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Podcast: Big Bets On Campus Episode: CUSA Betting Preview | 2026 Segment: Jacksonville State podcast segment **Actionable Picks / Plays Mentioned** - It is absolutely a play on Jacksonville State in Week zero. **Top Team-Specific Takeaways** - Dock, you seem to be bullish on Jacksonville State. - Jacksonville State has maintained their program success and they transferred from FCS seamlessly without missing a beat. - Jacksonville State can win the opener. - It is absolutely a play on Jacksonville State in Week zero. - You make up your minds in July August on a team and then you have fomo throughout the entire year when you were not only wrong, but you missed the runaway train, the bandwagon that was me last year with Jacksonville State. Transcript excerpt: No liberty on the schedule. They do go to Western and Delaware late. I still like the over I think there's a good shot they're going to make the title game here. Dock, you seem to be bullish on Jacksonville State. What's your thought, as someone who follows the FCS closer than anybody, what do you think about this switch in for House right, moving from tight end to play color Here On the offensive side of the ball, I. 00:19:44 Speaker 3: Think it's probably going to be fairly seamless. They want to run the football. They maintained a two to one rushing passing split last year, and I think we'll see more of that. I do think we'll see a little bit more rpo game, and I think we'll see the freedom for Kreole to throw the ball downfield. You know, interestingly enough, Johnson was so underutilized during the first half of last season. During the first seven games, the guy only had four catches and he wasn't even playing in the regular rotation at times, but he had four one hundred yard games and six touchdowns the second half of the season, and he will be much more involved this year. Six foot eight, two point fifteen, he's got a leaping ability, good catch radius, a genuine legitimate red zone and deep ball weapon. And they also get ron L. Johnson in from Missouri State, a guy who caught thirty five passes for four hundred and sixty three yards and two touchdowns last season in an offense that featured five equally utilized receivers. I think he'll have a big target share this year. It's Johnson and Johnson in the receiver room. I think we get another year with Caden Creele to develop into the system. They don't have an elite running back like Cam Cook last year, but they will have a committee and I think that the system will allow for a star to emerge. This is going to be a strong offense. I think we'll see the explosiveness. I think the job Charles Kelly did last season with bear cupboards and low expectations was incredible. Jacksonville State has maintained their program success and they transferred from FCS seamlessly without missing a beat. I think we see that again this season. I think they have a deep front seven on the defensive line and linebacker group Joan Campbell, Curtis Perry, Max Sanders, even Walter O'Steen is a good player. That's a strong front of the last five games of the season, they will be favored to win, and I think they can win every one of those. New Mexico State, Sam Houston, Western, Missouri State, and Delaware are all winnable games, and I do think this is an opportunity for this team to get on a roll late, get some momentum, and get into the conference championship game. This is my pick to win the conference. They're plus five to twenty five over at Caesars another deliverable Week zero. They are very live against North Dakota State. It's even team's top to bottom talent composite rank. North Dakota State will transition to the FBS level much better than their counterpart Sacramento State, but they are down a notch in the offensive and defensive trench. The tight end play is as strong the running game, the explosive receivers for North Dakota State are not there. Jacksonville State can win the opener. So anything over seven you're getting a full touchdown seven and a half. It is absolutely a play on Jacksonville State in Week zero. 00:22:13 Speaker 2: Now, Colin, we've all done this before. You make up your minds in July August on a team and then you have fomo throughout the entire year when you were not only wrong, but you missed the runaway train, the bandwagon that was me last year with Jacksonville State. I'm not going to make the same mistake again. I think all the pieces are there offensively for them to be very good. Do you think the loss of camp Cook that was going to hold them back for returning to the CONFUSA title game. 00:22:37 Speaker 1: It's the area that I would like to have resolve for the running back because this is the best defensive line, this is the best linebacker corp in Conference USA, this is the best quarterback, and frankly, I think outside of Liberty might be the best offensive line that'll be upset. I mean when you look at the offensive lines, six one hundred and one returning snaps and I get that that's a lot of four times you know four FCS starters that were full time starters. But when you accumulate all of the experience they have in the offensive line, this running game should have massive holes to get through, which means that Kayden Creole who had over eleven hundred rushing yards last year, more importantly, six hundred and sixty eight yards on designed run calls. Right, don't get confused. Scrambling yards are different than designed run calls. So if Kreole can potentially bridge to the running next generation of running backs that are to come through, and maybe they figure that out by the time that the big games come, the money games come, Jacksonville State is going to be just fine here. I mean, this is an advantageous schedule. No liberty in Conference USA play great offensive line. Like I said, so look, Jacksonville State, I think absolutely needs to be in your portfolio to win this conference. I make it seven point five. The win total is at seven point five. I think over plus one oh fives are getting plus juice. Reach for the stars baby here. I think Jacksonville State is in the champion game, So why not take any number above plus four to fifty on the game Cocks. Oh, by the way Charles. Charles Kelly was getting shit for this job last year, Like what a bad higher. Dion Sanders didn't like him, he won't fit rich Rod this like look what he did? I mean a year later at all. They're going to the championship game. You can't have this kind of defense, this offensive line in that quarterback and now a massive breakdown of injuries or locker room something that we don't know about for them not to make the championship game. 00:24:34 Speaker 2: We go from Chickens to Chickens, game Cocks to the Blue Hens of Delaware and we can