As we get ready for the 2024 College Football season, it’s time to take a look at the Sun Belt Conference.
Part of the Group of Five, the conferences that take part in the Football Bowl Subdivision, the Sun Belt is not likely to see any of its members make it into the expanded, 12-team College Football Playoff.
Why? Because the competition is tough enough to give each team a couple of conference losses, and you have to be perfect to make it to the CFP if you’re not in the Power 4
.The Sun Belt is now unique among football conferences in that it still puts its football teams into two divisions, with the division winners meeting for the conference championship.
The East Division (Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, and James Madison, Marshall, and Old Dominion) is a tougher road, which may be one reason why Troy, from the West Division, is the two-time defending conference champion – less wear and tear along the way.
We have a list of the top ten sports betting matchups from Sun Belt play for the 2024 season, as well as some thoughts about this conference. Because most bettors aren’t as familiar with these teams, the lines may show some imbalances that you can leverage this season.
College Football Betting On Best Matchups in Sun Belt Football | NCAAF Odds
- James Madison at Appalachian State (November 23)
- Coastal Carolina at James Madison (October 10)
- Coastal Carolina at Troy (November 2)
- Appalachian State at Coastal Carolina (November 7)
- Marshall at James Madison (November 30)
- Troy at South Alabama (October 15)
- James Madison at Georgia Southern (October 19)
- Texas State at Troy (October 3)
- Appalachian State at Marshall (October 5)
- Louisiana at Texas State (October 29)
New Coaches
Five new coaches are taking over programs in the Sun Belt. Coastal Carolina has second-year coach Tim Beck, and G.J. Kinne is also entering his second campaign at Texas State.
Kinne elevated the Bobcats from second-to-last to first in total offense, as they averaged more than 125 yards more per game in 2023 than they did in 2022.
Quarterback Grayson McCall has transferred to N.C. State, but that successful season, including a bowl victory, gives Kinne momentum moving forward.
Major Applewhite
Applewhite takes over South Alabama after getting shown the door at Houston. Coaching the Cougars after Dana Holgorsen was a tough assignment, as Holgorsen had set up the program to be a track-meet offense without paying much attention to defense.
Applewhite’s approach will make South Alabama a solid offense, and their passing game should be one of the better ones in the conference.
Applewhite fell prey to expectations in Houston as the fan base thinks they should have been a Big 12 contender, but you can’t win that conference without defense unless you have the skill players that Lincoln Riley used to bring to Oklahoma.
Curt Cignetti
James Madison said goodbye to Curt Cignetti, who took the head job at Indiana. Cignetti built a juggernaut at James Madison, so the fan base will expect the winning to continue.
Bob Chesney, Dell McGee
Chesney brought Holy Cross out of some historic doldrums, but there’s a difference between coaching in the FCS and the Group of Five. Georgia State brings in Dell McGee, and this first season brings a bear of a schedule. He was the running game coach at Georgia for five years, so expect Georgia State to have a power attack on the ground.
Bryant Vincent
Louisiana-Monroe brings in Bryant Vincent, who rebuilt UAB after its hiatus.
ULM has had a hard time getting off the ground. Vincent was able to revamp UAB, but ULM might represent even more of a challenge. At Troy, Gerad Parker takes over Troy after losing Jon Sumrall, who led the team to two straight Sun Belt titles, to Tulane.
Parker was an interim head coach at Purdue in 2016, but the Boilermakers posted a disappointing 0-6 record. It will be interesting to see what Parker can do with his own program at Troy.
Last year, 12 of the 14 Sun Belt teams earned bowl eligibility by posting winning records; the exceptions were ULM and Southern Mississippi.
With five new head coaches and the transfer portal wreaking havoc on the top programs in the Sun Belt, the continuity that you need to keep winning at this level will be difficult to find.
College Football Betting Sun Belt Best Matches to Win
NCAAF Transfers
Which transfers will make the most difference for Sun Belt programs? On the defensive side of the ball, the biggest difference-makers are likely to be in the trenches.
Three defensive tackles are ready to get some notoriety in Sun Belt play: Texas State got Tunmise Adeleye from Michigan State, Marshall got Will Norman from Florida, and Nick Campbell left N.C. State for Appalachian State.
Edge rushers included Steven Parker, who came to Texas State from UIW, and Ashley Williams, who left Arizona State for Louisiana.
On the offensive side of the ball, tailback George Pettaway left North Carolina for James Madison, wide receiver Nakai Poole left Mississippi State for James Madison, and wide receiver Christian Fitzpatrick left Michigan State for Marshall.
Offensive lineman Garner Langlo left Auburn for Appalachian State.
College Football Betting Sun Belt Best Matches to Win
New QBs at the Sun Belt
Nine of the 14 Sun Belt teams have new quarterbacks coming out of the transfer portal. Jordan McCloud left James Madison for Sun Belt rival Texas State, while James Madison bounced back by getting Dylan Morris from Washington.
Noah Kim left Michigan State for Coastal Carolina, and Tate Rodemaker (the quarterback who led Florida State to an ACC championship) is now at Southern Miss, elevating their hopes of bowl eligibility.
Georgia State
Got two quarterbacks – Christian Veilleux from Pitt and Zach Gibson from Georgia State. Dexter Williams left Indiana for Georgia Southern, Charles Wright left Texas for Appalachian State, and Timmy McClain left UCF for Arkansas State.
Marshall
They got two quarterbacks – Braylon Braxton from Tulsa and Mitch Griffis from Utah.
Appalachian State
Should benefit from their returning production in 2024. Joey Aguilar is back at quarterback, and his top six receivers are all returning as well.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Mountaineers had 21 players on the field for meaningful snaps, and 15 of them are back. They do face Clemson and Liberty in September, but the Mountaineers have shown an ability to punch above their weight many times in the past.
Wins in those two games could get them on the CFP radar.
Texas State
Texas State looks to improve on their 8-5 campaign. Quarterback T.J. Finley left for Western Kentucky, but Jordan McCloud might be even better.
Tailback Ismail Mahdi ran for over 1,300 yards last year, and they’re both behind an O-line returning three starters and with Tellek Lockette on board from ULM. The defense has terrific players on all three levels, and Ben Bell is one of the top edge rushers in the nation.
James Madison
The Dukes posted a 19-5 record over the last two seasons, earning Cignetti a job in the Big Ten. His successor saw Holy Cross win five consecutive conference championships and make four FCS playoffs in his six years.
Quarterback Dylan Morris came in from Washington (who advanced to the FBS national championship game last year), and tailback Ayo Adeyi transferred in from North Texas to give the offensive balance.
Linebacker Jacob Dobbs followed Chesney from Holy Cross, and edge rusher Eric O’Neill has transferred in from LIU.
Louisiana
Has posted two straight 6–7 seasons, but Michael Desormeaux’s third season as coach could be the charm. Nine of the starters return on defense, and most of the skill players and the O-line are back.
Quarterback Zeon Chriss transferred to Houston, but Chandler Fields or Ben Wooldridge should be fine at the helm.
College Football Betting Sun Belt Best Matches to Win
.
— Sun Belt (@SunBelt) May 30, 2024
Sun Belt Conference & @espn announce @SunBeltFB kickoff times & network designations for Weeks 1-3 & midweek contests throughout the 2024 season—including 23 games on linear networks. ☀️
» https://t.co/wR6Gh0ZPrN pic.twitter.com/6gpmFFXW05
College Football Championship Odds For Today
Xbet NCAA Football Odds for the Game
College Football Betting Odds for Sun Belt Conference
Love betting Football? | Xbet Sportsbook offers up to date College Basketball Odds
