Jacksonville State and Troy to play in 2025 Salute to Veterans Bowl

Two conference champions clash in the second matchup of the 2025 Bowl Season.

Conference USA runner-up Jacksonville State and Sun Belt runner-up Troy won’t even have to travel out of state for their matchup. The two Alabama-based programs meet in Montgomery, AL on Tuesday, Dec. 16 for the 2025 IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl.

The Salute to Veterans Bowl debuted in 2014 as the Camellia Bowl, and this represents the second year operating under its current name. Neither team has ever played in the game before which transpires at the Cramton Bowl — a 25,000-seat venue in Montgomery. It’s roughly a 120-mile drive for Jax State and a 50-mile drive for Troy.

Jacksonville State (8-5, 7-1 CUSA) is fresh off the wrong side of a thrilling CUSA Championship Game on Friday, falling 19-15 to Kennesaw State on a last-minute touchdown. The Gamecocks have already qualified for two CUSA title games and three bowl games despite three years of FBS membership. Jax State earned its first bowl win in 2023 in the New Orleans Bowl over Louisiana but dropped its 2024 contest to Ohio at the Cure Bowl. Under first-year head coach Charles Kelly, the Gamecocks eye a third-straight 9-win season in a highly-successful start to their FBS tenure.

Troy (8-5, 6-2 Sun Belt) was ousted by James Madison in a hard-fought Sun Belt Championship Game on Friday, losing 31-14 after entering the final frame trailing by three. The Trojans, which won the Sun Belt in 2022 and 2023, are back in Bowl Season after a brief down year in 2024. Second-year head coach Gerad Parker doubled his win total after faring 4-8 in year one, and Parker receives an opportunity at a ninth win in Montgomery. Troy has won five of its last six bowl games, most recently defeating UTSA in the 2022 Cure Bowl.

Jacksonville State and Troy share quite a history, and there’s a even a name and trophy associated with their rivalry — the Battle for the Ol’ School Bell. The teams previously met 63 times, primarily as FCS rivals, with Jax State leading the all-time series 31-29-2. The last meeting occurred during Troy’s inaugural season at the FBS level in 2001, where it defeated Jax State 21-3 to secure the Ol’ School Bell. Whether the trophy is on the line in addition to the Salute to Veterans Bowl trophy is yet to be determined.

The 2025 Salute to Veterans Bowl kicks off Tuesday, Dec. 16 from the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery at 9 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. ET and can be viewed on ESPN.