whiffs on tackles and gives up the edge on occasion.
Few teams in the country have a better Net EPA than Kennesaw State in the first quarter. It’s a team that jumps on opponents fast and builds early leads, then rides those leads to victory.
Context is needed for Kennesaw, though, who drew four of the bottom five teams in CUSA and seven opponents ranked 90th nationally or worse in points per drive.
Jacksonville State Gamecocks Betting Preview: A Home-Dominant Force
Nobody walks into AmFirst Stadium and leaves with a win.
Of 11 opponents to try since the start of last season, only one came away with a win (Coastal Carolina in last year’s opener). Of the 13 Conference USA opponents to play in Jacksonville, only one has stolen a victory since the Gamecocks transitioned to the FBS (Liberty in 2023).
Perhaps it’s voodoo magic, but Jacksonville State has been downright impossible to beat at home again this year. The Gamecocks are 5-0 against the spread with four outright upsets – that includes every FBS visitor. Perhaps we should stop lining Jacksonville State as a home underdog.
Since 2015, Jacksonville State is 51-12 at home outright – among the best marks in the nation.
Like this weekend’s championship opponent, Jacksonville State made an early change at quarterback and has been better for it.
Redshirt freshman Caden Creel has been excellent this season and fits the offense better than Rutgers and Kentucky transfer Gavin Wimsatt (to Wimsatt’s credit, he was only replaced due to injury at the start).
Credit to head coach Charles Kelly, who saw the success with a dynamic run game under Rich Rodriguez and decided to continue it this season. TCU transfer Cam Cook is sensational, finishing the regular season with more rushing yards than anyone else in the FBS (1,574, plus 15 touchdowns).
Cook and his ability to open up lanes for Creel, thanks to over-commitments from second-level defenders, have helped create one of the country’s most explosive rushing attacks.
I highlighted this player last week, and he delivered again: 6-foot-8 redshirt sophomore Deondre Johnson. The ultimate deep threat (29.5 yards per reception) caught five more passes for 122 yards and another long score. His 22-yard touchdown reception against Western Kentucky was Johnson’s shortest on the season.
Jacksonville State’s explosive tendencies on offense have gotten games off to blistering paces before they settle in. Because the Gamecocks have the big-play weapons like Cook and Johnson, they’re usually better in these frenetic first halves than in the methodical second halves.
Since conference play opened, opponents have only beaten Jacksonville State when Jacksonville State beats itself. FIU managed to capitalize on a pair of late turnovers and benefited from an early missed field goal, plus the Gamecocks going 1-for-4 on fourth down.
Kelly’s team doesn’t often beat itself, highlighted in a 7-1 run since October started. It’s a top-25 team in fewest turnovers and a top-50 team in penalties.
Kennesaw State vs Jacksonville State Pick, Betting Analysis
In conference championship week, beware the situation where TEAM A beat TEAM B recently, but TEAM B is favored and takes money in the championship game.
For evidence of that, look no further than Jacksonville State last year. The Gamecocks lost to Western Kentucky, 19-17, then were favored by 4.5 points in the CUSA championship next week and blasted WKU, 52-12.
In this instance, Kennesaw State lost Week 12's matchup, where it was minus-3 in turnovers, and now enters as a 2.5-point favorite in this game.
Less than two hours separate these schools, making it one of the most regional matchups in the entire country. I’d expect a healthy dose of Kennesaw State fans to make the trip.
Industry aggregate power ratings favor Kennesaw by 1.5 points in this game, but given conference championship weekend trends highlighted above, I’m not backing Jacksonville State with the number this week.
Rather, I’ll back the Gamecocks at home early on.
In the first halves at home this year, Jacksonville State’s offense scored 17, 24, 21, 22, and 24 points. Having superior talent in the backfield and out wide helped them get off to consistently hot starts.
Though slightly so, Kennesaw State’s defense has fared worse on the road than at home and against worse offenses.
The Owls’ defensive front gets pushed off the ball and is a poor tackling unit, relying on the second level to clean up. Cook influences the second level so strongly that Creel averages nearly three yards before contact per game.
Creel is also a player who can make the first defender miss. Against Kennesaw the first time, he forced nine missed tackles – both a testament to his shiftiness and Kennesaw’s poor tackling.
This is a defense that’s vulnerable to a strong rushing attack and allowed 22 to Jacksonville State in the first half last time, despite chewing away the entire first quarter with just three drives. All three of Jacksonville State’s scoring drives that game came from 60-plus yards out.
I’m wary of Kennesaw State being favored here (and remaining so in the early week), but I also want to take advantage of Jacksonville State’s incredible home record.
I expect early explosives from Cook, Johnson, and Creel.
Pick: Jacksonville State First Half Over 13.5 Points
Kennesaw State vs Jacksonville State Betting Trends
