Week 11 in the Sun Belt Conference is on the horizon, and it might be the most normal week the conference has all year. Aside from some shakeup at the bottom, there isn’t the most to note from the past week.
- Louisiana Tech (No change from last week)
Troy was not an easy opponent for Louisiana Tech, especially on the road, considering what the Trojans did the week prior. However, the Bulldogs made it look easy, and improved to 7-2 on the season. The defense forced 5 turnovers en route to a 41-17 victory. Wide receiver Marcus Calwise Jr. went for 9 catches, 137 yards and a touchdown, and quarterback Blake Baker barely had to put up any yards.
- Georgia Southern (-)
Similar to Louisiana Tech, Georgia Southern didn’t struggle, beating Marshall 49-13. The final three games for the Eagles include Georgia State, Troy and Louisiana Tech, they need to go perfect to win the division.
- James Madison (-)
James Madison dominated Southern Miss 54-23 to finally win a Thursday night game this season, but still sit in second place. The good news for the Dukes is that Georgia Southern has three tricky games left in Sun Belt play, yet JMU just has one game against Coastal Carolina. The Eagles can’t afford a loss with head-to-head favoring JMU
- Louisiana (+5)
Most teams in the middle of the pack had bad weeks, yet Louisiana took an important home game against South Alabama to become the fourth Sun Belt team to gain bowl eligibility. The offense gained over 450 total yards, 312 of them on the ground, mainly through running back JJ Garner and quarterback Lunch Winfield.
- Georgia State (+6)
Georgia State is the other team to benefit in the middle of the Sun Belt’s struggles, winning its first ever game at App State. The defense forced 3 turnovers and produced 6 sacks. The Panthers need just one more win to make a bowl trip, what would be a monumental turnaround compared to last year.
- App State (-2)
App State lost its first ever game to Georgia State, and is coming off a collapse after controlling its destiny to win the division, and losing the following two games. The upcoming visit to Huntington, West Virginia, to face off with Marshall is a game the Mountaineers can’t lose.
- Troy (-2)
After the big upset against JMU, Troy dropped another game to Louisiana Tech 41-17. Turnovers have been a problem all season, and Saturday was no different, losing 4 fumbles. The schedule isn’t favorable for the Trojans to make a bowl game, needing wins in two of the last three.
- Marshall (-2)
Unfortunately for Marshall, it had to run into Georgia Southern, who have been one of the best teams in the Sun Belt over the last couple of weeks. The good news is the Thundering Herd get to host App State next, who have not been good over the last couple of weeks.
- South Alabama (-2)
South Alabama lost a close one to Louisiana, losing to both of the top teams in the Sun Belt West in consecutive weeks, and three losses in a row. The schedule eases up from here, with the Jaguars still needing two wins to make a bowl game.
- ULM (+3)
Another win for ULM, making it two in three games, and moving them to its highest ranking of the season. Bowl eligibility is out of the question, but the Warhawks can still play spoiler on other teams’ seasons. Both of ULM’s wins this season have been on the road, the only FBS team to be winless at home and have multiple road wins.
- Old Dominion (+3)
Old Dominion’s defense showed up against a divisional opponent once again, this time taking down Coastal Carolina 21-8 on the road. The Monarchs defense forced 6 turnovers, taking one of them back for a touchdown. Like ULM, ODU also can’t make it to a bowl, but could still end the season on a high note with Connecticut and Southern Miss to end the season.
- Arkansas State (-4)
This is not the season the Red Wolves were hoping for, but it got even worse Saturday with a home loss to ULM. The offense only scored 17, compared to 38 in the last game against Georgia State. Saturday’s game against Coastal Carolina is a must for bowl eligibility.
- Coastal Carolina (-3)
Quarterback Deuce Bailey has talent, but has been prone to turning the ball over. Against ODU, Bailey gave the ball to the Monarchs 5 times, leading to a bad loss at home. The Chanticleers need to be perfect to end the season to make a bowl game, with the schedule looking rough.
- Southern Miss (-2)
After the teams behind them both won, and a blowout loss to JMU, the Golden Eagles dropped to last place for the first time this season.
Leave a Reply