JACKSONVILLE – The Jacksonville State football program learned that a renovated Paul Snow Stadium will get a grand opening against an old rival and the Gamecocks will open the 2010 season at Ole Miss, as JSU Athletic Director Oval Jaynes announced the 2010 football schedule today.

The Gamecocks will open the season on the road at Southeastern Conference foe Ole Miss on Sept. 4. The Rebels are currently 8-4 and will face Oklahoma State in the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 2, and were ranked as high as No. 4 nationally this season. It will be the first-ever meeting between the two teams.

The following week, the Gamecocks will dedicate a renovated 24,000-seat Paul Snow Stadium against Chattanooga on Sept. 11. The Mocs won six games this year, including conference wins over Wofford, Samford, Western Carolina and The Citadel.

The JSU versus Chattanooga series dates back over 100 years to 1904, and the Gamecocks have won four of the last five meetings between the two teams.

“The 2010 football season is going to be very exciting for the Gamecocks,” Jaynes said. “We will get to open our renovated football stadium and I know our fans are anxious to see our new facility. We will also give our fans a chance to see us play a quality FBS opponent in Ole Miss and a chance to see us play in Atlanta when we travel to play in the Georgia Dome against Georgia State.”

The Gamecocks will return to Atlanta for the third-straight year and will face Georgia State in the Georgia Dome on Sept. 18, before beginning an eight-game Ohio Valley Conference schedule. JSU has opened the past two seasons at Georgia Tech.

Jax State, which posted the best record in the Ohio Valley Conference this year with an 8-3 mark, will travel to face the defending OVC champion Eastern Illinois Panthers on Sept. 25, before returning home to face Murray State on Oct. 2. JSU will then travel to UT Martin on Oct. 9, before returning for back-to-back home games.

The Gamecocks will host Tennessee State on Oct. 16 and then celebrate Homecoming on Oct. 23 against Austin Peay.

Jacksonville State will play at Eastern Kentucky on Nov. 6, before playing its final regular-season home game against Southeast Missouri State on Nov. 13. The final game of the year is scheduled at Tennessee Tech on Nov. 20.

Paul Snow Stadium, home of the Gamecocks since 1947, is currently in the midst of a $47 million expansion. The new facility will consist of seven stories, with the bottom four floors dedicated to nearly 400 dorm beds. The top three floors will include 33 luxury skyboxes, a new press area, coaches booths, radio and television broadcast facilities, and a game management booth. The stadium will also include the addition of seats that will push the capacity of Paul Snow Stadium to 24,000.

2010 Jacksonville State Football Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Time
Sept. 4	at Ole Miss	Oxford, Miss	TBA
Sept. 11	Chattanooga	Jacksonville	6 p.m.
Sept. 18	at Georgia State	Atlanta	TBA
Sept. 25	*at Eastern Illinois	Charleston, Ill.	TBA
Oct. 2	*Murray State	Jacksonville	6 p.m.
Oct. 9	*at UT Martin	Martin, Tenn.	TBA
Oct. 16	*Tennessee State	Jacksonville	3 p.m.
Oct. 23	*Austin Peay (HC)	Jacksonville	3 p.m.
Oct. 30	OPEN
Nov. 6	*at Eastern Kentucky	Richmond, Ky.	TBA
Nov. 13	*Southeast Missouri State	Jacksonville	3 p.m.
Nov. 20	*at Tennessee Tech	Cookeville, Tenn.	TBA