JACKSONVILLE – Five home games and road trips to Southeastern Conference foes Arkansas and Florida highlight the 2012 Jacksonville State football schedule, which was announced by JSU Athletics Director Warren Koegel on Thursday.

The Gamecocks won their 18th conference championship in 2011 and will open the season against the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Ark., on Sept 1. It will mark JSU head coach Jack Crowe's return to Fayetteville for the first time since serving as head coach of the Razorbacks from 1989-92.

The 2012 season marks the 12th season for Crowe at JSU, and the Dean of the OVC coaches is also the winningest coach in the Ohio Valley Conference.

Crowe led Arkansas to the 1989 Southwest Conference title and a 19-14 overall record and he has a career record of 95-82, including an impressive 81-51 mark at Jax State.

“The 2012 football season is going to very exciting for the Gamecocks,” Koegel said. “We feel like we have an exciting football schedule and I know that our fans are going to enjoy visiting two of the top stadiums in the country in Razorback Stadium, and also 'The Swamp' at the end of the season.”

Jax State's home opener is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 8, against one of its oldest rivals in Chattanooga. This series dates back over 100 years to 1904 and has seen the Gamecocks win five of the last seven meetings against the Mocs.

JSU dedicated Burgess-Snow Field at JSU Stadium two years ago in one of the most exciting wins of the 2010 season as JSU scored on a 72-yard pass with just 1:16 left in a 21-17 win over the Mocs in front of more than 22,000 fans.

The Gamecocks open Ohio Valley Conference play at Eastern Kentucky on Sept. 22 in a battle of two of the top teams in the conference.

JSU will host Southeast Missouri State on Sept. 29, before back-to-back road conference games at Tennessee Tech and Eastern Illinois.

Jax State returns home to host Tennessee State on Oct. 20 and will celebrate homecoming the following week at home against Murray State.

JSU then travels to face UT Martin on Nov. 3, before playing the final regular-season home game against Austin Peay on Nov. 10 when the Southerners will host their annual Reunion.

The Gamecocks will play the final regular-season game of the year on Nov. 17 at the University of Florida in Gainesville.

Jacksonville State will begin spring practice on March 15, and will hold its annual J-Day spring game on Saturday, April 14.