Jackson State is entering its second season under head coach T.C. Taylor and is looking to return to contending for championships in the SWAC.
Last year, the Tigers posted a modest 7-4 overall record, including a 5-3 against the SWAC, tied for the second-best record in the SWAC East division.
This time, the SWAC East is much closer in competition, being a three-team race between the Tigers, Florida A&M, and Alabama State.
Jackson State has the talent to win and reclaim the division title; it just comes down to executing on the field.
Here are my game-by-game predictions for the 2024 Jackson State Tigers football season.
8/29 Louisiana-Monroe [L]
Last Meeting: UL Monroe 12-7, 2021
Jackson State’s season begins taking the field against a familiar FBS opponent, the University of Louisiana at Monroe. These two teams faced each other in the 2021 fall season, head coach Deion Sanders’ first full season with the Tigers, seeing UL Monroe coming away with a narrow 12-7 victory. UL Monroe comes into this game having posted a 2-10 record in 2023, losing 10 straight games to end the season. If JSU can play a clean game, having committed three turnovers the last time they played this team, they could surely come away with the win.
Record: 0-1
9/7 Lane [W]
Last Meeting: First
The Tigers then shift to its home opener as they welcome the Lane Dragons of the SIAC to Thee Vet. Lane is coming off a disappointing season in which they finished with a 2-8 overall record. They are no stranger to playing against the SWAC, having played against Alabama A&M last season and taking UAPB to the limit in their 2022 matchup. This is a much more depleted Lane team than the one that faced UAPB in 2022, as evidenced by their 51-13 loss against Bama A&M. This will be a showcase game for the Tigers, as they should win quite easily.
Record: 1-1
9/14 Southern [W]
Last Meeting: Jackson State 27-14, 2023
In their conference opener, we get a rematch of the 2022 SWAC championship game when the Tigers face the Southern Jaguars. These are two completely different teams from that conference title game, most notably no longer having the respective head coaches from that contest. No matter who has been on the sideline, what has remained the same is the success JSU has had over Southern. As mentioned above, they have won four straight against the Jags, including the 2022 SWAC championship game. The last three games have not even been close, with an average win margin of over 22 points. While this game could be closer than those previous matchups, there is not much evidence that the result will turn out any different.
Record: 2-1, 1-0
9/21 Grambling State [W]
Last Meeting: Jackson State 66-24, 2022
Jackson State will then face the other half of the Bayou Classic rivalry, which is going on the road to a clash with Grambling State. The last time these teams played each other, it was not pretty as Jackson State outscored Grambling 45-7 in the second half, coasting to victory. The key matchup in this game will be between Myles Crawley and the JSU secondary. Crawley finished second in the SWAC last season with 210.3 passing yards per game and 16 touchdowns, while Jackson State tied the conference high with 17 interceptions. Whichever side performs better will see their team walk away with the victory.
Record: 3-1, 2-0
9/28 Texas Southern [W]
Last Meeting: Jackson State 21-19, 2023
Completing their three-game tilt against the SWAC West, JSU travels to Houston for a date with Texas Southern. This has been a very favorable matchup for Jackson State, which has won nine straight games against TSU dating back to 2011. Last year, however, Texas Southern came close to ending the streak, coming a two-point conversion away from tying the game at the end of regulation. Jackson State will not make the same mistake twice and will put Texas Southern out of their misery sooner rather than let them hang around.
Record: 4-1, 3-0
10/5 Alabama A&M- W
Last Meeting: Jackson State 45-30, 2023
In their first divisional matchup of the season, JSU travels to Mobile, Alabama, to face Alabama A&M in the Gulf Coast Challenge. The Tigers have won three straight against the Bulldogs, with each win coming by double-digit margins. Jackson State had its best all-around performance of the season last year against Bama A&M, forcing five turnovers (leading to two touchdowns) while posting three passing and rushing touchdowns, respectively. If the Bulldogs can cut down on the turnovers, this game could go down to the wire and even end in an Alabama A&M victory.
Record: 5-1, 4-0
10/19 Florida A&M- L
Last Meeting: Florida A&M 28-10
For the first time since Florida A&M joined the SWAC in 2021, they will play against Jackson State in October in a game not titled the Orange Blossom Classic. After losing the first two matchups in the series, Florida A&M got its first win on the board, getting off to a fast start and coasting to victory. Although the Rattlers come into the season with a different roster and coaching staff, an argument could be made they still have more talent than Jackson State. The question is, will the Rattlers have the chemistry at this point in the season to put forth the performance needed to knock the Tigers off?
Record: 5-2, 4-1
10/26 Bethune-Cookman- W
Last Meeting: Jackson State 22-16, 2023
Continuing the theme of facing two teams in an in-state rivalry in back-to-back games, Jackson State goes to Daytona Beach to face the other half of the Florida Classic, Bethune-Cookman. Bethune-Cookman has not beaten Jackson State since transitioning to the SWAC, with their last win over the Tigers in the 2019 MEAC/SWAC Challenge. This BCU team, on paper, however, is the best it has had in its SWAC era, coming off an outstanding offseason. Whether or not they can execute at a high level against a Jackson State team that is a contender for the SWAC East division title remains to be seen.
Record: 6-2, 5-1
11/2 Arkansas-Pine Bluff *Homecoming*- W
Last Meeting: Jackson State 40-14, 2023
Jackson State then returns home for its homecoming contest against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. In 2013, JSU won seven of its last eight contests against UAPB. This includes a third straight win in what was its first matchup against the Golden Lions since 2019. For Arkansas-Pine Bluff to win this game, they will have to gain Jackson State’s respect early by either getting a stop on defense or scoring a touchdown on the opening drive. If they allow JSU to play ahead, they will have little to no shot of winning.
Record: 7-2, 6-1
11/9 Mississippi Valley State- W
Last Meeting: Jackson State 21-6, 2023
The Tigers will stay home the following week as they welcome Mississippi Valley State for a divisional clash. It has been a long time since the Delta Devils have gotten a win over the Tigers and have lost their last nine matchups against them (their 2014 win over the Tigers was vacated). Mississippi Valley State’s best chance to win this game is to hang around and keep the game close until the fourth quarter.
Record: 8-2, 7-1
11/16 Alabama State- L
Last Meeting: Alabama State 24-19, 2023
We have now reached the final two games of Jackson State’s season, which could determine whether or not they will win the SWAC East division title. Their penultimate game comes against Alabama State, which will also be in the thick of the SWAC East race. Last year, Alabama State avenged Jackson State, who defeated them on their homecoming the previous year. I predicted Jackson State would get its win back in my Alabama State predictions, but I now have some reservations. Beating Alabama State two straight times on their home field, with the improvements they made in the offseason on the offensive side of the ball, will be a daunting task for the Tigers. This will undoubtedly be a toss-up game that could ultimately decide the winner of the division.
Record: 8-3, 7-2
11/23 Alcorn State- L
Last Meeting: Alcorn State 28-24, 2023
Should Jackson State clinch a berth in the SWAC title game, they could be in for a championship preview in its regular season finale against Alcorn State. Last year, Alcorn also snapped its losing streak against Jackson State, getting a stop in the final minute to secure the victory. This game could go either way, but the difference this time is that it will be played on Alcorn’s home field. Penalties were the difference in last year’s contest, with Jackson State committing 15 to just seven by Alcorn State. If JSU can cut down on the penalties, they could surely come away with the win.
2024 Record: 8-4, 7-3