Sun Belt Conference 2015 Football Preview
The 2014 Sun Belt Conference was supposed to be predictable. The new guys ( and there were lots of them) would come join the club, but at the end of the day the title would be decided by the old favorites like Troy, LA Lafayette, or Arkansas State.
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That did not happen. Two of the new guys roughed the old guard up pretty good. They were the Georgia Southern Eagles and the Appalachian State Mountaineers. The Eagles did one better than that by outright winning the conference. Meanwhile Troy had its worst year in recent memory.
Cut to the 2015 Media Poll. Sun Belt press are not scared of the new guys anymore, with Georgia Southern heavily predicted to repeat as champions this year. Their primary company are the Cajuns of Lafayette and the Red Wolves of Arkansas State. Despite an impressive second half of the year, Appalachian State could not win any first place love.
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Who has the Belt? Georgia Southern Eagles
Whadya mean option football is dead? Do no tell that to the Eagles, who used their version of ground and pound to go right through their Sun Belt competition last year. The Eagles produced 381 yards on the ground per game last year. Despite missing time, quarterback Kevin Ellison ran for over a thousand yards last year. The fullback Matt Breida averaged a monster 8.7 yards per carry. Will they miss that senior-laden o-line? You bet. Yet it is hard to pick against these guys right now.
Interesting Note: Arkansas State Red Wolves
The Red Wolves have been the kings of coaching turnover, annually sending a successful coach to a better job. This year they have the first stability in the position in a while with Blake Anderson sticking around for year two. Wonder what Hugh Freeze, Gus Malzahn, and Bryan Harsin are up to?
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Predictions (Conference Only):
1. Georgia Southern Eagles (8-0)
2. Appalachian State Mountaineers (6-2)
3. Arkansas State Red Wolves (6-2)
4. Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin Cajuns (6-2)
5. South Alabama Jaguars (5-3)
6. Texas State Bobcats (5-3)
7. Louisiana-Monroe WarHawks (3-5)
8. Troy Trojans (3-5)
9. New Mexico State Aggies (2-6)
10. Idaho Vandals (0-8)
11. Georgia State Panthers (0-8)