Sun Belt sneak peek: Sizing up App State, Troy, JMU and
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Expense Connelly, ESPN Staff WriterJun 21, 2024, 07:00 AM ET Close Expense Connelly is a staff writer for ESPN.com.The Age
of the Sun Belt is upon us. After the AAC’s trade of quality (3 of its best programs leaving for the Huge 12) for quantity (6 Conference USA schools can be found in as replacements), and after the Sun Belt’s addition of fantastic FBS newcomer James Madison, to name a few, we have a new king of the Group of 5.
The SBC pretty easily produced the very best average SP+ score amongst G5 conferences in 2023, and while last year’s top 3 groups per SP+ (JMU, Troy and South Alabama) are all changing their head coaches, the Sun Belt is forecasted to have the edge this time around, too. But can it produce a College Football Playoff group? Or will its most significant strength, depth, backfire because regard? SP+ provides just one Sun Belt team even a 10% possibility of going 11-1 or much better, and nobody has better than a 21% chance of winning the conference.It’s a free-for-all
! Let’s preview the Sun Belt!Every week through the summer season, Costs Connelly will sneak peek another FBS conference specifically for ESPN+, eventually including all 134 FBS teams. The sneak peeks will consist of 2023 breakdowns, 2024 previews and team-by-team capsules. Here are the MAC, Conference U.S.A., AAC and Mountain West.Jump to an area:2024 forecasts|Finest games Title contenders |
Who’s close?Hoping for 6-6
2023 wrap-up
| GROUP (DIV) | REC. (CONF) | SP+ RK | OFF. SP+DEF. SP+ST SP+J ames Madison(East)11-2(7-1)11.8(20)34.6(19)23.7( | 43)1.0 (40) | Troy (West | ) | 11-3 (8-1 ) | 9.8 (26 ) | 30.7 (42 ) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20.1 (28) | -0.8 (89) | S. Alabama (West | ) | 7-6 (4-4 ) | |||||
| 5.1 (49) | 30.6 (44) | 26.0 (58 ) | 0.5 (57 ) | Appalachian | St. (East | ||||
| )9-5 (6-3) | 3.8 (52) | 33.5 (24 ) | 30.7 (95 ) | 0.9 (43 ) | Louisiana ( | ||||
| West) | 6-7 (3-5) | 0.4 (64 ) | 32.4 (31 ) | 33.1 (107 ) | 1.1 (38 ) | ||||
| Coastal Carolina (East) | 8-5 (5-3) | -1.2 (68 ) | 27.6 (61 ) | 27.2 (72 ) | -1.6 (112 ) | ||||
| Texas St. (West) | 8-5 (4-4) | -1.6 (70 ) | 31.2 (37 ) | 33.8 (110 ) | 0.9 (44 ) | ||||
| Ga. Southern (East) | 6-7 (3-5) | -5.2 (82 ) | 30.8 (40 ) | 36.5 (126 ) | 0.5 (55 ) | ||||
| Arkansas St. (West) | 6-7 (4-4) | -6.3 (84 ) | 25.8 (70 ) | 32.8 (106 ) | 0.7 (49 ) | ||||
| Georgia St. (East) | 7-6 (3-5) | -6.8 (89 ) | 28.2 (59 ) | 33.3 (109 ) | -1.7 (116 ) | ||||
| Marshall (East) | 6-7 (3-5) | -9.0 (99 ) | 24.4 (79 ) | 31.5 (98 ) | -1.8 (119 ) | ||||
| Old Rule (East) | 6-7 (5-3) | -10.1 (102 ) | 23.1 (84 ) | 31.3 (97 ) | -1.9 (125 ) | ||||
| Southern Miss (West) | 3-9 (2-6) | -14.4 (116 ) | 23.5 (82 ) | 36.4 (125 ) | -1.5 (106 ) | ||||
| UL-Monroe (West) | 2-10 (0-8) | -21.6 (131 ) | 17.6 (116 ) | 37.5 (129 ) | -1.7 (114 ) |
The Sun Belt produced 3 top-50 teams last year, but only one reached the conference title game. James Madison, still in only its second year of FBS subscription, wasn’t yet eligible (this actually is simply the silliest guideline), and South Alabama was simply plain confusing. The Jaguars tape-recorded some of the conference’s most absurdly impressive efficiencies– 33-7 over Oklahoma State, 59-10 over Eastern Michigan, 28-0 over Marshall, a combined 110-10 over Louisiana Monroe and Southern Miss– however went 1-4 in one-score finishes.In completion, a strong
Appalachian State team couldn’t stay up to date with extremely great Troy in the Sun Belt national championship, and the deepest G5 conference produced a whopping 12 bowl groups. They did a cumulative South Alabama impression, losing 7 of their very first 8 bowl games(with 4 one-score defeats, two in OT), then winning the last four by approximately 26 points.