It is hard to believe it is already week 10, but the Sun Belt Conference has made it fly by with its wild season. This week was no different, with division lead changes, and more big upsets. There are just four weeks left in the regular season, and no team is guaranteed to finish out on top.
- Louisiana Tech (No change from last week)
The Bulldogs survived a big test on their quest to win the West Division in their first year in the conference, using a second half shutout to defeat South Alabama 35-20. Louisiana Tech has allowed points in just one of its last six halves, and that doesn’t give credit to quarterback Blake Baker, who could end up winning Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year. Up next is Troy, and you never know what you’re going to get with the Trojans.
- Georgia Southern (+3)
With a huge win over rivals App State, Georgia Southern takes control of the East Division. App State was never able to move the ball offensively, and the Eagles offense had the ball for nearly 44 minutes. The defense created 3 turnovers, where quarterback Max Johnson was 36-47 for 327 yards. It was an incredibly efficient win, and now the Eagles look to take down Marshall to stay atop the division.
- James Madison (-)
A horrible loss for the Dukes, who blew a 14-point halftime lead to Troy, who was coming off of a loss to ULM. The Dukes had been surehanded all year, especially quarterback Camden Coleman, but JMU turned the ball over 5 times, and Coleman threw 3 interceptions. It was a badly managed game by head coach Billy Napier as well, handing the game to the Trojans. JMU is now looking to avoid falling completely out of the race for the division title against Southern Miss.
- App State (-2)
App State looked bad against its rivals, losing 19-3, and running the ball just 6 times in the loss. It makes four consecutive losses to Georgia Southern, but the Mountaineers are still in the race for the division. They will need to run the ball consistently and effectively against Georgia State Saturday.
- Troy (+6)
The most a team has gone up in the rankings all year. Troy skyrockets back up to fifth after defeating James Madison. It has been hard to make out what this team is all season, and the last two games can sum up the season. There is no taking away from this one however, and are now in a great position to become bowl eligible. They could also trip over themselves again and lose Saturday at home to Louisiana Tech.
- Marshall (+1)
Marshall stayed hot, defeating Old Dominion 36-23. The Monarchs may not be the best of competition in the conference, but the Thundering Herd will get to play two of the top teams in the conference next in Georgia Southern and App State.
- South Alabama (-3)
The top offense in the division failed to muster a point in the second half against Louisiana Tech, in what would have been a season-defining win for South Alabama. It has been hard to win with the backup quarterback, and Jared Hollins struggled again, but the Jaguars were in it after the first half. Up next is another important game against Louisiana.
- Arkansas State (-2)
No game for Arkansas State, who dropped a couple of spots after the Troy win over JMU.
- Louisiana (-)
Louisiana had no game, but the win against Troy made the Ragin’ Cajuns look much better, already having defeated the Trojans 33-6. The winner of the game between Louisiana and South Alabama will stay in the race for the division.
- Coastal Carolina (-)
Coastal Carolina got a great game from quarterback Deuce Bailey, took a quick 17-3 lead over Georgia State and never looked back. West division wins prevent the Chanticleers from getting any further in the rankings, but looking at the schedule, they could be 5-2 in conference play before playing JMU on the final day of the regular season.
- Georgia State (-3)
The Panthers continue to collapse after losing quarterback Cameron Brown. Georgia State dug itself into a hole, and never recovered at home against Coastal Carolina. The task gets even taller from here, playing App State, Georgia Southern, Marshall and Louisiana to end the season.
- Southern Miss (-)
Bowl eligibility is still possible for Southern Miss, but the next three games are against JMU, Louisiana Tech and South Alabama. All three of those teams are tough games, and two of them need to be wins. The road win over ULM Saturday will help.
- ULM (-)
Back to the loss column for ULM. The Warhawks are in a battle with Old Dominion for the bottom of the Sun Belt, and currently stays 13th because of how the two teams lone conference win performed in the last week.
- Old Dominion (-)
Being below ULM for multiple weeks is impressive, and now Old Dominion’s lone conference win isn’t as impressive.
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