Tag: Sun Belt

The Sun Belt Is On ESPN College GameDay And It’s A Big Deal

After years of the Sun Belt not being any time to shine, ESPN College GameDay is making its first ever pilgrimage to a Sun Belt campus.

After years of the Sun Belt not being any time to shine, ESPN College GameDay is making its first ever pilgrimage to a Sun Belt campus.

Contact @astatefanrules

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It only took an NCAA baseball champion to get ESPN College GameDay to visit a Sun Belt campus.

This Saturday, the universally loved and over-produced college football carnival sets up tents at Coastal Carolina, where the undefeated Chanticleers take on Lib…uh, the BYU Cougars, who are also undefeated and monolithed* into the schedule thanks to COVID-19. As one columnist observed, this is the ULTIMATE 2020 college football game.

Perhaps to the chagrin of Troy, Appalachian State and Louisiana – all recent AP Top 25 Sun Belt Programs – #16 Coastal Carolina receives the blessing of the world’s leading sports network, bringing its upstart brand of suddenly very good football to a global audience. While that may make many in the Sun Belt orbit burn with teeth-gritting envy, the value Coastal is bringing to the conference is pure bitcoin.

The Sun Belt needs this juice, and the timing couldn’t be better. After all, once the mighty College Football Playoff Committee weighs in, anybody not in the Top 6 may as well spend their time polishing their Tinder profiles. On Saturday, College GameDay won’t be in Tuscaloosa or Clemson or Columbus – it’sConway, baby. You want an in-depth analysis of Ohio State’s scheduling situation? TOO BAD, YOU GOT COASTAL. Looking for a status report on Nick Saban’s health? PROGNOSIS UNKNOWN, SUCKER, YOU GOT COASTAL. How about a look at whatever Oregon is wearing? EAT IT! YOU GOT COASTAL!

Fortunately for America, Coastal Carolina plays an entertaining brand of football, well rounded on all facets of the game. By Sunday, freshman sensation quarterback Grayson McCall is going to be a household name. On the opposing sideline, BYU has already murdered Troy and Texas State, so the Chants have an obligation to avenge the Sun Belt. Chances of this game being a dud is small, giving Game Day incentive to visit the Sun Belt again.

Who’s going to win? Who knows? The Cougars are big and fast. But they haven’t played a team like Coastal Carolina, a school with a recent national championship and beach access. I give the edge to the Chants.

* To “monolith” is to appear suddenly and mysteriously

A former notary public, Jeremy Harper is a professional writer and Chief Instigator for Storm the Castle Creative. He spends much of his free time staring blankly into space. 

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Appalachian State Battles Coastal Carolina In The Sun Belt Bowl

The Old School Marshall duels the Young Gun Chanticleers this Saturday when Coastal Carolina hosts Appalachian State

The Old School Marshall duels the Young Gun Chanticleers this Saturday when Coastal Carolina hosts Appalachian State

Contact @astatefanrules

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At the start of this stupid season, if you had told me that Coastal Carolina would be undefeated and ranked #15 in the nation after 12 weeks of football, I’d have probably said, “Yeah, okay” because Lord Entropy is the Sun Belt’s only master. If you told me Rip Torn would also lead in rushing, I’d have believed it, too.

Yet, the Sun Belt’s Sheriff’s badge still shines on the chest of the Mountaineers, its only blemish a loss to currently undefeated Marshall. Appalachian State may be a bit longer in the tooth than the Chants, but Zack Thomas is still a unit behind center, the defense is as stingy as ever, and the citizens of Boone are plenty surly that anyone would dare question their legitimacy.

Short story shorter, Appalachian State wasn’t letting anyone besmirch the supremacy of the Mountaineers. Respect and fist bumps, App fans.

However, to dismiss the Chanticleers is to make a very big mistake; they are legit good. The Chants shut-out a Georgia State offense that puts up 39 points per game. They’re a member of the Sun Belt’s 2020 Big XII Massacre Squad. They’ve defeated #21 Louisiana in Lafayette. Coastal’s freshman QB, Grayson McCall, has been added to the Maxwell Award watch list.

Coastal Carolina’s proficiency on both sides of the ball reminds me of…Appalachian State.

The Mountaineers are also legit good – and well-rounded. The offense and defense both rank second in the Sun Belt. QB Zac Thomas is having another elite season behind center. And they made Arkansas State look like a division two school in Jonesboro.

Yet, while the Mountaineers have been solid, they haven’t been dominating. Comparing apples, Appalachian State struggled in a 17-13 win at Boone over Georgia State – the same Georgia State that Coastal demolished 51-zero in Atlanta. Sometimes, the Mountaineers’ offense stalls. Coastal always seems to coast.

Appalachian State and Coastal Carolina enjoy an early tee-time in Boone this Saturday on ESPN 2. Whoever wins gets to pin the Sun Belt Sheriff Star on their chests, even if Lord Entropy remains the law of the conference.

A former notary public, Jeremy Harper is a professional writer and Chief Instigator for Storm the Castle Creative. He spends much of his free time staring blankly into space. 

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Updated list of this weekend’s cancelled/postponed college football games

The full list of the now 14 games that have been canceled or postponed in college football this weekend.

It seems like each time you refresh your Twitter feed this week there is more bad news for college football as yet another game is being cancelled or postponed.

That was the case for me as I just hit refresh as I sat down after lunch and the news of Utah and UCLA getting called-off showed up.

Add it to the ever-growing list as COVID-19 has hit college football hard this week and teams and conferences understandably proceed with the season under plenty of caution.

Here is a list of all the college football games that have been either cancelled or postponed for this weekend:

No. 1 Alabama at LSU
No. 3 Ohio State at Maryland
No. 5 Texas A&M at Tennessee
No. 12 Georgia at Missouri
No. 15 Coastal Carolina at Troy
No. 24 Auburn at Mississippi State
North Texas at UAB
Rice at Louisiana Tech
Memphis at Navy
Pittsburgh at Georgia Tech
Air Force at Wyoming
California at Arizona State
UL Monroe at Arkansas State
Utah at UCLA

14 games in total are off for this weekend as college football continues to play through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sun Belt Predictions, Schedule, Game Previews, Lines, TV: Week 7

Sun Belt college football predictions, schedule, game previews, lines and TV listings for Week 7 of the season.

Sun Belt college football predictions, schedule, game previews, lines and TV listings for Week 7 of the season.

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Results So Far
SU: 21-7, ATS: 11-14, Point Total: 18-7

Click on each game for game preview & prediction

Wednesday, October 14

Coastal Carolina at Louisiana

Line: Louisiana -9.5, o/u: 58.5
Prediction: Louisiana 30, Coastal Carolina 23
Final Score: Coastal Carolina 30, Louisiana 27

Thursday, October 15

Georgia State at Arkansas State

7:30 ESPN
Line: Arkansas State -3, o/u: 72
– Bet on this at BetMGM

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Saturday, October 17

Texas State at South Alabama

12:00 ESPNU
Line: South Alabama -2.5, o/u: 58
– Bet on this at BetMGM

UMass at Georgia Southern

4:00 ESPNU
Line: Georgia Southern -31, o/u: 63
– Bet on this at BetMGM

Eastern Kentucky at Troy

7:00 ESPN3
Line: Troy -28, o/u: 60.5
– Bet on this at BetMGM

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Sun Belt Preseason Predictions For Every Game

What’s going to happen this season in the Sun Belt? The schedules and predictions for each team and every game. 

What’s going to happen this season in the Sun Belt?  The schedules and predictions for each team and every game. 

Sun Belt Preseason Predicted Finish

East
1. Appalachian State
2. Georgia Southern
3. Troy
4. Georgia State
5. Coastal Carolina

West
1. Louisiana
2. Arkansas State
3. ULM
4. South Alabama
5. Texas State

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Sun Belt Championship Prediction

Louisiana over Appalachian State

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

Sun Belt East Schedules

Appalachian State Football Schedule

2020 Record: 0-0
2020 Preseason Prediction: 10-2
2020 Preseason Sun Belt Prediction: 7-1
2019 Preseason Prediction: 9-3
2019: 13-1, 2018: 11-2
2020 Appalachian State Preview

Sept. 5 OPEN DATE
Sept. 12 Charlotte W
Sept. 19 at Marshall W
Sept. 26 Campbell W
Oct. 3 OPEN DATE
Oct. 7 Louisiana W
Oct. 14 at Georgia Southern W 
Oct. 24 Arkansas State L
Oct. 31 at ULM W
Nov. 7 at Texas State W
Nov. 14 Georgia State W
Nov. 21 at Coastal Carolina W
Nov. 28 Troy W

Coastal Carolina Football Schedule

2020 Record: 0-0
2020 Preseason Prediction: 4-7
2020 Preseason Sun Belt Prediction: 2-6
2019 Preseason Prediction: 4-8
2019: 5-7, 2018: 5-7
2020 Coastal Carolina Preview

Sept. 5 OPEN DATE
Sept. 12 at Kansas L
Sept. 19 Campbell W
Sept. 26 OPEN DATE
Oct. 3 Arkansas State L
Oct. 10 OPEN DATE
Oct. 17 at Louisiana L
Oct. 24 Georgia Southern L
Oct. 29 at Georgia State L
Nov. 7 South Alabama W
Nov. 14 at Troy L
Nov. 21 Appalachian State L
Nov. 28 at Texas State W
Dec. 5 Liberty W 

Georgia Southern Football Schedule

2020 Record: 0-0
2020 Preseason Prediction: 8-3
2020 Preseason Sun Belt Prediction: 6-2
2019 Preseason Prediction: 7-5
2019: 7-6, 2018: 10-3
2020 Georgia Southern Preview

Sept. 5 OPEN DATE
Sept. 12 Campbell W
Sept. 19 Florida Atlantic W
Sept. 26 at Louisiana L
Oct. 3 at ULM W
Oct. 10 OPEN DATE
Oct. 14 Appalachian State L
Oct. 24 at Coastal Carolina W
Oct. 31 South Alabama W
Nov. 7 Troy W
Nov. 14 Texas State W
Nov. 21 at Army  L
Nov. 28 at Georgia State W

Georgia State State Football Schedule

2020 Record: 0-0
2020 Preseason Prediction: 3-7
2020 Preseason Sun Belt Prediction: 3-5
2019 Preseason Prediction: 4-8
2019: 7-6, 2018: 2-10
2020 Georgia State Preview

Sept. 5 OPEN DATE
Sept. 12 OPEN DATE
Sept. 19 Louisiana L
Sept. 26 at Charlotte L
Oct. 3 East Carolina L
Oct. 10 OPEN DATE
Oct. 15 at Arkansas State L
Oct. 24 at Troy L
Oct. 29 Coastal Carolina W
Nov. 7 ULM W
Nov. 14 at Appalachian State L
Nov. 21 at South Alabama W
Nov. 28 Georgia Southern L

Troy Football Schedule

2020 Record: 0-0
2020 Preseason Prediction: 6-6
2020 Preseason Sun Belt Prediction: 5-3
2019 Preseason Prediction: 9-3
2019: 5-7, 2018: 10-3
2020 Troy Preview

Sept. 5 OPEN DATE
Sept. 12 OPEN DATE
Sept. 19 at Middle Tennessee L
Sept. 26 at BYU L
Oct. 3 at South Alabama W
Oct. 8 Texas State W
Oct. 17 Eastern Kentucky W
Oct. 24 Georgia State W
Oct. 31 at Arkansas State L
Nov. 7 at Georgia Southern L
Nov. 14 Coastal Carolina W
Nov. 21 Middle Tennessee L
Nov. 28 at Appalachian State L
Dec. 5 ULM 
W

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The Sun Belt Opens The Season With An Opportunity It Can’t Possibly Screw Up (Right?)

The Sun Belt Opens The Season With An Opportunity It Can’t Possibly Screw Up (Right?) Never overestimate the Sun Belt’s capacity for calamity Contact @astatefanrules As I write this, the student news paper for the University of North Carolina has …

The Sun Belt Opens The Season With An Opportunity It Can’t Possibly Screw Up (Right?)

Never overestimate the Sun Belt’s capacity for calamity

Contact @astatefanrules

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As I write this, the student news paper for the University of North Carolina has already declared the semester “a clusterfuck.”  Meanwhile, Notre Dame is reporting a big spike in COVID-19 cases. The MAC canceled its fall season, and the Big 10 and Mountain West followed suit.

Yet, some college football conferences are heroically plowing forward. Among them, although from opposite ends of the FBS spectrum: the SEC and the Sun Belt. Why? America needs football, damnit! Who cares that Major League Baseball can’t field a weekend of games without creating a pandemic hotspot? Or that the NBA has only maintained its health by sealing itself inside the World’s Happiest Bubble?  The Sun Belt and the SEC may be divided by tens hundreds of millions of dollars, but they are united by life’s universally accepted coin – hardheadedness .

Whether it is wise to host a football season in this “time of uncertainly” is up for debate. However, what’s absolutely clear is that the Sun Belt has an opportunity.

By the time the SEC plays its first game (of an incestuous 8-game schedule), the Sun Belt will already be 3-weeks deep into its own schedule. The Sun Belt will have applied its molten heat on the likes of Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State, and Memphis among others. That’s three weeks of owning the South with exclusive college football content. While SEC pundits are spitting out practice boring reports and cranky Saban quotes, the Sun Belt will be playing ACTUAL GAMES.

How does the Sun Belt handle this plum situation? The right answer is BALLSY, of course. But knowing the Sun Belt, and not knowing much about Sun Belt Commissioner Keith Gill (despite being on the job for more than a year and a half), the response will be prudent and cautious, and that’s just lame.

The Sun Belt should be negotiating a phat package with ESPN right now. Commissioner Gill ride a white steed right up to College Gameday’s throne and demand they visit some place ridiculous, like Monore. The SEC “Just Matters More?” For three weeks, they won’t even matter at all! 

By the time the SEC gets out of bed on September 26, the AP Top 25 will be stacked with laser hot Sun Belt (and whoever else manages to survive)! After all, how can you possibly rank a winless team three weeks in the season? You can’t, right?

We have three weeks, Sun Belt. Let’s make the most of them.

A former notary public, Jeremy Harper is a professional writer and Chief Instigator for Storm the Castle Creative. He spends much of his free time staring blankly into space. 

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Could the Sun Belt really play football while Big Ten, Pac-12 sit?

So many absurd possibilities exist right now.

First things first: No, I don’t expect the Sun Belt or Conference USA to play college football this fall. Yet, on the morning of August 12, 2020, that possibility is still in play. Meanwhile, the Big Ten and Pac-12 have called it quits for the fall.

Is this real life? In 2020, you bet it is. Everything is crazy and upside-down. Nothing makes sense. Normalcy has been shredded. Familiarity has been obliterated.

Given the “every conference for himself” reality we are seeing in college football, there is very little coordination or cohesion between conferences in announcing decisions on whether to play this fall. This has left us with the absurd situation of August 12: Three Power Five conferences want to continue to make an attempt to play football this fall, while two do not. Three Group of Five conferences want to try to play, while two do not.

Are we really going to have a world in which the Sun Belt plays fall football and the Big Ten does not? This means the Texas State Bobcats could play while the Ohio State Buckeyes don’t.

One would think that the reality of resources — Sun Belt schools do not have the infrastructure of SEC or Big 12 schools — will close the door on college football for the Sun Belt as well as Conference USA. However, those two Group of Five conferences reside in the same part of the country as the SEC, where football matters more than in many other regions of the United States. If state governors and state populations are galvanized in the pursuit of football, who is to say this couldn’t happen under any circumstances?

This isn’t a verdict on how wise such a move would be. This isn’t a verdict on citizens’ or politicians’ value systems. This is merely an assessment of whether such a scenario could unfold.

It could. It isn’t particularly likely, but what has 2020 been if not a parade of one unlikely event after another?

If the Sun Belt plays this fall — just as if any other conference or school plays in the coming weeks — players would deserve hazard pay and guaranteed health care. Is that likely to happen? No.

If the Sun Belt plays at a time when the SEC has pursued a conference-only schedule, just how much revenue can SBC programs expect to get from television? It won’t be that high.

The situation is so markedly bad for the Sun Belt and Conference USA. The upside of playing is not that high, since league programs were depending on getting game checks primarily from SEC powerhouses; that’s how these conferences get the money which sustains their athletic budgets. Yet, I understand why these smaller FBS conferences are still trying to play: Any revenue infusion could mean the difference between staying afloat for a given period of time and having nowhere else to turn. When faced with a menu of several bad options, playing games offers the less terrible path. I get it.

We will see if the less terrible option remains a possibility for the Sun Belt and Conference USA, or if a postponement of fall football comes fairly quickly, as the walls of a grim reality close in.

CFN Sun Belt Preview 2020: 5 Things That Matter. Top Players, Coaches, Games, Thoughts

The 2020 Sun Belt Preview with the top players, biggest games, most important transfers, and thoughts on each team.

The 2020 Sun Belt Preview with the top players, biggest games, most important transfers, and thoughts on each team.

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

5. Sun Belt 2020 Preview

Thanks, Georgia Southern.

Appalachian State took down North Carolina and South Carolina, and it rolled through almost everyone else on the way to a huge season. It likely would’ve been the Group of Five representative in the New Year’s Six bowl game – which turned out to be the Cotton against Penn State – had it not dropped a Halloween night game to Georgia Southern.

But even coming that close was a big thing for a conference that’s been able to hold its own from time to time when the spotlight is on.

ASU won its big battles with the Power Five, Georgia State shocked Tennessee, Coastal Carolina beat Kansas, Georgia Southern pushed Minnesota to the brink, Louisiana gave Mississippi State a hard time and whacked MAC champ Miami University in the Mobile Alabama Bowl, ULM had Florida State in a 45-44 loss, and South Alabama at least provided a bit of a push against Nebraska.

The league can play.

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Appalachian State is so much better than everyone else, but the year will be about the rest of the East trying to take down the champ.

The Mountaineers will get everyone’s best shot, with Troy looking strangers, Georgia State still good, Coastal Carolina more than just competitive, and Georgia Southern still Georgia Southern.

Louisiana and Arkansas State are far-and-away the stars of the West, and they both get App State. Texas State and ULM should have fun offenses, and South Alabama has been building for the last few years under Steve Campbell.

CFN Sun Belt Preview 
Teams: Surprise, Disappointments | Top Games
Players To Watch | One Thought On Each Team
– CFN Preview 2020: All 130 Team Previews

NEXT: Sun Belt Teams That Will Surprise, Disappoint

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Preview 2020: College Football News All-Sun Belt Team

Preview 2020: Previewing and looking ahead to the Sun Belt season with the College Football News All-Sun Belt Team & Top 30 players. 

Preview 2020: Previewing and looking ahead to the Sun Belt season with the College Football News All-Sun Belt Team & Top 30 players. 

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews  

– 2020 CFN All-Sun Belt Team
– 2020 CFN Top 30 Sun Belt Players

2020 Preseason CFN Sun belt Offensive Player of the Year

QB Levi Lewis, Sr. Louisiana

Flip a coin here, and either answer is right between Appalachian State QB Zac Thomas and the left-hander from Louisiana who has figured out how to run the Ragin’ Cajun offense so well.

Lewis is a smallish 5-11 and 190 pounds, and he doesn’t run a ton – 410 yards and four scores in his three seasons – but he’s accurate, he can hit the downfield plays, and he progressed into a terrific passer after taking over the job full-time last season.

Four interceptions – that’s it. He threw 26 touchdown passes, connected on 64% of his throws, and he winged it around the yards for over 3,000 yards. This year, he has the talent around him to do even more.

2020 Sun Belt Team Previews
East Appalachian State | Coastal Carolina
Georgia Southern | Georgia State | Troy
West Arkansas State | Louisiana
South Alabama | Texas State | ULM

CFN in 60 Video: Coastal Carolina Preview
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2020 Preseason CFN Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year

DE Tarron Jackson, Sr. Coastal Carolina

There are few more active defensive linemen in college football.

The Sun Belt has plenty of good quarterbacks coming into the season, but there’s a premium in the conference on a 6-2, 270-pound versatile force up front who’s quick off the ball and can hold up against the run.

He not only finished second on Coastal Carolina last year with 60 tackles, but he came up with a Sun Belt-high ten sacks with 13 tackles for loss to go along with nine quarterback hurries.

That’s what the guy does.

He made 58 tackles with 11 tackles for loss as a sophomore, and he’ll be the league’s most disruptive force up front once again.

NEXT: CFN 2020 Preseason All-Sun Belt Team

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Sun Belt NFL Draft: Who’s Making Dat Bank?

Sun Belt NFL Draft: Who’s Making Dat Bank? Time to make the donuts, y’all. Contact @astatefanrules Let’s get this out of the way: The NFL Draft isn’t kind to the Sun Belt. We’re a Day 3 Conference with aspirations for someday becoming a Day 2. You …

Sun Belt NFL Draft: Who’s Making Dat Bank?

Time to make the donuts, y’all.

Contact @astatefanrules

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Let’s get this out of the way: The NFL Draft isn’t kind to the Sun Belt. We’re a Day 3 Conference with aspirations for someday becoming a Day 2. You know how badly it hurts to type that? I’m not some unfeeling keyboard commentator. I’m flesh and blood. Maybe more flesh than most.

Because I’m a patriotic Citizen of the Sun Belt, it is my duty to feel good about the 2020 NFL Draft, which opens proceedings on Thursday night and lumbers on through Saturday. Why feel so good, Sunrades? Nothing concrete, but the NFL Combine did invite 7 Belters to run, jump and perform feats of strength before grown men carrying clipboards. Seven isn’t a groundbreaking amount, but it’s four more than last year’s Combine and seven more invites than the MAC received this year.

Combine invites don’t guarantee a place in an NFL huddle. The Sun Belt received three invites last year and drafted one (1!) player. But there are other signs. For example, CBS College Sports has seven Sun Belt prospects ranked within the Top 255. But what do they know?

They likely know more than me. However, because I haven’t submitted content to this site in months (blame COVID19), I’ll go ahead a provide you my list of Sun Belt Superstars most likely to be selected on NFL Draft Day 2020.

Fo Sho

Akeem Davis-Gaither, LB, Appalachian State

Robert Hunt, OL, Louisiana

Kevin Dotson, OL, Louisiana

Prolly

Darrynton Evans, RB, Appalachian State

Omar Bayless, WR, Arkansas State

Tyler Bass, K, Georgia Southern

Meh-Meh

Kindle Vildor, DB, Georgia Southern

Kirk Merritt, WR, Arkansas State

Raymond Calais, RB, Louisiana

Get’n Robbed

Monquavion Brinson, DB, Georgia Southern

Ja’Marcus Bradley, WR, Louisiana

Victor Johnson, OL, Appalachian State

Kevin Thurmon, DE, Arkansas State

Bryan London, LB, Texas State

Jordon Fehr, LB, Appalachian State

Tra Minter, RB, South Alabama

Tra Barnett, RB, Georgia State

 

A former notary public, Jeremy Harper is a professional writer and Chief Instigator for Storm the Castle Creative. He spends much of his free time staring blankly into space. 

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