Things changed in the Sun Belt East race in a hurry.
Not many thought much of it when James Madison defeated Georgia Southern just 27-24 two weeks ago. Even fewer cared after last week’s 49-22 demolition of upstart Georgia State.
But after Appalachian State pulled off a 34-31 overtime upset win over the Dukes on Thursday, the perceived gulf between James Madison and the rest of the East mostly has disappeared.
There’s certainly a ton of games left to be played, but the foregone conclusions no longer exist. But James Madison has only three league games left. Two of those are at home against Troy and Coastal Carolina, and the one road game is against Southern Miss (1-5, 0-2).
So there’s a pretty good chance James Madison won’t lose another league game. The Dukes also won’t win a tiebreaker with Appalachian State, so we’ll see how the Mountaineers handle success.
The top contenders in the West race are hoping to avoid upset bids Saturday. UL hopes to gain bowl eligibility with a road win over Southern Miss while Louisiana Tech returns to Ruston to meet Old Dominion.
1. James Madison
Record: 7-1, 4-1 Sun Belt
Last week: Defeated Georgia State 49-22
This week: Lost at Appalachian State 34-31 (OT) on Thursday
Extra points: During his tenure at UL, Billy Napier didn’t have much success playing Appalachian State in Boone, North Carolina. That trend continues at James Madison. While James Madison had 423 total yards to 366 for App State, the Mountaineers led in first downs 22-19 and in third-down conversions by a big margin. The Dukes converted twice in 15 tries and the Mountaineers did so seven out of 18.
2. Louisiana Tech
Record: 4-2, 2-0
Last week: Defeated UL-Monroe 24-0
This week: vs. Old Dominion, 4 p.m. ESPN+
Extra points: The winless Warhawks made the Bulldogs work, as the game was tied 0-0 at halftime. Tech’s passing game didn’t look nearly as good as it did against UL. Blake Baker was 15-of-21 passing for 178 yards and two touchdowns. Tight end Eli Finley was limited to two grabs for 9 yards. But the defense was stingy, limiting UL-Monroe to 63 yards rushing and 228 total yards.
3. UL
Record: 5-2, 2-1
Last week: Defeated Troy 33-6
This week: at Southern Miss, 4 p.m. ESPN+
Extra points: How angry was UL after the road loss to Louisiana Tech? Well, it showed in the 27-point home win over Troy. The Cajuns won like coach Michael Desormeaux likes it — physical running game and defensive play. UL won the time of possession battle 36:39 to 23:21. The only thing that didn’t go particularly well for UL was the passing game, which was only 11 of 21 for 108 yards on a very windy day.
4. Appalachian State
Record: 5-2, 2-1
Last week: Defeated Coastal Carolina 35-32
This week: Defeated James Madison 34-31 (OT) on Thursday
Extra points: Just imagine if the Mountaineers were mudders. That puzzling home loss to struggling Old Dominion in the rain is even more frustrating now. Since then, App State has employed a two-quarterback system with Malachi Singleton and Henry Hasselbeck, and it’s worked like a charm. Singleton was 26-of-40 passing for 271 yards and two touchdowns, while Hasselbeck was 3-of-4 passing for 14 points and a score.
5. Georgia State
Record: 4-2, 1-1
Last week: Lost at James Madison 49-22
This week: at Arkansas State, 6 p.m. ESPN+
Extra points: The Panthers aren’t quite ready to mess with the cream of the crop in the Sun Belt after a humbling loss at James Madison. Georgia State ran for 188 yards and passed for 185, but it had trouble protecting quarterback Cameran Brown and was only 5 of 16 on third and fourth downs combined. Brown settled for 134 yards passing with an interception and 71 yards rushing. Now it’s rebound time after the first big loss of the season.
6. Troy
Record: 3-3, 1-1
Last week: Lost at UL 33-6
This week: vs. UL-Monroe, 3 p.m. ESPN+
Extra points: The Trojans ran into an angry Cajuns defense, which limited Troy to 12 first downs and 126 yards rushing. Troy was just 3 of 12 on third down. Veteran quarterback Goose Crowder was limited to 65 yards passing and 25 yards rushing. The special teams had a poor night as well, and the Trojans lost two fumbles. Troy is back home against last-place UL-Monroe on Saturday.
7. Georgia Southern
Record: 3-4, 2-1
Last week: Defeated Old Dominion 23-15
This week: Open date
Extra points: The Eagles continue to perform well defensively, holding Old Dominion to 272 total yards last week. Backup quarterback Turner Helton was 23-of-30 passing for 199 yards with a TD and an interception. Starter Max Johnson left with an injury after eight passes. The team was sloppy with 13 penalties for 120 yards. Georgia Southern gets a week off to tighten up some loose ends.
8. Marshall
Record: 4-3, 1-2
Last week: Open date
This week: Defeated South Alabama 20-13 on Tuesday
Extra points: It wasn’t pretty, but the Thundering Herd didn’t care. Marshall absolutely had to beat South Alabama at home to get some momentum back after a disappointing 0-2 league start. Quarterback Zion Turner was 21-of-33 passing for 181 yards and ran for 45 yards and a touchdown. Now if the Herd can beat a struggling Old Dominion team next week, they can get back to .500 in league play.
9. South Alabama
Record: 4-3, 2-1
Last week: Open date
This week: Lost at Marshall 20-13 on Tuesday
Extra points: On a rare Tuesday night game, the Jaguars found themselves in an unexpected defensive struggle. Marshall limited the Jags to 148 yards passing and 326 total. South Alabama was 4 of 18 on third down and had to convert five times on fourth down to stay alive. Jared Hollins was 12-of-33 passing with an interception. The Marshall quarterbacks rushed for a combined 144 yards and a touchdown against South Alabama.
10. Arkansas State
Record: 3-4, 1-2
Last week: Defeated Southern Miss 23-13
This week: vs. Georgia State, 6 p.m. ESPN+
Extra points: The Red Wolves didn’t run roughshod over Southern Miss but got a solid win. Offensively, it was a pretty modest effort, settling for 304 total yards while limiting the Golden Eagles to 289 total yards. Dangerous wide receiver Chauncy Cobb had four catches for 50 yards. The Red Wolves led only 13-7 midway through the third quarter. It’ll likely take a better effort than that to beat Georgia State.
11. Coastal Carolina
Record: 2-5, 1-2
Last week: Lost to Appalachian State 35-32
This week: Open date.
Extra points: Quarterback Deuce Bailey wasn’t very efficient against Applachian State, going 16-of-31 passing for 298 yards and three scores. Running back Dominic Lee-Knicely was solid with 90 yards on 18 carries, and receiver Robby Washington added five catches for 118 yards and a score. But the defense wasn’t good enough to avoid a 1-2 start in league play.
12. Old Dominion
Record: 2-5, 1-3
Last week: Lost to Georgia Southern 23-15
This week: at Louisiana Tech, 4 p.m. ESPN+
Extra points: Things continue to go downhill for the Monarchs. If not for the monsoon at App State, Old Dominion might very well be 0-4 in league play. Now the Monarchs must make the long trip to Ruston. In its loss to Georgia Southern, ODU rushed for only 65 yards and had 12 flags for 96 yards. Running back Devin Roche had 25 yards rushing and now must face Tech’s aggressive defensive front.
13. Southern Miss
Record: 1-5, 0-2
Last week: Lost to Arkansas State 23-13
This week: vs. UL, 4 p.m. ESPN+
Extra points: The Golden Eagles rebounded from an embarrassing defensive performance the week before at Troy with a respectable effort in the 10-point road loss to Arkansas State. Southern Miss held the Red Wolves to 304 total yards. On the offensive side, quarterback Landry Lyddy continued to look dangerous with 18-of-34 passing for 208 yards and a score. Running back Steven Robinson got 85 yards and a score on 21 carries.
14. UL-Monroe
Record: 0-6, 0-2
Last week: Lost to Louisiana Tech 24-0
This week: at Troy, 3 p.m. ESPN+
Extra points: The Warhawks played as hard as they could, taking a 0-0 game into the half against heavily favored Louisiana Tech. UL-Monroe was hurt by four sacks in the loss to Tech. Aiden Armenta was limited to 14-of-24 passing for 119 yards.
PREDICTION
UL 34, Southern Miss 20
When the Cajuns won in Hattiesburg by 10 points in 2024, it was only their second win ever there. This time around, UL is a 10-point favorite. Some foresee an easy win. History says it won’t be. UL is 12-43-1 vs. Southern Miss all time, including 2-24 on the road. The Cajuns are 5-21 since 1970 in the series. The Eagles are last in the Sun Belt in rushing defense and the Cajuns just ran for 243 yards against Troy. If the UL pass defense doesn’t falter, the Cajuns should win. But it’s Hattiesburg, so being paranoid isn’t only acceptable but also suggested.
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