The Fun Belt is back.
Of the 14 Sun Belt Conference teams, nine enter the 2024 season with conference title odds of +2000 or shorter. That means we have another exciting season in store.
So, whether you're looking to back a familiar favorite like Appalachian State, fade a preseason darling in Texas State or fawn over a potential rising star at quarterback at Arkansas State, we have you covered.
Action Network contributor and "G5 Deep Dive" host Mike Ianniello jumped in to preview what the conference will look like this season and dish out his top picks and best bets in his 2024 Sun Belt Conference preview.
2024 Sun Belt Conference Odds
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Appalachian State | +270 |
| Texas State | +380 |
| Louisiana | +550 |
| James Madison | +750 |
| South Alabama | +1000 |
| Troy | +1600 |
| Arkansas State | +1600 |
| Marshall | +1600 |
| Coastal Carolina | +2000 |
| Georgia Southern | +2500 |
| Old Dominion | +3000 |
| Southern Miss | +4800 |
| Georgia State | +4800 |
| UL Monroe | +35000 |
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Appalachian State put its fans through absolute hell last season.
The Mountaineers went 9-4 in the regular season, but take a look at their losses. They lost at
- North Carolina in double-overtime
- At Wyoming by three points on a blocked field goal returned for a touchdown with less than two minutes to go
- Coastal Carolina by three on a game-winning field goal with no time left
- At Old Dominion by seven after allowing the game-winning touchdown with 0:48 to go
But the Mountaineers are positioned to have a better 2024 season, and they're rightfully the favorites to win the Sun Belt.
Top contenders Troy, James Madison, and South Alabama all lost their head coaches this offseason and have questions. Meanwhile, App State brings back quarterback Joey Aguilar after he set a school record with 33 touchdowns last year and earned Sun Belt Newcomer of the Year honors.
Running back Nate Noel transferred to Missouri, but Kanye Roberts should be just fine as the lead back. He got plenty of burn last year and led the team with seven rushing scores.
Leading receivers Kaedin Robinson, Christian Horn, and Makai Jackson are all back to give Aguilar plenty of weapons as well. This should be a great offense.
On the other side of the ball, this 3-3-5 defense returns nearly its entire front. The line should be strong, but it has to replace most of its secondary. Jordan Favors and Ethan Johnson return, with the other three secondary spots up for grabs.
The run defense needs to get better, but Caden Sullivan and Nate Johnson should anchor an improved linebacking corps.
In nonconference play, App State has to go to Clemson in Week 2. However, the game that could decide the division against James Madison late in the year comes at home.
The Mountaineers also host Liberty at the end of September. If the Mountain West and American conferences cannibalize each other and you have a Sun Belt champion App State team, a win head-to-head over Liberty would give it a strong case for a College Football Playoff berth.
Pick: Wait and See
Arkansas State surprised everybody by winning six games last season and saving Butch Jones’s job.
True freshman quarterback Jaylen Raynor took over Week 4 and the team went 5-4 under him while looking completely different.
When the Red Wolves won, they crushed teams. Arkansas State smoked Louisiana and hammered Texas State, scoring 77 points on them.
Raynor finished the season with 17 passing touchdowns and five rushing scores.
This offense returns 10 starters, including starting back Ja’Quez Cross, who ran for seven touchdowns last year. Also returning is his running mate Zak Wallace.
Wide receivers Corey Rucker and Courtney Jackson are both back, and the Wolves added former Arkansas and Texas State quarterback Malik Hornsby as a converted wide receiver.
This offense should be right up there with the top offenses in the conference.
What needs to improve is the defense. This group was brutal last year. It brings back linebacker Charles Willekes and safety Trevian Thomas, but that’s about it.
Noah Collins from Georgia Tech should help out up front, but the Red Wolves have a lot of areas they need to get better in.
When you look at this schedule for Arkansas State, it avoids App State, James Madison, Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern and Marshall. Michigan and Iowa State are the only clear losses.
Trips to Texas State and Louisiana are both tough, but the Red Wolves dismantled them both last year.
I like Arkansas State to go over its win total of six, and if the defense improves a little bit, the Red Wolves have the upside on offense to win the West Division and find themselves in the Sun Belt Championship game.
Pick: Arkansas State Over 6 · To Win West Division (+600)
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Coastal Carolina has to replace star quarterback Grayson McCall, as well as two of its three running backs and top two receivers from a season ago.
Ethan Vasko or Michigan State transfer Noah Kim will likely take over at quarterback.
Vasko started four games last year and did pretty well, throwing seven touchdowns and just one interception. He helped lead the Chants to a bowl win over San Jose State with three touchdown passes. Kim, meanwhile, started the first five games for Michigan State, throwing six touchdowns and six interceptions before being benched.
Whoever it is will have a super-thin receiving corps to work with.
The defense loses its top three tacklers and has a bunch of holes to replace. Depth will be an issue across the board for this team.
Coastal Carolina doesn’t get to play UL Monroe or Southern Miss, but it does get Temple in the nonconference slate. This team probably can make a bowl, but going over 6.5 is a tough ask. I just don't think Tim Beck is a very good coach. We'll see if that remains true now that he loses most of Jamey Chadwell’s players.
Pick: Under 6.5
Georgia Southern really collapsed down the stretch last year, dropping its last five games to finish the year.
The Eagles have to replace quarterback Davis Brin, but that actually might be a good thing. Brin threw 19 interceptions last season and was a constant turnover machine.
Dexter Williams transfers in from Indiana after four years with the Hoosiers. He threw just 38 passes at Indiana, so he's still unproven. However, his primary recruiter to Indiana out of high school was Kalen DeBoer, which can only be a good sign.
He’ll have running back Jalen White back, as well as receiver Derwin Burgess. Even with the loss of leading receiver Khaleb Hood, this receiver room should have some good pieces, and they spread the ball around to everybody.
All five starting offensive linemen saw time last year, and the defense also has solid experience returning with Isaac Walker up front, Marques Watson-Trent in the middle and TJ Smith on the back end.
I wanted to bet this over, but I just can’t pull the trigger with the uncertainty at quarterback and a brutal schedule. The Eagles will play 10 bowl teams from last year, including Boise State and Ole Miss in the non-con.
They play all the top teams in the conference at home in App State, Troy and James Madison, but those are still probably losses. Then their 50/50 games against Georgia State, Old Dominion, South Alabama and Coastal Carolina all come on the road.
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Georgia State had a brutal offseason. Head coach Shawn Elliott pulled a dirtbag move and left the Panthers halfway through spring practice to be the tight ends coach at South Carolina.
The Panthers were forced to scramble, hiring Georgia running backs coach Dell McGee. McGee is known for his recruiting chops, which will be great, but getting hired in February doesn't help much.
The team loses three-year starting quarterback Darren Grainger and its top running back, wide receiver and offensive lineman. This is truly a Year 0 situation for Georgia State.
It’s a stay-away from me, but I will need them to lose games to other teams I want to invest in.
James Madison lost head coach Curt Cignetti to Indiana, and he brought along with him Mikail Kamara, Aiden Fisher, Jailin Walker, Kaelon Black, Elijah Sarratt, Ty Son Lawton, Zach Horton, Tyrique Tucker, D’Angelo Ponds, Tyler Stephens, Nick Kidwell and James Carpenter.
Plus, the Dukes lost Jordan McCloud to Texas State, and Reggie Brown, Jalen Green and Jamree Kromah to the NFL.
But that long list of losses has created value for James Madison.
New head coach Bob Chesney and his Jeremy Renner-like jawline comes in from Holy Cross and brings a pedigree of winning everywhere he has gone.
Dylan Morris transfers in at quarterback from Washington after four seasons with the Huskies. He was the starter at Washington for a bit before losing his job to Michael Penix Jr. He finished with 20 touchdown passes in his Pac-12 career and now gets another shot at being QB1.
James Madison also brings in running back George Pettaway from North Carolina and Ayo Adeyi from North Texas for a strong running back room. However, the wide receiver room will be pretty inexperienced.
This defense was absolutely gutted and loses everybody except cornerback Chauncey Logan and safety Jacob Thomas. Still, Chesney brought FCS All-American linebacker Jacob Dobbs with him from Holy Cross. The two-time Patriot Defensive Player of the Year should be a huge help to run this defense.
Not only do I think the talent on the field will be better than people expect, but this schedule sets up super easy.
James Madison will play at North Carolina early and at App State late, but it plays the seven worst teams in the Sun Belt. If Chesney can stabilize the ship, James Madison could be 9-1 heading into the App State game.
So, you're essentially getting the Dukes +750 to beat App State and reach the title game. If everything clicks, James Madison can finally win the Sun Belt after being ineligible for the last two seasons.
Pick: James Madison to Win Sun Belt (+850) · Over 8.5
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Louisiana started three different quarterbacks last season with Chandler Fields starting the last three games after injuries to Ben Wooldridge and Zeon Chriss.
Fields finished the year with seven touchdowns and three interceptions and appears to be in control for the starting job heading into this season.
The top two pass-catchers are gone, but the cupboard isn’t completely bare at receiver.
The run game could be strong, as Dre’lyn Washington takes over as the main back after rushing for over 500 yards last season. He'll also be running behind an offensive line that returns four of its five starters.
The defense loses Kendre Gant but returns almost everybody else. This defense was terrible against the run but should be better with so many players back, led by K.C. Ossai at linebacker. Cam Whitfield and Jordan Lawson are also two strong pieces coming off the edge.
The schedule sets up nicely for the Ragin' Cajuns, who get Tulane, App State, Arkansas State, South Alabama and Troy all at home.
A win total of 7.5 seems about right, though.
They should have four clear wins on their schedule, but Tulane, Wake Forest, App State and Texas State are probably four losses. I don’t think I trust Louisiana to win all four of its coin-flip games even if it'll likely be a small favorite in them all.
I was a big fan of Marshall hiring Charles Huff, but I think the head coach going just 22-17 in three years is pretty disappointing.
He has had very talented teams and brought in a ton of Power 5 transfers again this year, but he just can’t seem to get the quarterback posiition right. Cam Fancher was terrible, and now it looks like the Thundering Herd will rely on backup Cole Pennington, who finished the season with zero touchdowns and six interceptions while completing just 57% of his passes.
The defense has been a strength for the Thundering Herd, but the unit has to replace two-time All-Sun Belt selections Micah Abraham and Owen Porter, as well as Eli Neal and Elijah Alston.
Star running back Rasheen Ali is gone, and their top five receivers have all left as well.
Ethan Payne takes over at tailback after backing up Ali last year, but it seems like new offensive coordinator Seth Doege is going to open up the offense and throw the ball more.
However, I’m not sure that's what you want if Pennington is under center.
Even with the loss of all of their top receivers, they bring in Bralon Brown from Ole Miss, Tychaun Chapman from North Carolina, Elijah Metcalf from Middle Tennessee and Christian Fitzpatrick from Michigan State to at least give Pennington some talent to throw to.
The defense is in the same situation. It lost a bunch of key players but bought in a lot of promising additions through the portal, so it's hard to know what to expect.
This feels like a 6-6 team again.
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Old Dominion lost a bunch of key pieces to the portal, but it somehow retained stud linebacker one of the best linebackers in the country in Jason Henderson. Henderson led the nation with over 14 tackles per game and should be playing in the SEC or the NFL.
He will need to dominate again because this team has to replace its entire secondary behind him.
The offense returns Grant Wilson at quarterback, and he should have plenty of weapons even with Reymello Murphy transferring after the spring. With Murphy gone, Kelby Williams and Isiah Paige are back at receiver.
The Monarchs lost both backs Kadarius Calloway and Keshawn Wicks but should be able to replace them with Bryce Duke from Virginia Tech and Aaron Young from Rutgers.
The biggest issue for this team was the offensive line. It allowed 62 sacks last season, the most in the country. Only two starters are back, and this new group needs to be much better at protecting Wilson.
Old Dominion played some crazy games last season. It won three games with touchdowns in the final minute and scored as time expired twice.
This program made just one bowl game in the six seasons before Ricky Rahne arrived and has now reached the postseason in two of his three seasons. The Monarchs play hard, and Wilson seems to have that clutch gene when it matters most.
But the schedule is unforgiving.
ODU starts the year at South Carolina and hosts Virginia Tech in Week 3. Even with East Carolina and Bowling Green on the docket, there aren't any sure-fire wins. Old Dominion basically needs to sweep its coin-flip games to go over this win total, so I’ll probably just pick a few spots to bet the Monarchs, like against East Carolina and Georgia State.
Pick: Bet on Game-by-Game Basis
South Alabama lost head coach Kane Wommack to Alabama and promoted offensive coordinator Major Applewhite to head coach. Applewhite went 15-11 in two years at Houston, making a bowl in each season but getting their doors blown off in each postseason appearance.
The Jaguars also lose their quarterback, running back and leading wide receiver. Gio Lopez takes over at QB after a great bowl performance, but he really struggled during the spring. Braylon McReynolds and Kentrel Bullock will look to fill the running back hole together.
And while losing wide receiver Caullin Lacy is massive, Jamaal Pritchett, Javon Ivory, and Devin Voisin are all back.
The defense also lost most of its top talent, but the defensive front should be terrific again with veterans Wy’Kevious Thomas and Maurice Strong Jr. Safety Jaden Voisin staying was also huge for this secondary.
South Alabama’s offense was terrific last season with Applewhite calling the shots, so I don’t think it will drop off too much. On the other side, the defense still has strong pieces even with the losses.
The Jaguars probably have enough talent to make a bowl, but the win total number fo 6.5 looks about right.
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Southern Miss lost its do-it-all Swiss army knife in Frank Gore Jr., which means this team will look different.
They will look to rebuild the offense with Chip Long taking over offensive coordinator duties. He looks to bring a fast-paced unit with pre-snap motion and misdirection to the Golden Eagles' field.
Tate Rodemaker takes over at quarterback after transferring from Florida State, while Rodrigues Clark takes over as the lead back after leading the team in yards per carry. Southern Miss always has a massive offensive line, so he should be running behind a good group up front.
The defense also has a new coordinator after really struggling last year. The Golden Eagles allowed a ton of big plays on defense and need to improve their tackling.
Like the offense, they should be strongest up front, but more questions arise outside of the trench.
To me, Southern Miss only has four or five winnable games on its schedule. So, it would need to basically sweep Southeastern Louisiana, Jacksonville State, South Alabama, Marshall and UL Monroe to go over this total. That’s a tough ask.
Pick: Pass (Lean Under)
Texas State is everybody’s darling in the Sun Belt, but I’m not sure I’m sold. The Bobcats did a great job in the portal, but they basically just canceled out what they lost.
Quarterback TJ Finley went to Western Kentucky, and now they bring in Jordan McCloud from James Madison. They return running back Ismail Mahdi, which is huge, but they lose Donerio Davenport, Jahmyl Jeter and Calvin Hill, who they replaced with UTEP boys Torrance Burgess and Deion Hankins.
At receiver, they swap out Ashtyn Hawkins for Jaden Williams from Boston College.
And then they bring back seven starters on a defense that looked awful at times last year. Down the stretch last season, the Bobcats gave up 36 to a Southern Miss team that struggled to complete a forward pass, 34 to Louisiana and needed a last-minute score to beat UL Monroe. Troy also got them for 31, Coastal Carolina scored 31, Arkansas State put up 77 and South Alabama hung 44.
They ranked 126th at preventing explosiveness last year and are just running back their entire secondary.
South Alabama was the only team with a winning record that Texas State beat last season, and again, it gave up 44 points.
The schedule sets up nicely where they get the four worst teams in the conference and avoid App State and James Madison, but I have major questions about this defense and think this team is overvalued in the market.
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Troy ran through everybody in the Sun Belt last season. The Trojans went undefeated in the conference, outgaining every team they played by what felt like 200 yards.
However, head coach Jon Sumrall leaves for Tulane after an incredible job, and in comes Gerad Parker after one season as Notre Dame's offensive coordinator.
He'll have to replace a lot. Quarterback Gunnar Watson is gone, as are first-team All-Sun Belt selections Kimani Vidal, Austin Stidham, Jake Andrews, T.J. Jackson, Reddy Steward, Javon Solomon and Richard Jibunor.
Backup QB Goose Crowder takes over under center, but Vidal will be much harder to replace.
Parker also has to replace nearly the entire defense, which is what has made Troy special in recent years. Parker brought in some solid transfer portal pieces, but he's being asked to replace a lot, and there are too many unknowns.
The Trojans dodge App State and James Madison, so it's light enough that they could make a bowl, but a win total of 6.5 is probably a fair number.
UL Monroe started three quarterbacks last season, but only Hunter Herring returns. Oklahoma's General Booty also transferred in to compete with him following the spring.
Leading rusher Hunter Smith comes back, but the offensive line and wide receiver rooms are undergoing complete rebuilds.
The defense also lost nearly all of its key pieces. The Warhawks’ linebackers were gutted by the portal, and defensive tackle Adin Huntington leaving after the spring was a massive blow.
This is a complete and total rebuild. ULM will likely be a double-digit underdog in every game except against Jackson State and Southern Miss.
