The Sun Belt Conference is coming off of one of their most successful seasons, sending a team to the College Football Playoff for the first time. James Madison was the team to do so, going 11-1 and their first Sun Belt title in their fourth year.
This year, the league says farewell to Texas State, and welcomes Louisiana Tech to the West Division. The Sun Belt gets nicknamed the “Fun Belt” due to the chaos that seems to follow it around. From power conference upsets to midweek drama, the Sun Belt is going to always be worth the watch.
East Division:
In the East, allowing fewer points may be more important than scoring them
James Madison dominated the East Division in 2025 after being the first Sun Belt team to make the CFP. They did so with their elite defense and elite quarterback play. The defense is still going to be the engine, but Alonza Barnett III has gone to UCF, and the position has become filled with uncertainty and inexperience.
A team that could trouble the Dukes is Marshall, who has one of the best quarterbacks in the conference in Carlos Del Rio-Wilson. He led the Thundering Herd in both passing and rushing yards in 2025 and returns to Huntington, West Virginia for his final season.
App State, Georgia Southern and Old Dominion will all be aiming for the division title as well. The Mountaineers brought in the best recruiting class in the conference, the Eagles should rebound defensively and the Monarchs will try to build off of their second place finish last season with a revamped offense.
- James Madison
- Marshall
- App State
- Old Dominion
- Georgia Southern
- Coastal Carolina
- Georgia State
West Division:
The West Division was close at the top, but it was ultimately won by Troy in 2025, and quarterback Goose Crowder is back for another season where the Trojans eye more than just a division championship, but a Sun Belt Championship.
Arkansas State will be a tough team to beat, and the two teams will play each other on the final week of the regular season, in what may be a division title game. The Red Wolves are led by Texas transfer quarterback Trey Owens and a wide receiver room full of returning talent.
In their first season in the Sun Belt, Louisiana Tech will immediately challenge for the division title. Quarterback Blake Baker is back for another season as the starter, and the defense will be filled with familiar faces.
Louisiana is another team that will be threatening at the top of the standings. The Rajin’ Cajuns will have to figure out who is going to be taking handoffs, but there will be lots of returning talent around whoever that is.
- Troy
- Arkansas State
- Louisiana Tech
- Louisiana
- South Alabama
- Southern Miss
- ULM
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