Both teams in Friday’s Jacksonville State vs Kennesaw State game in college football have struggled to this point in the 2024 season. With one combined win between these teams, something has to give in this Conference USA contest. Below, you will find our top college football picks for this matchup, one in which Jacksonville State is a 15.5-point favorite going in.
Jacksonville State Hopes to Continue Turnaround
Jacksonville State is just 1-3 this season through non-conference play. They lost their first three games of the season to Coastal Carolina, Louisville, and Eastern Michigan. But the Gamecocks did get a win in their final game before conference play, defeating Southern Miss 44-7. Here, the Gamecocks will look to build on that result and get a second victory in a row.
The question for Jacksonville State going into this game will be whether their defense can get stops reliably without counting on turnovers to get them there. The Gamecocks forced six turnovers against a bad Southern Miss team in their last outing. But if they can’t take the ball away as often here, they will still need to find a way to get their defense off the field.
Kennesaw State Still Looking For First Win As FBS School
This season has not gone well for the Kennesaw State Owls, which was to be expected as they transition from being an FCS team to playing at the FBS level. Kennesaw State is 0-4 to start the year, with their most recent loss coming to an FCS opponent in Tennessee Martin. Having lost their best opportunity to get a win so far this season, the Owls will look to get a victory here, in their first conference game as a member of CUSA.
Whether or not the Owls can get their offense rolling will be the key to this Jacksonville State vs Kennesaw State matchup. The Owls have yet to score 17 or more points in a game this season. If that trend continues in this contest, the Owls could be staring down an 0-5 start, with the games unlikely to get much easier moving forward.
Jacksonville State vs Kennesaw State Prediction
The point spread in this Jacksonville State vs Kennesaw State matchup is massive, with the Owls entering as huge home underdogs. Rather than targeting a side in this game, though, we will take the under in this matchup. Both offenses have struggled mightily this year and we expect that trend to continue, especially on the Kennesaw State side.
