Would you believe me if I told you the Conference USA champion has a chance at reaching the College Football Playoff? Do not entirely rule out the 9-3 Kennesaw State Owls. A reasonable upset in the ACC title game and a surprising one in the Sun Belt would be needed, as well as the short favorite winning in the Mountain West, but that all qualifies as a chance.
Of course, the Jacksonville State Gamecocks would first have a say in this thought, but their first one against the Owls came in some part due to a fluke ending in the first half. Doubting that happening again makes sense.
My Kennesaw State vs. Jacksonville State predictions and college football picks will not jump into the fray of those Playoff possibilities, but a shootout should also favor the Owls’ more balanced offense at kickoff at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, December 5.
Kennesaw State vs Jacksonville State predictions for the C-USA Championship
Who will win the C-USA Championship?
Jacksonville State won, 35-26, three weeks ago, but focus on the end of that first half. Driving in the final minute before halftime, Kennesaw State quarterback Amari Odom threw his second interception of the day. Three plays later, the Gamecocks scored a touchdown on an absurd Hail Mary, something that has somehow become a habit for the program in the last five years.
Jacksonville State’s Halftime Hail Mary works in the most bizarre fashion 😳
— SleeperCFB (@SleeperCFB) November 16, 2025
pic.twitter.com/LanxhKFfaT
Without that swing, Kennesaw State very well may have overcome Odom’s atrocious day. Since then, he has thrown for nine touchdowns with no interceptions in two must-win games, averaging 11 yards per pass attempt while scoring two more touchdowns on the ground and adding 104 rushing yards.
The Owls are the better of these two teams, only viewed as comparable because of that particularly bad day. Bet on Kennesaw State’s slim chance at the Playoff as enough motivation to stay focused and exact revenge for that Nov. 15 defeat.
Kennesaw State vs Jacksonville State best bet: Over 59.5 (-110)
Both these offenses prefer to run the ball rather than pass it, but Kennesaw State’s passing game has exploded in the last three weeks, putting together one of the best performances seen in the entire country last week against Liberty, averaging 0.649 expected points added (EPA) per dropback, per CFB-graphs.com.
That development has coincided with the Owls’ defense falling apart, a distinct liability in their last three games and notably struggling against the rush in all three games. Jacksonville State, in particular, rushed for 256 yards on 41 attempts, a 6.2 yards per carry average.
There is often an instinct to take an Under simply out of deference to run-first offenses, but when the run games work, run-first offenses are plenty capable of cashing an Over. With Kennesaw State’s recent defensive struggles, that capability becomes a bit of a likelihood.
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Kennesaw State vs Jacksonville State same-game parlay
While Kennesaw State lost to Jacksonville State three weeks ago, that can be chalked up largely to a terrible day from quarterback Amari Odom, who threw three interceptions in the 35-26 loss, eventually getting benched. Yet, Odom threw for 248 yards in that truncated action, the first time of three straight games in which the Owls seemed to rely on sheer explosiveness to end the season.
Kennesaw State vs Jacksonville State SGP
- Over 59.5
- Kennesaw State -2.5
- Amari Odom Over 249.5 Passing Yards
Kennesaw State vs Jacksonville State odds
- Spread: Kennesaw State -2.5 | Jacksonville State +2.5
- Moneyline: Kennesaw State -136 | Jacksonville State +116
- Over/Under: Over 59.5 | Under 59.5
Kennesaw State vs Jacksonville State trend to know
Not only has Kennesaw State cashed three straight Overs and by an average of 19.7 points per game, but Jacksonville State has also cleared the total in three of its last four games — including that head-to-head matchup — and by an average of 5.25 points in those four games, even including the sole Under. Find more college football betting trends for Kennesaw State vs Jacksonville State.
How to watch Kennesaw State vs Jacksonville State
| Location | AmFirst Stadium, Jacksonville, AL |
| Date | Friday, December 5, 2025 |
| Kickoff | 7:00 p.m. ET |
| TV | CBSSN |
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