College Football Preview: Sun Belt Conference

By Andrew Musur on October 4, 2015

It is finally time to review the last conference: The Sun Belt Conference. As the years go by it seems like more and more mid-majors are making noise on the national scene. It started back in the days of Boise State, but now it has expanded to the Sun Belt Conference.

Teams like Georgia Southern and Arkansas State have given power five conference teams good runs, sometimes even beating those teams. Without further adieu, let’s take a look at the Sun Belt.

No. 1 Georgia Southern

2014 Record: 9-3 (8-0)

2015 Prediction: 9-3 (7-1)

Georgia Southern opened off the 2015 season with a 44-point beatdown from West Virginia. Although the Eagles could not hang in their opening game, they showed they could still play with good competition as they took down a pretty darn good MAC team in Western Michigan.

Georgia Southern is led by their halfback, Matt Breida. Breida is a junior this season and is averaging 9.8 yards per carry. The Florida native has rushed for 410 yards and six touchdowns. The 5-foot-10 speedster showed the country what he could do last season as he rushed for 1,485 yards and 17 touchdowns.

Breida is in store for a huge season; the country will know who this young fella is by the time his senior season rolls around.

No. 2 Arkansas State

2014 record: 7-6 (5-3)

2015 Prediction: 8-4 (6-2)

Michael Gordon was a 1,000 yard rusher a year ago, and he is off to another speedy start. Gordon has rushed the ball 37 times this season for 212 yards and two touchdowns. Along with Gordon the Red Wolves also have weapons on the outside.

Wide receiver JD McKissic caught 103 passes for 1,022 yards his freshman season. McKissic has caught 17 passes for 203 yards through three games this season. The Alabama native is averaging 11.9 yards a game. If Gordon and McKissic can continue to produce, the Red Wolves will be sitting pretty when the Sun Belt season is all over.

No. 3 UL Lafayette

2014 Record: 9-4 (7-1)

2015 Prediction: 8-4 (6-2)

Louisiana Lafayette started this season with a lot of heart. The Ragin’ Cajun put up a fight in their week one matchup at Kentucky. The Wildcats held on late and beat UL Lafayette 40 to 33. The key to any success the Rajin’ Cajun see this year depends on junior running back, Elijah McGuire.

McGuire is a Louisiana native and darted for more than 1,000 yards last season and he is on pace to reach the century mark yet again. The 5-foot-11 tailback has carried the ball 41 times for 248 yards and five touchdowns. McGuire put up eight scores a season ago, a number he will more than likely pass this season.

And the best thing about McGuire is that he has done all of that work in just two games.

No. 4 Appalachian State

2014 Record: 7-5 (6-2)

2015 Prediction: 8-4 (5-3)

Appalachian State returns 10 starters on the defensive side of the ball. The Mountaineer’s defense is anchored by defensive end, Ronald Blair. Blair recorded six sacks a season ago. Blair has put up some impressive numbers through Appalachian State’s first two games.

The senior has racked up 11 tackles and two sacks thus far. It should be noted that the senior recorded eight of those tackles and both sacks in the Mountaineers game at Clemson. Blair is on the NFL radar, but will need to have a huge year if he hopes to get drafted.

No. 5 Texas State

2014 Record: 7-5 (5-3)

2015 Prediction: 6-6 (5-3)

Texas State has three extremely viable options on the offensive side of the ball. The Bobcats returned starting quarterback, Tyler Jones. Jones put up more than 2,600 yards a season ago, and he has already hit 688 this season. The Texas native has been very accurate completing nearly 70 percent of his passes, throwing six touchdowns and zero interceptions.

But the best thing about Jones is his feet. The 6-foot-2 quarterback has carried the ball 33 times for 247 yards and three touchdowns. Jones has more yards on the ground than anyone else on Texas State.

Sophomore wide receiver Demun Mercer has shown some promise through his first three games of the season. The 6-foot-2 wideout has caught eight passes for 132 yards and two touchdowns. If Jones can stay healthy and incorporate Mercer and his other receivers, the Bobcats may surprise a few people.

No. 6 South Alabama

2014 Record: 6-7 (5-3)

2015 Prediction: 6-6 (4-4)

The Jaguars had one of the biggest upsets of the season as they knocked off San Diego State on the road 34-27 in overtime. South Alabama is led by former UAB quarterback, Cody Clements. Clements has thrown for more than 700 yards this season adding four touchdowns.

Clements is a tall guy standing at 6-foot-3, so he loves taller receivers. Six-foot-four tight end Gerald Everett has been Clements’ biggest asset. Everett has snagged 15 passes for a whopping 278 yards and two touchdowns. His biggest game this year came against San Diego State when he averaged 20.5 yards a catch and scored a touchdown.

The chemistry between Clements and Everett is apparent, but will it hold up all season?

No. 7 UL Monroe

2014 Record: 4-8 (3-5)

2015 Prediction: 5-8 (4-4)

Coming into this season, two guys on the Louisiana Monroe offense stood out above the rest. Wide receivers Rashon Ceaser and Ajalen Holley were those guys. Both players caught more than 50 passes for more than 800 yards.

Ceaser and Holley picked up right were they left off coming into this season. The Arkansas native, Holley, has caught 11 passes for 163 yards and two touchdowns and Ceaser has snagged 23 receptions for 250 yards and two touchdowns. IF quarterback Garrett Smith can continue to hook up with his two favorite receivers, the Warhawks should give a few teams a run for their money.

No. 8 Troy

2014 Record: 3-9 (3-5)

2015 Prediction: 4-8 (3-5)

Brandon Silvers was deadly accurate a season ago; he completed 70.5 percent of his passes which set the NCAA record for pass completion percentage by a freshman. Silvers has been on his game this year completing 69.2 percent of his passes for three touchdowns and 0 interceptions.

The Alabama native is only a sophomore, and will have plenty of time to whip this Trojan offense into shape.

No. 9 New Mexico State

2014 Record: 2-10 (1-7)

2015 Prediction: 2-10 (2-6)

For as bad as New Mexico State has been this season, they have seen plenty of bright spots. First, junior quarterback Tyler Rogers has thrown for 866 yards, seven touchdowns and two interceptions. Rogers has had plenty of help on the offensive side of the ball thanks to running back, Larry Rose III.

Rose has rushed the ball for 319 yards in the Aggies’ first three games. The Texas native is only a sophomore and has plenty of time to make this New Mexico State team competitive.

No.10 Idaho

2014 Record: 1-10 (1-7)

2015 Prediction: 2-10 (1-7)

Quarterback Matt Linehan has put up some good numbers for Idaho, but he hasn’t produced enough to get more than one win this season. Linehan has completed more than 71 percent of his passes for three touchdowns and 825 yards. The sophomore is lucky to have the Vandals’ top receiver back and healthy this season.

Senior Dezmon Epps was a monster last season snagging 79 passes for 980 yards and four touchdowns. Epps has followed up his junior campaign with 25 receptions and 299 yards this season. The California native has yet to grab a touchdown, but he is the key to this Idaho team.

No. 11 Georgia State

2014 Record: 1-11 (0-8)

2015 Prediction: 3-9 (1-7)

Georgia State had a tough season a year ago. The Panthers only won one game, and couldn’t steal a single win during Sun Belt play. This year already seems like another down year for Georgia State, but crazy enough the Panthers might have the best quarterback-wide receiver tandem in the conference.

Nick Arbuckle is a returning senior quarterback. Arbuckle threw for more than 3,000 yards and has already racked up 989 yards and seven touchdowns this season. The California native has benefited from a talented wide receiver group, led by freshman Penny Hart.

Hart has surprised many with his 21 receptions, 331 yards and three touchdowns. Hart has caught more than 100 yards in all but one of the Panthers’ games this season. Hart also impressed Panther fans when Georgia State traveled to Oregon and snagged nine passes for 128 yards. If Arbuckle and Hart can continue to click, they should steal a couple of conference wins.

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