Welcome back, college football fans. First, a shoutout to my wife (and JoJo’s mom) of 24 years today! Today’s episode is about the Group of 5 conference that we predict will have the biggest impact on this year’s playoffs, the Sun Belt, 6th most difficult conference in Division I. Not only do they have James Madison, Louisiana, and Coastal Carolina (granted coming off of a down year), but Arkansas St, Texas St, and Marshall had solid seasons. Top to bottom, this conference is stronger than the Mountain West, who is probably the second strongest. All the realignments next season could change things, but the Sun Belt will be relatively unharmed. Next season they will lose Texas St, the westernmost team in the conference, to the new Pac-x but will gain Ohio from the MAC. So, they lose the Bobcats and gain the Bobcats.
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Read through some of their opponents in the table below. There are a lot of strong non-conference games: Arizona St, Liberty, Indiana, Virginia Tech, Clemson, South Carolina, Mississippi, Vanderbilt, Missouri, Memphis, Boise St, Jacksonville St, Iowa St, and Alabama, to name a few. While there will be a good number of losses, the Sun Belt has been a considerable giant killer in previous seasons, and I’d count on a few impactful upsets. Our recommendation is, when scheduling your football Saturdays, make sure the Sun Belt gets some airplay. You will not be disappointed.
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In the table below, (F) indicates a game against an FCS foe, (G) indicates a test against a non-conference Group of 5 team, (4) indicates a battle against a Core 4 team, and (N) indicates a neutral site game. I know this post is short, but it is my wedding anniversary. With no further ado, JoJo and I are honored to present the 2025 Sun Belt Conference:
| Team | Home | 2024 Record (Rank) | 2025 PS SOS (Rank) | Home Games | Away/Neutral Games |
| Texas St Bobcats (1) | San Marcos, TX | 8-5 (83) | 8.71 (25) | E Michigan (G), Nicholls (F), Troy, James Madison, ULM, South Alabama | UTSA (G), Arizona St (4), Arkansas St, Marshall, Louisiana, Southern Miss |
| James Madison Duke (2) | Harrisonburg, VA | 9-4 (67) | 8.62 (28) | Weber St (F), Ga Southern, Louisiana, Old Dominion, App St, Washington St (G) | Louisville (4), Liberty (G), Georgia St, Texas St, Marshall, Coastal Car |
| Old Dominion Monarchs (3) | Norfolk VA | 5-7 (103) | 8.59 (31) | NC Central (F), Liberty (G), Coastal Car, App St, Troy, Georgia St | Indiana (4), Virginia Tech (4), Marshall, James Madison, ULM, Ga Southern |
| Troy Trojans (4) | Troy, AL | 4-8 (111) | 8.40 (41) | Nicholls (F), Memphis (G), South Alabama, Louisiana, Arkansas St, Georgia St | Clemons (4), Buffalo (G), Texas St, ULM, Old Dominion, Southern Miss |
| Georgia St Panthers (5) | Atlanta, GA | 3-9 (119) | 8.39 (43) | Memphis (G), Murray St (F), James Madison, App St, South Alabama, Marshall | Mississippi (4), Vanderbilt (4), Ga Southern, Coastal Car, Troy, Old Dominion |
| Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns (6) | Lafayette, LA | 10-4 (66) | 8.20 (49) | Rice (G), McNeese (F), Marshall, Southern Miss, Texas St, ULM | Missouri (4), E Michigan (G), James Madison, Troy, South Alabama, Arkansas St |
| Southern Miss Golden Eagles (7) | Hattiesburg, MS | 1-11 (116) | 7.92 (60) | Mississippi St (4), Jackson St (F), App St, Jacksonville St (G), ULM, Texas St, Troy | LA Tech (G), Ga Southern, Louisiana, Arkansas St, South Alabama |
| Ga Southern Eagles (8) | Statesboro, GA | 8-5 (79) | 7.76 (72) | Jacksonville St (G), Maine (F), Southern Miss, Georgia St, Coastal Car, Old Dominion | Fresno St (G), Southern Cal (4), James Madison, Arkansas St, App St, Marshall |
| Marshall Thundering Herd (9) | Huntington, WV | 10-3 (46) | 7.62 (79) | Missouri St (G), E Kentucky (F), Old Dominion, Texas St, James Madison, Ga Southern | Georgia (4), Middle Tennessee (G), Louisiana, Coastal Car, Georgia St, App St |
| Coastal Car Chanticleers (10) | Conway, SC | 6-7 (115) | 7.43 (88) | Charleston So (F), East Carolina (G), ULM, Marshall, Georgia St, James Madison | Virginia (4), South Alabama, Old Dominion, App St, Ga Southern, South Carolina (4) |
| App St Mountaineers (11) | Boone,NC | 5-6 (97) | 7.41 (90) | Lindenwood (F), Oregon St (G), Coastal Car, Ga Southern, Marshall, Arkansas St | Charlotte (GN), Southern Miss, Boise St (G), Georgia St, Old Dominion, James Madison |
| Arkansas St Red Wolves (12) | Jonesboro, AR | 8-5 (89) | 7.24 (97) | SEMO (F), Iowa St (4), Texas St, Ga Southern, Southern Miss, Louisiana | Arkansas (4), Kennesaw St (G), ULM, South Alabama, Troy, App St |
| ULM Warhawks (13) | Monroe, LA | 5-7 (98) | 7.22 (98) | St Francis (F), Arkansas St, Troy, Old Dominion, South Alabama | Alabama (4), UTEP (G), Northwestern (4), Coastal Car, Southern Miss, Texas St, Louisiana |
| South Alabama Jaguars (14) | Mobile, AL | 7-6 (96) | 6.85 (115) | Morgan St (F), Tulane (G), Coastal Car, Arkansas St, Louisiana, Soutehrn Miss | Auburn (4), North Texas, Troy, Georgia St, ULM, Texas St |
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That’s it for today. Thank you for reading, commenting, and, especially, sharing with others. See you next time, JoJo and G.
