Jacksonville State won its first Conference USA championship in only its second year playing FBS football. Now the leader and architect of the program’s transition from the FCS level is off to West Virginia.The Gamecocks will move forward without Rich Rodriguez and face Ohio in a battle of conference champions at the Cure Bowl on Friday afternoon in Orlando.Offensive coordinator Rod Smith was named the interim coach for the bowl game for Jacksonville State (9-4). Rodriguez was scooped up by a West Virginia program that he led from 2001-07.Mid-American Conference champion Ohio (10-3) is in a similar position, as coach Tim Albin left for the same job at Charlotte. The Bobcats tapped their offensive coordinator, Brian Smith, as interim head coach.Even though Rodriguez has left, the Gamecocks have accomplished plenty worth celebrating. Rodriguez took over the program in 2022 as it prepared to move up to the FBS level. The Gamecocks captured the Atlantic Sun title that year, finishing 9-2, then went 9-4 in their inaugural FBS season in 2023 and won the New Orleans Bowl.This season, an eight-game winning streak propelled them to the top of the CUSA standings. Jacksonville State lost 19-17 to Western Kentucky in the regular-season finale but got a major dose of revenge when the two teams met six days later in the conference championship game.Tre Stewart rushed for 201 yards and three touchdowns while quarterback Tyler Huff added 176 passing yards, 167 rushing yards and three total TDs in Jacksonville State’s 52-12 victory.”Stay the course, always believing where you came from or where you’re at,” senior defensive end J-Rock Swain said postgame. “We had a lot of guys getting in the portal, a lot of guys coming from the portal, but we still got to stay the course. And everybody believed.”