The Battle for the Ol' School Bell was a rivalry between the
Troy State Trojans
The Troy Trojans are the sports teams of Troy University. They began playing in the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA's Division I (NCAA), Division I-A in 2001 in sports, 2001, became a American football, football only member of the ...
(now the Troy Trojans) and the
Jacksonville State Gamecocks
The Jacksonville State Gamecocks are the intercollegiate athletic teams of Jacksonville State University located in Jacksonville, Alabama, United States. In January 2023, the university began phasing in a new identity, Jax State, for marketing a ...
when the two schools started playing together in
Division II.
The series continued as the Trojans moved to the
FCS, with the Gamecocks moving to the
FCS soon after. The series came to a halt when Troy moved to what is now the
FBS. However, with Jacksonville State moving to the FBS and
Conference USA
Conference USA (CUSA) is a collegiate athletic conference of member institutions in the Southern and Western United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports. CUSA's offices are located in Dallas, Texas.
Mem ...
in 2023, the rivalry may be renewed again in the near future. The idea for a school bell trophy stemmed from the two schools' common origins as teachers' colleges.
History
The two teams first met in 1924 in
Jacksonville, Alabama
Jacksonville is a city in Calhoun County, Alabama, Calhoun County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2020 census the population was 14,385, which is a 14.6% increase since 2010 and a 71.2% increase since 2000. It is included in the Anniston-Oxfo ...
. The last game was played in 2001.
Jacksonville State leads the series 32–29–2. Troy has won the last seven games of the series, while also going 12–3 since 1983 against the Gamecocks.
Game results
See also
*
List of NCAA college football rivalry games
This is a list of List of sports rivalries, rivalry games in college football. The list also shows any trophy awarded to the winner of the rivalry between the teams.
NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision
...
References
{{Conference USA football rivalry navbox
College football rivalries in the United States
Jacksonville State Gamecocks football
Troy Trojans football
1924 establishments in Alabama